Fresno activist: Citizens are pushing climate change ideas due to inaction by leaders
By Ken Wall
April 30, 2022
Fresno Bee
Emissions rise from the smokestacks at the Jeffrey Energy Center coal power plant as the suns sets, near Emmett, Kansas. As climate change bakes the planet, dozens of nations, including the U.S. and many local governments, are putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions that are causing more floods, droughts and other destructive events. Charlie Riedel AP file
Promoting legislation to pass laws to encourage lower greenhouse gas emissions seems very much like a grassroots effort. The organization I spend most of my time with, Citizens Climate Lobby (citizensclimatelobby.org), is just that, a nationwide organization of volunteers (mostly) that lobbies members of Congress to pass climate change legislation, specifically a fee on carbon pollution and cash back to residents.
Compared to the deep pockets of fossil fuel companies that fight against that sort of legislation, our efforts sometimes seem modest. But we keep going because we believe strongly in the rightness of the cause, and we have hope that the truth in the message carries weight that our pockets do not.
The anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
People concerned about political responses to climate change remain hopeful that effective national legislation to address the threats of a warming climate will come later this year as congressional deliberations continue. Meanwhile, numerous other individuals and organizations interested in addressing climate change are taking different actions.
For example, Bill McKibben, perhaps the best-known climate activist working today, has formed a nationwide organization called Third Act (thirdact.org), geared toward individuals 60 years of age or older.
Third Act’s focus on the older population segment makes sense since we who are in that group collectively hold or control 70% of the wealth in the country.
Third Act is asking people to sign pledges to not open accounts with the four banks that provide the most financing for fossil fuel development: JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank. Those individuals who currently have accounts with these banks are asked to sign pledges to, at year-end, close all deposit accounts and credit cards with these banks if they keep funding companies that produce fossil fuels.
Given that in 2020 these four banks collectively loaned fossil fuel companies approximately $210 billion, and the trend is apparently continuing, it seems unlikely that these banks will decide to curtail this profitable line of business by the end of the year. If that is what happens, it will be interesting to see the result of thousands of accounts being closed by customers at that time.
At the state level, another climate change approach is illustrated in SB 1173, now being reviewed in committee hearings by the California Senate. This bill, promoted by Fossil Free California (fossilfreeca.org), another grassroots organization, would require CalSTRS and CalPERS, the massive California teacher and public employee pension funds, to divest from their fossil fuel investments. It is estimated that the two funds currently hold fossil fuel investments totaling approximately $9 billion.
The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database estimates that worldwide divestment commitments now total more than $40 trillion. Half the divesting institutions are either faith-based organizations (35%) or educational institutions (15%), with pension funds next (12%).
A new grassroots group of faith-based institutions has formed in Fresno around the idea of addressing the effects of climate change on Fresno County residents, especially the marginalized. This group is called the Fresno Interfaith Climate Alliance.
Although the group is new, the representatives of various faiths that have met recently sent a letter to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors asking for it to reverse its decision to turn down the state’s offer of a grant to study the impact of climate change on local disadvantaged communities. The letter was signed by, among others, representatives of local Jewish, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Islamic and Sikh communities.
There is a growing trend toward citizen activism in response to the sluggish pace of political progress in addressing climate change. People are more willing to directly pressure local, state and federal governments to more effectively address the problem.
Grassroots pressure on certain businesses that contribute most to the climate problem will likely continue and expand as well. I think businesses, and elected officials at all levels of government, will be hearing more about climate change from their customers and constituents. Perhaps when the people’s voices are loud enough, lawmakers will enact appropriate climate change legislation in spite of pressure from contrary interests with deeper pockets.
Time to take meaningful actions in an orderly manner appears to be running out, and more and more people are understanding that and advocating for effective political solutions.
Ken Wall is a retired banker and bank regulator in Fresno, and is active with Citizens Climate Lobby Fresno. He can be reached at kwall9175@gmail.com.
