What’s with the people holding signs about climate and Chase Bank off the east end Commons every Saturday morning? We are protesting at the Ithaca branch of Chase Bank because it lends more money to fossil fuel companies than any other bank in the world; more than $382 billion dollars since the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treatment on climate change was adopted in 2015.
The other top funders of coal, oil, and gas are also banks in the United States: Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, but Chase is the only one with a storefront in Ithaca. So to oppose its role, Ithaca climate activists with Extinction Rebellion started a weekly vigil in January of this year.
I found them on Earth Day, when I was suffering from climate despair, with worries for my son, nieces, and nephews, and their children; and with concern for all those on our planet who have been suffering climate disasters for years, yet have done little, if anything, to contribute to them. Admiring the Ithaca group’s spirit and commitment, I’ve returned each Saturday since to join them.
Ithaca is replete with groups focusing on climate issues that have been instrumental in encouraging the City to be the first to declare a goal of net-zero carbon emissions. This magnificent work toward electrification has begun. We are also fortunate to have a County legislature and Boards of surrounding towns with some awareness of climate issues.
Is this effort still important even after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act? Yes, it is. While we happily have this legislatively determined first step launching, the act is loaded with concessions to the oil and gas industry. These inclusions are a bitter pill to swallow when scientists and the International Energy Agency have clearly stated that to avoid future climate disaster we must have no new oil and gas development. The United States is still far from the goal of adding no new carbon to the atmosphere by 2050. There are still many fights for climate justice ahead.
The New York Times reported on July 30 that energy analysts and many of the country’s biggest environmental groups have said “any additional emissions from fossil fuel leasing would be dwarfed by the clean-energy provisions in the bill.” Let’s hope so because we know that time is of the essence.
Back to Chase Bank in Ithaca. While we have some legislation now, we still have dirty industries blithely burning away oil, gas, and coal and the new act does not directly or immediately affect emissions. If financial institutions such as Chase stop lending these companies money, they will more certainly falter as renewables thrive. Activists will continue to help make sure this happens.
What can you do here in Tompkins County? Certainly vote, but also join us every Saturday at 11 a.m. in front of Chase Bank. Snip up Chases’ credit card, if you have one, by year’s end unless they take action. Or find another approach or group to work with. Make changes, however small, in your own life. Our personal struggles with climate despair will endure as the brightness of the Inflation Reduction Act fades, but taking actions somehow helps.
Source: ithaca.com
