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October 30, 2019

Protesters Slam BlackRock for Investing in Coal and Oil
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In New York, about 200 protesters rallied at the headquarters of Black
Rock Tuesday, calling on the investment giant to end its support for
fossil fuels and companies driving deforestation. Black Rock is one of
the world's largest asset managers, with more than $6.8 trillion in
assets worldwide. It's also one of the biggest investors in coal and
oil. This is Reverend Kevin Van Hook of Riverside Church.

Kevin Van Hook: "We're here this morning because we believe that the
Earth is not something that we've inherited from our past, but rather
something that we are borrowing from our future. We're here this morning
because we believe that our children, and their children, and their
children have a right to clean air. We're here because we believe that
our children, and their children, and their children have a right to
clean water. We're here because we believe that our children, their
children, and their children have a right to a safe planet to call home.
And we who believe in freedom for this planet cannot rest until it
comes."

Tuesday's protest was held on the seventh anniversary of Superstorm
Sandy, which blasted New York, New Jersey and parts of New England with
a record storm surge as high as 13 feet, killing 159 people and damaging
more than 650,000 homes. A new study published in the journal Nature
Communications warns that up to 300 million homes around the world will
be affected by coastal flooding within the next 30 years amid
climate-fueled sea level rise.


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