The September Swarm on BlackRock continues as hundreds took action together online by calling, emailing and tweeting the Big 3 asset managers to defund deforestation this week.
Watch the Actionar curated by Climate Finance Action and follow along below to take action to Defund Deforestation! Then, join the September Swarm on BlackRock and get ready for the grand finalé – the Stop Funding Tar Sands Day of Action on October 2!
We know the Big 3 see us and hear us!
Last week, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock—the world’s biggest investor and biggest driver of climate crisis said: “I’m an environmentalist.”
Then he said: “Our job is to follow what our clients want.”
And he told environmentalists who have been protesting BlackRock’s investments “to go to the money owners and talk to them and have them change.”
WHO ARE THE MONEY OWNERS?
State pension funds are huge money owners.
They control large pots of money made up of the retirement savings of state workers like teachers, health professionals, union members, and many others.
Pension funds hire BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street to invest that money. If they don’t like how these Big 3 are investing, they can pressure them to change or fire them.
State treasurers oversee these funds.
Let’s tell our state treasurers to push BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street to change how they invest OUR money.
TAKE ACTION NOW
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON
Keep taking action here
We can keep pushing BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street to #DefundDeforestation. Invite your friends & networks to join!
ENLIST YOUR STATE TREASURER
Instructions for contacting your State Treasurer
State treasurers and comptrollers oversee huge pension funds made up of the retirement savings of state workers like teachers, health professionals, and union members.
Scott Stringer, New York City Comptroller, has just sent a letter to State Street, urging them to take action to stop deforestation.
Urge your state treasurer to join him and use their powerful role to stop deforestation and human rights abuses.
DEFUND DEFORESTATION ACTIONAR LINKS
VIDEOS
Defund Deforestation Now
Products Behind Deforestation
What’s Next interview with David
SPEAKERS AND RESOURCES
Alfred Brownell, Liberian Human Rights Lawyer
2019 Recipient, The Goldman Environmental Prize—Africa
Jeff Conant, Friends of the Earth US
Deforestation by the Numbers: 2-pager
Doubling Down on Deforestation report, Executive summary
Regina LaRocque, Climate Code Blue
Laura Haight, Partnership for Policy Integrity
Biomass 2-pager
Biolfuelwatch letter to BlackRock
Moira Birss, Amazon Watch
Forests and Human Rights: Principles for Asset Managers
Roberta Giordano, BlackRock’s Big Problem
