John

Pension funds are the world’s largest asset owners and among the biggest investors in fossil fuels. If you add the numbers up, we are looking at hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds that are used to finance climate destruction.

All across North America, campaigns pushing for divestment of pension funds are ramping up and achieving huge victories. Just a few weeks ago, New York State divested its $245 billion pension fund from tar sands companies and New York City is ridding three of its pension funds of all fossil fuel investments. Minnesota is divesting from coal. Maine, New Jersey and other states are moving forward state divestment legislation.

Our state could be next. Our local elected officials need to know that we won’t let our retirement funds be complicit in accelerating climate chaos.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE TODAY

To make matters worse, these investments in fossil fuels actually place our pension funds at risk. In the long term, big coal, oil and gas companies are underperforming compared to the rest of the market. It is widely expected that the assets of many fossil fuel companies will eventually become stranded and stock values will plunge. This bursting of the "carbon bubble" could cause losses greater than the 2008 financial crisis.

Retirement savings should not be invested in an uncertain and volatile industry -- and we certainly do not want to continue to financially support fossil fuel companies, the primary drivers of the climate crisis. Many of these companies are actively expanding fossil fuel infrastructure from tar sand and gas pipelines, to fracking wells and offshore drilling - even digging new coal mines and building new coal fired power plants.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TODAY

We must move away from investments in fossil fuels and support a just transition to a low-carbon economy based on renewable energy and sustainable green jobs. It is time to demand that our elected officials act to freeze all investments in fossil fuel companies and divest pension funds from all coal, oil and gas producers.

Thank you,

Melissa Brice & 350 Chicago Team