Download Eastside Audubon Resolution for WSACC 1. Title of Resolution A

Eastside Audubon Resolution for WSACC
1. Title of Resolution
A Resolution Encouraging Washington State Audubon Chapters to Divest from Their
Investments in Companies that Produce Fossil Fuels
2. Date submitted: August 5, 2015
3. List contact name, affiliation/organization, address, phone and e-mail.
Andy McCormick or Pete Marshall, Eastside Audubon Society, PO Box 3115, Kirkland,
WA 98083 425-576-8805, [email protected] , [email protected]
4. Definition of the issue
Divesting is the opposite of investing. This resolution asks Audubon chapters in
Washington to remove their investment funds from the stocks and bonds of any company that
produces energy from fossil fuels, i.e., especially coal and oil. Burning fossil fuels to produce
energy produces carbon dioxide (CO2) as a byproduct of combustion. CO2 is a greenhouse gas
that forms a layer in the atmosphere around the Earth that traps heat which is steadily warming
the planet. Divesting from these companies is advocated as a way to begin to break the hold
these companies have on our economy and the strategy is aimed at reducing the production of
CO2.
5. What specific action (e.g. Audubon Washington policy position, a resolution, legislative
or congressional actions, etc.) are you requesting from WSACC?
Eastside Audubon is seeking to have all Washington State Audubon chapters join in the
movement to stop putting their money into fossil fuel investments and move their investment
funds into other kinds of investment products.
6. What specific resources (e.g. organizing volunteers, making phone calls, testifying at
public meetings, writing letters to elected officials or editorial boards) can you, your
chapter, or organization contribute to this action
The board of Eastside Audubon has already voted to gradually withdraw investments from fossil
fuel companies and reinvest the funds over a two-year period. We are available to consult with
other chapters and will share any expertise we develop in this process. We are consulting with an
investment advisor who is an Audubon member and will share her advice with other chapters.
7. Is strategic timing involved?
a. If so, what is the deadline for a WSACC position?
There is no deadline for making this decision. However, joining the divestment movement now
will contribute to the momentum the movement is gaining. We believe that Eastside Audubon
Society of Kirkland, WA is the first Audubon chapter to take a board vote to divest from fossil
fuels. Locally, the University of Washington and the City of Seattle have voted to begin the
process of divesting. Thirty-four colleges and universities, 44 cities and towns, 83 religious
institutions, 35 foundations and 26 other institutions – 248 institutions in all - have all voted to
begin the process of divesting from fossil fuels as part of the Fossil Free movement. A full list of
organizations that have made divestment commitments is available on the Fossil Free section of
the 350.org website.
This year is a favorable time to take this action because people have heard about a lot of bad
things related to fossil fuel production, transport and combustion, including train
explosions, expansion of terminals, projections of more tankers on Puget Sound, the large oil
leak into the Pacific Ocean at Santa Barbara, and the protest against the Shell oil rig at Terminal
5 in Seattle. In addition, news about droughts in several Eastern Washington counties, the State
of California and Arizona, and the massive snow storms of last winter are still fresh in people’s
minds.
8. State your chapter’s position on this issue.
a. Include a copy and date of relevant motions taken by your chapter board.
On March 24, 2015 the Board of Directors of Eastside Audubon Society voted unanimously to
significantly divest from fossil fuel investments over a two-year period and place the funds in
alternative investments.
9. List points in support of your or your chapter’s position.
a. Include specific reference to scientific studies and/or legal citations, e.g. laws or
administrative code.
Environmental scientists consider global warming and climate change to be an established fact
which is already altering the climate of our planet Earth. More severe storms in both winter and
summer, melting of the Arctic ice in summer, melting of glaciers around the world, spreading of
deserts in the equatorial range of the planet, changes in rainfall and snow patterns resulting in
continuous drought conditions in more temperate zones and flooding and massive snow storms
in other areas, are all the result of an increase in average global temperature of 1.8F since the
beginning of the Industrial Age.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body under the
auspices of the United Nations which reviews the science related to changes in the Earth’s
atmosphere and climate. It is a consensus body such that their assessment reports are agreed
upon by all members. Some scientists consider the IPCC too conservative because of its
consensus decision making. Despite this the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report issued in 2014 takes
very strong positions that the Earth is warming due to human activity and the solution is to
reduce carbon emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere. The sections in bold below are direct
quotations from the report.
Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed
changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have
warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen.
Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than
any preceding decade since 1850. The period from 1983 to 2012 was likely the warmest 30year period of the last 1400 years in the Northern Hemisphere, where such assessment is
possible (medium confidence). The globally averaged combined land and ocean surface
temperature data as calculated by a linear trend show a warming of 0.85 [0.65 to 1.06] °C
over the period 1880 to 2012, when multiple independently produced datasets exist.
The Panel is clear in attributing this rise in global temperature to human (anthropogenic) activity,
specifically the burning of fossil fuels.
Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have increased since the pre-industrial era,
driven largely by economic and population growth, and are now higher than ever. This has
led to atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that are
unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years. Their effects, together with those of other
anthropogenic drivers, have been detected throughout the climate system and are
extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid20th century.
The Panel makes clear the solution to the problem.
Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting
changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe,
pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems. Limiting climate change
would require substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions which,
together with adaptation, can limit climate change risks.
350.org is a leading organization for the movement to limit the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
to 350 ppm (parts per million). Today the average daily amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is at
400 ppm. 350 ppm is an estimate of the level of CO2 in the atmosphere which would keep the
average global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees C (3.6F). The average global temperature
has already risen by about one degree C.
350.org has worked with other organizations to develop the Fossil Free movement which
advocates divestment of funds from companies that develop energy from fossil fuels – coal, oil
and gas, and a switch to sustainable, clean energy from solar, wind, and water along rivers and
the ocean. The strategy is one aimed directly at the fossil fuel industry to force a reduction in the
production of CO2.
We recognize that the amount of our chapter's financial assets will not impress fossil fuel
companies into changing their intentions to exploit resources to the maximum. Nevertheless, the
chapter's action, in association with everything Audubon stands for, has great symbolic value. It
will help concerned citizens realize a local organization is involved with fossil fuel issues and is
taking an action they could consider for their own investments.
10. Who takes a different position on this issue?
Clearly, coal, oil and gas producing companies take a different view and say that we will need to
rely on fossil fuels for many more years even if countries make a transition to more sustainable
energy sources such as wind and solar power. Some take the position that global warming is
temporary cycle and the Earth will return to a normal pattern. Here are some sample opinions.
The American Petroleum Institute intends to recruit scientists to convince politicians, the media
and the public that climate science was too uncertain to warrant environmental regulation
(Wikipedia, Climate Change Denial, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_denial ).
Some universities, for example, Harvard, have considered divesting, but decided against it. They
decided the high returns on such investments are more important to support their educational
objectives.
11. Contact information for at least one person or group from both or all sides of the issue
(name and telephone) and position taken
350.org website is a good source of information on the Fossil Free movement. The Fifth
Assessment Report of the IPCC can be found at http://ipcc.ch/pdf/assessmentreport/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf
The American Petroleum Institute’s statement on climate change can be found at
http://www.api.org/environment-health-and-safety/climate-change
12. What is the rationale for the different position?
Michael Mass summarizes the arguments against the climate change model.
1. CO2 is not actually increasing.
2. Even if it is, the increase has no impact on the climate since there is no convincing
evidence of warming.
3. Even if there is warming, it is due to natural causes.
4. Even if the warming cannot be explained by natural causes, the human impact is small,
and the impact of continued greenhouse gas emissions will be minor.
5. Even if the current and future projected human effects on Earth's climate are not
negligible, the changes are generally going to be good for us.
6. Whether or not the changes are going to be good for us, humans are very adept at
adapting to changes; besides, it’s too late to do anything about it, and/or a technological
fix is bound to come along when we really need it.
Michael E. Mann (13 August 2013). The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines.
Columbia University Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-231-52638-8.
Some believe that divestment will have a questionable impact on fossil fuel companies' future
actions. Others consider that divestment could have possible adverse effects on their investment
returns, and they may believe their wealthy alumni may strongly disagree with divestment, and
may withhold their own contributions to the university.
13. Identify and describe which of the following WSACC conservation objectives are
addressed by your request:
The Audubon Climate Change Report (http://climate.audubon.org/ ) identifies families of birds
and specific species that are threatened with extinction, dramatic population decline and
movement to different regions to follow climate change. There are 381 such species listed in the
report. The State of Washington is within the Pacific Flyway for bird migration and the effect of
climate change will be felt by seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds. Fifty species of
birds in Washington are identified at risk of substantial change in their breeding range. The list
below shows six species at the greatest risk of losing their range. The complete list of 50 species
can be seen at http://climate.audubon.org/geographical-search/washington
Bird species
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritus
Trumpeter Swan
Cygnus buccinator
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulus
California Gull
Larus californicus
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium gnoma
Merlin
Falco columbarius
% Summer range lost
% Winter range lost
100%
46%
100%
67%
100%
52%
98%
72%
98%
68%
98%
66%
a. Protecting/Conserving at-risk birds Addressed
i. Protecting specific “state of the birds” species (species names)
b. Protecting/conserving at-risk habitats
i. Important Bird Areas (IBAs)? (IBA names)
ii. Great Washington State Birding Trail Sites (site names)
iii. Protecting working forest lands
iv. Protecting working farm lands
c. Reducing risks to birds and wildlife Addressed
d. Reducing risks to habitat Addressed
e. Focus on birds Addressed
f. Focus on other wildlife
g. Focus on bird habitat Addressed
h. Focus on wildlife habitat
i. Contributing to biological diversity
j. Curbing global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions Addressed
Based on this evidence we offer the following resolution for passage by the Washington State
Audubon Conservation Committee.
A Resolution Encouraging Washington State Audubon Chapters to Divest from Their
Investments with Companies that Produce Energy from Fossil Fuels
Whereas, global climate change is a scientific reality and is accepted as being caused by human
activity by 97% of all climate scientists, and
Whereas, climate change is already dramatically affecting bird habitats by drying up wetlands,
raising sea levels which increases erosion of shorelines, reducing winter snowpack in Western
North American mountains, melting Arctic sea ice in summer, and warming and acidification of
the northern Pacific Ocean, and
Whereas, carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere has been identified as the primary
greenhouse gas, and the accumulation of CO2 traps heat close to the Earth’s surface and is
directly related to the warming of the oceans and the atmosphere, and
Whereas, this accumulation of CO2 is the result of human activity, specifically the burning of
fossil fuels to produce electricity and other forms of energy, creating CO2 as a by-product of this
combustion and releasing the gas into the Earth’s atmosphere, and
Whereas, the prevention of further climate change and reduction of the amount of CO2 in the
atmosphere is a paramount goal in preventing worsening climate change and weather changes,
and
Whereas, the production of energy from fossil fuels is the primary function of certain companies
which sell stock to investors, and
Whereas, the companies that deal in fossil fuels are not willing to stop their production
voluntarily, a strategy of removing investment funds from the company has been adopted as a
way to send a strong message to the companies to move them to stop production, and the
accumulated withdrawal of funds may serve to reduce the companies’ ability and effectiveness in
extracting and burning fossil fuels,
Be it resolved, that the Washington State Audubon Conservation Committee recommends that all
Washington State Audubon chapters that have investments in coal and oil producing companies
join with other organizations and make the commitment to withdraw their funds in companies
that produce fossil fuels and set a timetable by which they will complete the transfer of these
assets out of investments in fossil fuels.