What Possible Difference Could It Make? Vol. 2 Climate-Positive Banking
Dear Friends:
I’ll tell you more below about why you want to switch to the world’s leading climate-positive banking alternative, but first, I want to be totally clear that when you open and fund an Atmos account through this link, they will make a donation to PIPs Education Fund (PEF) in support of the PIPs for School (P4S) Scholars program. Which means that with this one, powerful, planet-protecting change — where you bank — you’ll also be helping low-income and first-generation students not just succeed in school, but learn the power each of us has to “be the change we want to see,” as the saying goes.
So, why change your bank now? Is it something you’ve considered before, but like me, just haven’t done?
We realize that changing your bank can feel like a big ask, but let’s consider what not changing means. According to Banking on Climate Chaos, Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2022:
- Potential emissions from fossil fuels already in production or under construction (the wells already drilled or being drilled, the mines already dug) takes the world well past 2°C of global heating, and in-production oil and gas alone more than exhausts the 1.5°C carbon budget.
- The world’s 60 largest banks funneled $185.5 billion in 2021 into the 100 companies doing the most to expand the fossil fuel sector, such as Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, even when carbon budgets make clear that we cannot afford any new coal, gas, or oil supply or infrastructure.
The report’s stark conclusion: “Any bank supporting any company that is expanding fossil fuels is driving climate chaos.”
Atmos does not support companies that are expanding fossil fuel production. Rather, it promises that 100% of your money will fund innovative technologies and infrastructure that combat the global climate crisis.
The great news for all of us is that this shift to a low-carbon economy no longer requires “major changes in the way we live.” As Paul Krugman, economist and NY Times columnist, explains, “The plunging costs of solar and wind power have greatly simplified the problem of getting to a low-emission economy…It’s mainly a matter of electrifying everything we can and generating that electricity from renewables.”
In other words, what might have been a big ask not too long ago is no longer such a big deal. Instead, it’s a sweet deal, with all the typical perks of your existing bank, plus this powerfully positive one: With one simple step, you’re contributing to major world change.
This is the principal lesson our students learn through their participation in P4S, that “we have the power to change things.” (Thanks, Kevin P.!) Imagine the lesson they’ll learn when they find out funds to support the P4S Scholars program are coming from people using a bank where 100% of their money funds clean energy projects!
Make the move to smarter banking now. Sign up for Atmos using this link.
With many thanks,
Wendy Gordon, President, PIPs Education Fund
P.S. Atmos will increase your savings rate when you choose to donate a li
