The biggest driver of climate destruction on the planet is a name you might not have heard before -- BlackRock.
BlackRock is a giant investment firm that has funnelled unrivalled billions into the companies making the climate crisis worse. It is the world's largest investor in fossil fuels, including new coal plants, and is a key obstacle between us and a safe and inhabitable planet.
But thanks to mounting pressure from activists around the world, BlackRock’s CEO, Larry Fink, finally issued a letter saying it would act on climate. The letter sent shockwaves through the business community. But since the letter, there has been almost no action from BlackRock. In short, it looks like BlackRock is full of hot air.
BlackRock's annual meeting is next week, and now is the time to turn up pressure to push BlackRock’s $6 trillion in assets into our best weapon in the fight against climate change.
Tell BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to follow his words with action on the climate disaster.
It's simple: BlackRock’s investments are killing the planet. The world's largest asset manager has reserves in the fossil fuel industry that contributed to a whopping 30 percent of all energy-related carbon emissions from 2017.
The good news is we’ve taken on BlackRock before -- and won. BlackRock divested from an Eritrean mining company using forced conscripted labor under pressure from our SumOfUs members like you. Larry Fink issued his very public letter on the need to transform finance in the face of the climate emergency a few months ago, so we know that we can win this fight. But only if we keep pushing.
Before BlackRock's biggest meeting of the year next week, we need to call on BlackRock to make its words real and take bold climate action -- before it’s too late.
Will you add your name now to pressure BlackRock to divest from companies driving climate change before the “tipping point” of disaster?
More information
New York Post. 16 January 2019.
The American Prospect. 26 February 2019.