{"id":13912,"date":"2017-09-19T20:18:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T20:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gofossilfree.org\/?p=13912"},"modified":"2017-09-19T20:18:07","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T20:18:07","slug":"rememberingsandy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofossilfree.org\/divestment\/rememberingsandy\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Superstorm Sandy and Rising in the Streets"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Robbins, 350.org<\/em><\/p>\n

As someone born and raised in New York City, Superstorm Sandy devastated places I loved. I remember watching places I\u2019d grown up become disaster zones, and walking through dark streets where electricity hadn\u2019t returned. As the waters rose, we asked ourselves – how could this have happened?<\/p>\n

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Dark streets after the storm<\/p><\/div>\n

The answer is complicated, but climate change is a major part of it. We know climate change is supercharging storms, \u201csetting the stage\u201d for a greater frequency of storms and storms that are deadlier and more intense.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be very clear – this is about justice.<\/b> The poor and vulnerable are hit first and worst by extreme weather events like Sandy. At the time of the storm, 70% of New York City\u2019s low-income housing was located inside \u201cZone A,\u201d the area at highest risk of flooding. While there has been a lot of rebuilding, many neighborhoods are still feeling Sandy\u2019s impacts five years later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Superstorm

Superstorm Sandy<\/p><\/div>\n

New York City\u2019s political leaders claim to care about climate change. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that \u201cthe world cannot ignore the very real threat of climate change.\u201d Scott Stringer, the Comptroller who controls the city\u2019s vast pension funds, responded to Trump\u2019s pullout from Paris by saying we would \u201cwork towards a sustainable future in every capacity we can.\u201d But today, there\u2019s still $3 billion of New York pension funds<\/a> invested in the likes of Exxon, Kinder Morgan and Transcanada, and dozens of other oil, gas and pipeline companies.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? Because these are the very companies that are supercharging hurricanes and storms like Sandy and Harvey and Irma, and more that will likely hit this fall. <\/span><\/p>\n

By supporting fossil fuel companies, de Blasio and Stringer are supporting injustice, plain and simple. <\/span>You don\u2019t get to be a climate leader while giving away money to oil and gas companies. That\u2019s not how it works.<\/b><\/p>\n

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5 years after #Sandy<\/a> some NYers still aren\u2019t in their homes. That\u2019s wrong. Join us on #Sandy5<\/a> & demand justice https:\/\/t.co\/JDrH0R2K0p<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/prdzPanDRM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Fossil Free (@GoFossilFree) September 18, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n