Stop investing in fossil fuels now

Re “LGBTQ debate heats up in school districts,” July 22

Thank you for your editorial exposing fossil fuel companies’ disregard for the climate crisis. By allowing the industry to continue polluting the atmosphere indiscriminately, the world will reach an uninhabitable 4 degrees Celsius increase by this century’s end, which will inflict unprecedented suffering.

With the prospect of Senate Bill 252’s passage in 2024 (a mandate that both state pension funds, CalSTRS and CalPERS, divest from fossil fuels), it would be prudent for their boards to acknowledge that continued engagement with Big Oil is futile.

We at Fossil Free California recommend that, rather than wait for legislation from Sacramento, the funds announce this year that they will prudently divest from fossil fuel companies completely within the next five years.

This will assure their beneficiaries that they value their future; it will also safeguard their pensions from the stranded assets that fossil fuel investments will soon become. Jane Vosburg

Santa Rosa The writer is board president and founder of Fossil Free California.

Your editorial misses the mark.

Yes, “we need to stop burning fossil fuels and pumping pollution into the atmosphere,” but your approach to getting there is all wrong.

Big Oil is merely supplying the fuel that we consumers want. Not only that, we demand that it be available at an affordable price.

If the goal is to phase out oil, that’s a demand challenge. Every California motorist who goes to a service station for fuel is confronted with that decision. Fossil fuel divestment doesn’t reduce oil demand; it just negatively impacts financial portfolios.

It’s time we tackle the problem head on and look at our own transportation choices.

Irvin Dawid Burlingame, Calif.

Why would fossil fuel companies give up potential profits? In capitalism (which I believe in), the reigning “greed is good” ethos isn’t always true and can have negative consequences.

Fossil fuels brought us through the Industrial Revolution and gave us the lifestyle we are used to today. We owe a debt of gratitude to our gas, oil and coal workers.

However, today there are alternative fuel sources that will also give us all the conveniences we are used to without the same climaterelated devastation. We need those energy veterans to transition and use their skills in the clean energy sector.

We can’t let greed prevent this from happening. We must vote out climate deniers so elected officials can speed up the production of clean, renewable energy.

Jonathan Light Laguna Niguel

Fossil fuel companies have proved time and time again that they will not stop polluting as long as doing so is profitable.

We desperately need legislation to this end both at the state and federal level. We witness these fossil fuel companies destroying the Earth day after day, leaving nothing for today’s youth and future generations.

What a shame. Michaela Paugh Irvine