Only a few days ago New Yorkers received a flash flood alert on their cell phones through the emergency broadcast system. This is the same flood warning we all received as we waited for Superstorm Sandy to make its landfall. We are approaching the 5th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy and we need to let our elected officials know that we have not forgotten the devastation it caused.  

This is why we brought the flood warning to the quarterly meeting of the NYC pension funds this morning. As the public portion of the meeting was wrapping up, we sounded the flood warning, dropped a banner which pictured Lady Liberty under the rising waters and performed a drown-in to remind the pension board of trustees that the cost of ignoring the climate crisis is paid with human lives.

A recent analysis of the NYC pension funds shows that more than $4 billion of their retirement money invested in the likes of Exxon, Shell and other fossil fuel companies; the very companies responsible for increased number of weather related disaster in NYC, willfully hiding climate science from the public for decades and sending our world into chaos caused by climate change.

Just three weeks ago, over a thousand New Yorkers responded to Trump declaring his intention to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, by spontaneously rallying and marching to NY city hall. The United States is forfeiting its role as a climate leader at the federal level. And this means that, more than ever, our local leaders need to pave the way. Only last week Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, signed legislation that would adopt the goals of the Paris Agreement despite the actions of Trump’s Fossil-Fuel-ridden administration.

NYers watch as pension trustees meet

This is the kind of leadership we need in NY and it’s time for our leaders to heed all the warnings. We cannot wait to act. New Yorker’s lives depend on the $175 billion NYC pension funds cutting ties with industries designed to destroy our communities.

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer directs the investment managers of the NYC pension funds. Let’s flood his phone lines with messages to be a climate leader and divest the NYC pension funds. Make a call today  

Sign and share the #DivestNY petition and join us!

Last week, New Yorkers took their message straight to the NYC pension meeting — Heed the warning. Stop the floods. #DivestNY from fossil fuels.

Posted by Fossil Free on Monday, 26 June 2017

 

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