Yesterday on the BBC News website there was an article entitled:
‘Rockefellers to switch investments to ‘clean energy”
I think this one of the best pieces of news I’ve heard for a very long time and that it may signify that people who’s opinions and actions can influence government policy are finally taking steps to curb what has the potential to be the greatest global disaster in modern times.
The Rockefeller family, who made their vast fortune from trading in fossil fuels, have announced, on the eve of the next climate summit, that they are to divest themselves of all their investments in fossil fuels and reinvest them renewable energy!
If this is as true as it appears then huge respect to them and I hope that many other businesses, banks, investment houses etc. follow suit and send a very powerful message to the UK, US and all other governments who are in thrall to the fossil fuel industry that there are other ways to fuel the world that don’t need to involve wrecking it.
I don’t really have any appropriate images to illustrate this post so I thought a singing whitethroat was as good as anything.
The Naturephile 
It would be wonderful to trust that they are making that move with totally altruistic intentions!
I don’t think altruism was a parameter in that equation. But I think that’s important because it indicates that powerful people who’s decision making process is informed mostly, if not solely, by money, are reaching the same decision that real people have been reaching for decades.
There was an interesting piece on the BBC news yesterday in the wake of the report sayting we need to end fossil fuel use by the end of the century. The reporter said that all governments now buy into the notion that climate change is largely the result of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and we have to reduce emissions, but it’s questionable whether the reductions will be sufficient. I hope so, but I think we are wising up. Albeit slowly.
As you have rather appropriately added an image of a warbler from the “Sylvia” genus, perhaps the Rockefellers will reinvest in our trees for our long-term survival, not to mention the benefits they bring to our birds, invertebrates and other woodland creatures. At last, folk are started to sing from the hymn book when it comes to accepting the reality of Climate Change.
Keep blogging, Finn and Best Wishes.
Tony Powell
I of course meant *starting to sing from the same hymn sheet* and this was intended to be a direct reference to wonders of bird song.
Hello Tony, I think folk are waking up the idea that we have to take action. I read in the news today that the authorities in Seattle voted unanimously to impose a tax on people who dispose of food waste with their normal waste and don’t recycle it. And apparently San Francisco have already done that.
However, it also said that humans waste 30% of all food produced, and that is a number so insane it leaves me speechless. How can that happen? Maybe if we didn’t waste all that food we wouldn’t have a climate problem – the amount of CO2 produced in growing, processing, transporting and leaving so much food to rot must be colossal. I think if goverments were serious about climate change they would start to deal with this global stupidity… but so far I’m not seeing any signs of it. But I do live in hope.
(BTW I saw you left an invitation on LI to connect. I didn’t do that simply because I use my LI account solely for work purposes. But I’m more than happy to communicate via WP or email!)
Forget kudos, rats leaving a sinking ship more like! I have to say, if the top echelon of financial and world power dump something, it is well spent and wrung dry. Looks like we might actually see some positive change. They are going to want to make a profit 😉
Hello Fran, that’s undoubrtedly the case too, but it also seems that it’s a highly political move designed to send the biggest signal to governments, the announcement being made as it was, on the eve of the UN climate summit.
I think the tragic and frightening part of this is that it seems to reflect a failure of the democratic process in dealing with global problems, and the longer term agenda is being set by big business. A sad reflection of the short term parochialism and lack of any moral fibre that appears to prevail at the heart of western democracy. What do you reckon?
You are dead right there…and they will want to make a profit so they got free publicity by staging it just prior to the UN climate summit in order to make them appear to be supporters without actually “supporting” clever buggers eh? 😉
Absolutely! I’m a tad less cynical this time thought because the Rockefellers have pulled over $800m out of fossil fuels and have stated they’ll reinvest in renewables, so they are actually taking action. And the news is continuing to improve… see the next post, in around 10 mins time