Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
New York, NY -- Today, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to divest the city’s $189 billion pension fund from fossil fuels within the next five years, making New York City the first major US pension plan to do so. Momentum behind the push to defund the fossil fuel industry is growing in New York; last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo called on the state’s retirement fund to divest from fossil fuels.
Mayor de Blasio also announced that the city has filed a lawsuit against the five largest investor-owned fossil fuel companies over their contributions to climate change.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“This is what climate leadership looks like. To confront the climate crisis, we must hold corporate polluters accountable in the streets, in the boardrooms, and in the courts. In the absence of leadership from the White House, it’s encouraging to see city and state leaders like Mayor de Blasio stepping up and taking meaningful action to defund the fossil fuel industry and fight climate change.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.