In the fight for a livable planet, everyone knows elections are important. But did you know that every spring there are elections that will have a huge impact on the climate and our future? We’re talking about the voting that happens every year at the annual shareholder meetings of big banks, insurance companies, major tech firms, polluting fossil fuel companies, and other US corporations with huge climate footprints.
This shareholder season, there are four key climate shareholder proposals up for votes at Wall Street banks. These votes shape how banks will act – what fossil fuel projects get built, how whether fossil fuel expansion gets bankrolled or climate solutions are funded, and what kind of responsibility the company will take towards Indigenous and frontline communities.
Some of the biggest investors voting at these Annual General Meetings are state pension funds, which collectively manage trillions of dollars that are invested in corporations across the economy. These funds are managed by state treasurers and pension boards, who are accountable to you.
Act Now: Tell your state treasurer to vote for climate action this AGM season.
State treasurers have an important role to play in stopping the flow of money to fossil fuels and protecting the retirements of millions of public employees. As large investors in these banks, it’s imperative that our State Treasurers vote the right way
Every new fossil fuel project that gets funded accelerates the climate crisis - bigger storms, larger forest fires, more intense droughts. Our state treasurers have to keep pension funds and public dollars safe. They can do that by telling the big banks and insurance companies to stop funding fossil fuel expansion.
Tell your treasurer to vote yes on the climate and Indigenous rights resolutions at the bank shareholder meetings this spring!