An open letter to the Buffett family regarding the climate crisis.

Warren, Susie, Howard, and Peter Buffett -

For nearly 60 years, your family has built its fortune by taking an interest in companies that provide predictable future returns. Along the way, you’ve captured the interest of millions of admirers – all looking to you as role models and guides to success and wealth for their futures. 

Now, your name and legacy are back in the media following the release of your estate plans. All of this happening simultaneously while the world is becoming anything but predictable – and formerly safe investments are now subject to the perils of an unraveling climate.

At this critical moment in human history, the four of you (along with your extended family and advisors) have the opportunity to follow the example of the Chouinards at Patagonia and create a fund dedicated to battling the climate crisis. Now is your chance to build a new portfolio that will yield higher returns than any speculative investment you’ve ever made. Talk about a societal and economic multiplier effect!

“Project Lincoln”, as you’ve dubbed it, will hold an estimated $127B of assets and become the largest such trust in the world. The offshoots of this fund could include so many causes near and dear to the family –  from empowering women and girls to workforce development to food security. You have the opportunity to promote sustainable population growth, build green infrastructure, usher in a new era of research and development, support resiliency and adaptation measures, advocate for bold public policy, and most importantly reduce suffering while ensuring prosperity for all the planet’s citizens (not to mention critically intertwined animals and ecosystems). 

The climate community has agreed to the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels. You can be a shining example of how to do that – turning the wealth created by and expertise in industries like railroads and insurance into tomorrow’s clean and equitable economy. 

We hope you’ll take this as seriously as the problem is. The world needs vision and leadership on the climate issue right now and the Buffets are very well suited to provide it.

We're all invested in a livable planet, because our fortunes – and our futures – depend on it.