Divest Louisville From Fossil Fuels

Global CO2 concentrations have just crossed the dangerous 400ppm milestone. Our local government has a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. Continued investment in the impending "carbon bubble" is morally, ecologically, AND financially reckless. If Louisville really wants to be the leader it claims, it should join Seattle, WA, Madison, WI, Bayfield, WI, Ithaca, NY, Boulder, CO, State College, PA, Eugene, OR, Richmond, CA, Berkeley, CA, and San Francisco, CA in publicly committing to divest from fossil fuel investments.

We can not count on the federal government, even as extreme weather events like Louisville's record spring/summer heat of 2012 and record rainfall of 2011 overwhelm local budgets. We have the solutions, but we won’t see any political progress on the issue until we can weaken the power of the fossil fuel industry. This holds particularly true here in Kentucky - a state deeply beholden to coal.

The bottom line is this: divestment is the only moral choice for governments that care about their citizens. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency.

Here is a brilliant short video and interactive map that drives home the point:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2013/apr/19/countries-exposed-carbon-bubble-map
In every way, the "smart money" is NOT on fossil fuels.

It's time to divest from fossil fuels now!