Older Americans Blockade Banks to Protest Fossil Fuel Financing

"Over 100 climate protests are scheduled to take place Tuesday in more than two dozen states, with many of the demonstrators in their 60s or older."

"Climate activists are taking to the streets Tuesday in one of the biggest coordinated demonstrations over global warming since millions of the world’s youth walked out of their classrooms in 2019 to urge their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis. Except this time, it’s not young people leading the charge but Baby Boomers.

The Baby Boomer generation—generally defined as anyone born between 1946 and 1964—holds far more wealth compared to their children and grandchildren. Baby Boomers are nearly nine times wealthier than Millennials and more than 27 times wealthier than members of Generation Z, with most of that wealth coming in the form of home equity and retirement funds, according to the latest available census data. That makes them ideal candidates when it comes to pressuring banks and other financial institutions to cut off funding for new fossil fuel development, says Third Act, the organization coordinating Tuesday’s protests.

“So far the kids have had to do all of the work and they’ve done an amazing job, but it’s not fair to ask 18-year-olds to solve this problem,” Bill McKibben, the prominent climate activist who founded Third Act, as well as 350.org, told the Guardian over the weekend. “Older people have got money and structural power coming out of our ears. We have to show young people we have their back.”"

Kristoffer Tigue reports for Inside Climate News March 21, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"A ‘Rocking Chair Rebellion’: Seniors Call On Banks to Dump Big Oil" (New York Times)

 

Source: Inside Climate News, 03/22/2023