As divestment from emissions-heavy fossil fuels and boycotting of the oil sector gain traction in both the public and private sector, a major backlash is brewing around the United States. Lawmakers in more than a dozen red states around the nation are attempting to push through laws that would pull funding from state-run and large financial institutions that take steps to decarbonize their own investment portfolios. In short, the message is simple: “if you divest from coal and oil, we divest from you.” While there are many economies and communities reliant on fossil fuels in the United States whose current livelihoods are under threat from divestment trends, the latest movement to keep it in the ground may in fact be too little, too late according to experts. Just a couple of weeks ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued yet another warning that if the world has any chance […]

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