As Bloomberg Hammers Away at Coal, What Might Be Next for His Climate Giving?
After Bloomberg Philanthropies recently gave another $64 million to a campaign that’s closing down coal plants in the United States, one telling headline came from the Courier-Journal in Louisville: “New York City billionaires are battling over coal. And Kentucky is caught in the middle.”
While the fate of the coal industry is bigger than Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump, that’s a perception that Bloomberg ought to be wary of as his climate philanthropy continues to develop.
The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, with Bloomberg’s backing of over $110 million since 2011, has made a big impact in reducing coal-fired power plant emissions, which are a major threat to public health and a major contributor to climate change. But with half of the country’s coal plants closed since 2010, what’s to come for Bloomberg's climate giving? In particular, perhaps he can better serve the country and the climate movement by shifting emphasis away from shutting down coal plants and more toward helping communities create a better future...