350 CHICAGO Newsletter

- The 350 Chicago Team

Elections Matter:  The Debate!

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Democratic Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate.
Source: Olivier Douliery-Pool / Getty Images

Everyone knows by now that the first presidential debate was a complete mess, as Trump basically set himself on fire. But for those that stayed tuned in, there was a surprise near the end of the debate – a question on climate change (…for the first time in 12 years).  The responses were a bit garbled, of course, but one main theme was the ongoing attempt by the Trump campaign to paint Biden as a radical-left candidate who supports the “crazy” Green New Deal, with Biden trying to push back and clarify his position. Here is a piece by David Roberts of Vox that unravels the political-speak to reveal the underlying reality.

In other campaign and political news:

• Eminent climate scientist Michael Mann says that a second Trump term would be “game over” for the climate;
• The Biden transition team has stated that “Vice President Biden aims to ensure that those who serve are aligned with his values and policy priorities,” the plan said. That excludes those who have “been leaders at fossil fuel or private prison companies”
• The Biden campaign has a climate change ad up in Michigan aimed especially at farmers, and there is evidence that support for Trump among farmers, while still strong, has fallen off significantly from previous levels.
• Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sees growing support in Congress for comprehensive climate legislation.
• If Biden wins, a conservative Supreme Court might limit his ability to use regulatory agencies for climate change actions.  This piece from Time magazine provides the legal background.
• CarbonBrief has assembled a comprehensive guide to climate-related policies and statements from the presidential and vice-presidential candidates and from the party platforms.

Big Oil’s Climate Pledges: Are They for Real?

With investments shrinking and renewable energy booming, the oil industry is in peril. In response, the “Big 5” oil companies have promised to cut back on their greenhouse gas emissions, hoping to regain some goodwill. But these promises are inadequate for limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C, writes David Roberts for Vox.

One of the Big 5, Royal Dutch Shell, has announced that it is cutting 7,000-9,000 jobs in its efforts to transition to net-zero emissions; it’s unclear how these cuts will help, though CEO Ben van Beurden has described it as a necessary cost reduction. Meanwhile, Exxon is marketing its massive carbon capture facility in Wyoming as an important part of climate action - but while carbon capture has brought Exxon large tax credits over the years, a closer look shows that much of the captured carbon is sold for use in an extraction process called enhanced oil recovery, continuing the cycle of dirty energy. By the company’s own admission, Exxon’s carbon emissions are projected to increase by 17% in the next five years; this only includes the direct emissions from extracting fossil fuels, and not the much larger indirect emissions caused by the actual burning of the fuels.

Meanwhile, investors are turning their attention to cleaner forms of energy. As of last week, the American wind and solar power company NextEra has a higher market value than Exxon.

Corporate pledges

If there ever was a silver lining to the wildfires in California, it is the fact that the climate crisis has drawn the attention of major players, including tech giants. For example, last month, Google made its pledge to power all of its energy demands from carbon-free sources without offsets by 2030. Facebook has issued a similar pledge to de-carbonize its supply chain with offsets. Their pledge includes continuing efforts to mitigate climate misinformation and a platform on climate science called the Climate Science Information Center.

In addition, a coalition campaign of various activist groups and investors representing $47 trillion US in assets has also issued a notice asking 161 fossil fuel, mining, and transport companies to back plans to reach carbon neutrality, and that they would be publicly held to account.

Despite the flurry of positive news and pledges, activists should consider where these companies stand relative to these pledges, as E&E writes some reports find that even those organizations leading the pack are still not on track with the goals set by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

While many corporate efforts contain considerable gaps, this is still a step forward versus mere "greenwashing".  More recent pledges contain more substance. Some attribute this shift to a number of factors, including activist shareholders, climate-minded employees, and how clean energy is currently cheaper and only expected to grow. Only time will tell.

Additional Reads & Resources

Amazon on the tipping point of switching from rainforest to savannah – The Guardian

What China's plan for net zero emissions by 2060 means for the climate – The Guardian

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet review – stark climate emergency warning – The Guardian

Cambridge University vows to complete fossil fuel divestment by 2030 – IEEFA

Actions You Can Take Today

Support the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA)
Over 600 days have passed since the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition introduced the Clean Energy Jobs Act.  Help pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act and spark our clean energy recovery by contacting your lawmakers. Simply enter your information into this form, and your message will automatically be sent to your state legislators and Governor Pritzker. 350 Chicago along with coalition partners at the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition are working to get all 177 legislators in the Illinois General Assembly to support this important bill.  

Thank you for pitching in!

Take action against Target and Exchange 55
Join us in supporting the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) in the fight against Hilco’s Exchange 55 project.  

Use this form to send a message to Target Corporation executives and to local reps in opposition to Target's lease.  Your participation in this action is a simple yet powerful one in the movement for environmental justice.

Our Thanks Again...

In just 9 days, we raised $3040 during our first ever peer-to-peer fundraiser, in honor of Zero Emissions Day, through the Give Lively fundraising platform.

We are deeply grateful to our peer-to-peer fundraising campaigners as well as all of the donors who gave so generously. Your generosity will allow 350 Chicago to strengthen our climate advocacy efforts and expand our organizational capacity.

Congratulations again, everyone, on making this fundraiser a success.

Upcoming 350 Chicago Meetings & Other Events

**Please note that most meetings are currently being conducted online, and any physical in-person meetings are subject to change due to COVID-19. **

OCT 13TH, 2020 (Tuesday) 6:00 - 7:00pm CT
350 Chicago VIRTUAL Research Committee Meeting

NOV 7TH, 2020 (Saturday) 10:00 - 11:30am CT
350 Chicago VIRTUAL Monthly Meeting - details TBD

350 Education Committee
Interested in getting involved in the Education committee? Contact committee lead Melissa Brice for more details.