Tag: Climate

Barely Building Back Better

Barely Building Back Better

Natalie Wasek

All eyes and ears are open to learn what might be cut next from the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Plan. News reports are fast and furious with the latest hints that come out of the room where it happens. The social policy bill initially set at $3.5 trillion is being cut to under $2 trillion resulting in a debate over what can be cut out and not be missed, and what can be decreased and still make an impact. 

This isn’t however, just about the top line cost decision, though it is being presented that way by the media. The impact on real people and society cannot be separated from this price tag. The focus has been on the cost of the bill if it passes rather than the cost to society if this doesn’t pass. 

The bill includes policies for child tax credits, paid family and medical leave, lower childcare costs, lower higher ed costs, lower prescription drug prices, clean energy and electricity, forest management, penalties for methane leaks, and programs for the formerly incarcerated, among others. Corporations are actively lobbying against the bill, in opposition to increased corporate taxes, expanded Medicare, and fees for carbon emissions. Yet businesses admit that they will benefit from the childcare, healthcare, education and climate provisions in the bill. One Senator remains firmly against the clean electricity provisions in the bill, despite the fact that his state of West Virginia is the most vulnerable to flooding due to climate change (The Daily, Oct 20, 2021). Another Senator opposes any corporate or income tax rate increase yet voted against those Trump-era tax breaks in 2017 (MSNBC, Oct 21, 2021).

SGI members had an opportunity to discuss the Build Back Better plan at our fall meeting. We discussed how SGI’s priorities align with the proposed plan and asked “if you were in Congress and had to make the decision, what would you cut from the bill?” It is not an easy question to answer, nor were we necessarily looking for our members to have the answer. Rather, we wanted our members to better understand the impact this bill could have on families, society, and the climate crisis. 

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis put it simply when addressing attendees at our annual conference: “we have to restructure our society around the needs of the poor.” If we created this divide and allowed poverty to exist, we can restructure the economy to get rid of it. This bill, if not cut to mere scraps, could have a significant role in doing just this. 

SGI members disagree that the U.S. can’t afford the bill, and believe that the positive impact would far outweigh the monetary implications that are being argued over. This seemingly endless debate is a balancing act: weighing the impact of social safety against climate change. Paid family leave and child care, which are ways to address poverty, would make for better employees and thus be good for business. And, at this point in the game, one would think that the climate crisis should speak for itself. However, ironically, the US and 14 other countries are pledging to increase fossil fuel extraction over the next decade. 

This is all to say that the challenges the Build Back Better Plan hopes to address are not going to disappear and will only get worse. 

As investors, SGI members are engaging companies on many of these issues, stressing the importance of climate action, paid family leave, affordable drug pricing, responsible lobbying, etc. They see the importance of putting dignity to workers and individuals first and are asking companies to do the same. But we also know that these voluntary actions are not enough. It’s time for our elected officials to stand up.

Just Transition to Clean Energy: A Virtual Conference

Just Transition to Clean Energy: A Virtual Conference

Natalie Wasek

Seventh Generation’s 2020 Conference will look a little different than years past. 

Rather than a member meeting of networking, a panel of speakers on stage, and members, colleagues, educators, investors, advisors, and friends, we’re preparing for a virtual panel discussion, donning the style of a “Brady Bunch” title screen we all have been experiencing these past few months. 

The year, 2020, marks 50 years since the first Earth Day, and we are grappling with the effects of the climate crisis. At present, and in years past, SGI members urge utilities, among other companies, to publish decarbonization plans that meet Science-Based Targets (SBT) aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius. Without corporate action, this is seemingly impossible. Moving towards a low-carbon economy presents new challenges on technology and the workforce.  

This year’s annual conference: Just Transition to Clean Energy will take place virtually on October 12th, 2020. 

Joining us to take on the questions of “what is a Just Transition?,” and “what does it mean for energy providers, employees, consumers, and investors?,” are:

These expert panelists will bring a unique set of experiences and remarks, challenging each other, and us, on the path to achieving a Just Transition. A social issue as much as a technology, climate’s intersection with human work becomes more apparent in the energy sector as the push towards electrification grows. We are lucky to have this great panel lined up for this event, and we look forward to learning all we can from them! 

It would be hard to hold this conference and not mention the impacts of COVID-19 on all those affected. While we hope our virtual conference allows for the inclusion of those previously unable to attend, we hope all are staying safe and healthy amid this pandemic.

If you are interested in attending, and haven’t previously registered, please do so here.

The webinar link and information will be sent out via Eventbrite prior to the conference date. 

Earth Day

Earth Day

Natalie Wasek

While the term “climate change” had not been invoked by April 22, 1970, awareness of human involvement changing Earth induced a fear mixed with hope. Scientists could not see the future of our planet, and newspaper headlines at the time captured concern for the environment and for peace as protests surrounding the Vietnam War were met with groups putting cars on trial. 

And as most of the United States currently sits in the unknown because of the COVID-19, the Earth keeps turning. 

But with EPA rollbacks during a global pandemic, the US withdrawing from the ever-important Paris Agreement, and the impacts of the BP oil spill still being felt ten years later, it can be difficult to find those positives. But they do exist.

Many improvements have been made since that first Earth Day, now 50 years ago. The current National Geographic depicts how life expectancy has increased along with food production, more people have access to clean water and electricity, and pollution levels (overall) have fallen. Even during this crisis, we see renewable energy, like solar and wind, growing in capacity.

Coupled with this uncertainty of the environment, for me comes a feeling of nostalgia: remembering the saplings handed out to us in elementary school, thinking about the recycling program my grandmother started in her town, visualizing the passion Denis Hayes had in organizing the first Earth Day. These individual acts, small notions, and world movements all exude a hope of possibility of positive change. From a young age, environmental activists like Severn Suzuki, Greta Thurnberrg, and Delaney Reynolds witness to a heartfelt passion as vibrant as Hayes’. Students are urging their universities to divest from fossil fuels. Community gardens push back against the concrete that dominates our cities.  

On the first Earth Day, 50 years ago, New York City’s Mayor Lindsay put it simply; “Beyond words like ecology, environment, and pollution there is a simple question: Do we want to live or die?”