It’s Monday, July 15th, and wealthy philanthropists vow to raise millions for climate activists.
Heeding the call of grassroots campaigners, deep-pocketed U.S. philanthropists are throwing their weight behind groups they say are raising the profile and urgency of climate activism, launching a new Climate Emergency Fund.
Three wealthy donors — Trevor Neilson, an investor and philanthropist, Rory Kennedy, daughter of late-U.S. Senator and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Aileen Getty, heir to the Getty Oil fortune (!!!) — teamed up to launch the fund. So far, it has raised $600,000, with the promise of raising tens of millions more in the months ahead.
“Our climate crisis demands a new paradigm, requiring the phasing out of fossil fuel infrastructure, the phasing in of non-fossil energy sources, and large-scale removal of carbon from the atmosphere,” the fund’s website reads. “CEF recognizes that this moment requires large-scale disruption and nonviolent civil disobedience to force the policy change we need.”
The money will allegedly be used to support climate actions by established groups like Extinction Rebellion and the School Strike for Climate movement, as well as to help “seed” similar efforts around the world. Many of these groups are calling for greater government action against the climate emergency by taking to the streets: Just this week, according to Extinction Rebellion, more than 3,000 activists across the United Kingdom have signed up to participate in acts of civil disobedience as part of a “summer uprising.” And on Friday, the climate organization Zero Hour partnered with Extinction Rebellion to stage a die-in in front of Miami’s City Hall as part of the kick off for its youth climate summit.
The Smog
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