From Sierra Club PA:
A month into 2025 and Trump and his Big Polluter allies are already slashing environmental protections at the federal level.
While we work to stop the worst attempts to roll back national protections for our health, climate, and future, progress can still be made by urging state and local leaders for bold action.
Our financial systems are driving the climate crisis. At a local level, public pensions and state treasuries are using our tax dollars to fuel the climate crisis by continuing to fund big oil, gas, and other polluters.
But, with enough public pressure, these pensions and treasurers could instead hold polluters accountable and make investments that build a just and sustainable future for people, planet, and portfolios.
Join us for a webinar on February 6 to learn more about how you can take tangible actions in PA to push financial institutions to hold polluters accountable.
What: Briefing and ways to take action on our report, The Hidden Risk in State Pensions
When: Thursday, February 6, 12-1:15 pm ET / 9-10:15 am PT
Where: Zoom (RSVP to receive the link, or a recording if you can’t join live)
Can’t make the webinar at that time? Still sign up to receive the recording!
RSVP
Fossil fuel expansion not only damages our environment and our communities, it also poses significant risks to our economy and retirement savings. If state financial institutions — including our state treasuries and public pensions — stop providing funds to companies trying to expand fossil fuels, more dirty projects can be stopped. In fact, redirecting money away from polluting industries and into climate solutions is one of the most powerful tools we have to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy.
State treasurers, pension trustees, and policymakers are in a unique position to drive this change. Public pensions, which are responsible for the retirement savings of teachers, firefighters, and other public workers, and state treasuries, which manage state finances, manage trillions of dollars. Getting them to hold polluters accountable and invest our money in ways that support a greener, more just future is a crucial lever in solving the climate crisis.
This is where we, as advocates and citizens, come in. Key to our success is supporting state and local efforts that:
Move investments from dirty fossil fuels into clean energy, climate solutions, and green jobs;
Get pensions and treasuries to use their power as shareholders to hold polluters accountable; and
Pass legislation to protect public pensions and state funds from the impacts of climate change.
Join us on February 6 to learn how we can take action in 2025 to make our economy work for us, not corporate polluters
While the challenges we face are significant, progress is still possible. We are working tirelessly to build the political will we need to make these changes, but we need your help.
We invite you to join us at an upcoming webinar to learn more about how we can get state pensions involved in the fight against climate change — and how you can support.
Our state leaders must put our economy and long-term interests over corporate polluters’ short-term greed. It’s time we make our money work for us: for our communities, our economy, and our planet. Thank you for joining us in this work!
I hope to see you then,
Ben Cushing
Director, Sustainable Finance Campaign
Sierra Club
P.S. If you can’t make the webinar, or want to take action in the meantime, send a message here to urge your state’s pension leaders to strengthen their shareholder voting for climate action!RSVP and join us for our first Sustainable Finance webinar of 2025 on February 6!
Feb. 6: Sustainable Finance & the PA State Pension
