Divest Vallejo from Fossil Fuels

We hold the future of our children and grandchildren in our hands. In the words of Seattle's Mayor McGinn, "We’re the first generation to see the effects of climate change, and the last generation who can do anything about it. To refuse to use every tool at our disposal in this fight – to embrace inaction – is to endorse a trajectory that will lead to suffering, privation, and calamity" The world leaders agreed in the Copenhagen Climate Summit that raising the global temperature more than 2 degrees Celsius would be devastating for civilization. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at current rates we will surpass this target within 12 to 15 years.

Today we are already witnessing the effects of accelerated climate change: increased global temperatures have caused more extreme weather, food and water shortages, resource conflicts, climate refugees, and negative health impacts which have been felt disproportionately by coastal and impoverished communities. This is not a partisan issue, it is an ethical issue. Ethical financing is a statement that we will not support the profits of fossil fuel companies while millions of poor people around the globe bear the brunt of climate change as they experience famine, mass emigration and civil unrest as a result.

The burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to the greenhouse gas build-up which causes global climate change. To prevent climate chaos, the fossil fuel industries have to keep 80% of their reserves underground. They will not do this willingly. However, as a community, we have the power to convince them by divesting from fossil fuels. Divestment from fossil fuel companies can:

a) drive public awareness of the incalculable damage being done by the fossil fuel industry as it generates huge immediate profits in exchange for an uninhabitable future; 

b) build public recognition of the urgent need to drastically and rapidly reduce humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels; 

c) call widespread attention to the consequences of continuing a “business as usual” approach to extracting, marketing and burning fossil fuel; 

d) lead to inspiring and urgent, accelerated and popular commitment to leave untapped 80% of the known carbon reserves,while developing renewable energy resources capable of meeting humanity’s needs – thus making it possible that life as we have known it might continue on earth.

You can read the Carbon Tracker list at http://www.carbontracker.org/
You can review fossil fuel and fossil free investments at https://fossilfreefunds.org/