Oil refinery in Alberta, Canada by Bruce Raynor/Shutterstock

Dear Friend,

The tide is turning against the dirtiest fossil fuels, but we need your help.

The dirtiest of all fossil fuels—coal and tar sands oil—leave a wake of destructive pollution in their path. From extraction to transport to combustion, our waterways, communities, and fisheries suffer. These fuels also release high amounts of carbon pollution that fuels climate change, which is contributing to unprecedented destruction from wildfires and severe superstorms.

These dirty fuels have the most immediate impact on those closest to them. Right now, First Nations in Canada are suffering from displacement, pollution, and loss of fishing and traditional food gathering because of destructive tar sands extraction in Alberta. The fossil fuel industry has plans to build new pipelines and increase existing capacity, which will only intensify these impacts. The financial and insurance sectors enable this—but they have other lines of business and don’t need to fund coal, tar sands, or other fossil fuels to turn a profit.

At this moment, we have an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the brave First Nations defending their land and water, while ensuring that dirty fossil fuels stay in the ground. Construction and operation of these projects require insurance—and insurance companies are slowly realizing they don’t need to enable this destruction.