I also take comfort from our community in the face of a cynical new tradition. In advance of both the New Year’s and Fourth of July weekends in 2023, Ceres received massive document requests from Representative Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Finance Committee, designed as much to intimidate us and slow progress as anything else. Rather than demoralize me, it energizes me. Despite all the efforts to make this a national issue, it’s falling flat. Of the 165 pieces of anti-responsible investing legislation that were introduced in 37 states, only 22 passed. And the 8 federal bills introduced didn’t go anywhere either. This is yet another signal of our success and the climate movement’s inevitability. This is truly the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era. It is an honor to share this annual Ceres Leadership Circle Executive Summary with you and our family of leading supporters. It highlights our strategies and accomplishments and offers a vision of our priorities in the coming year. Thank you for being a part of the Ceres family. We are all grateful for your support and commitment to building a more just and sustainable world. Onward and upward.
The community advocating for bold climate action is growing by leaps and bounds. I hear it in a call with the CEO of a major bank set to release a comprehensive net zero transition plan that goes much further than any of its competitors, and also in conversations
Our climate-smart community is committed and resilient. Despite the whiplash that accompanies transformation of this magnitude, we are unstoppable.
in boardrooms and C-suites across the country. I see it in states rejecting legislation that limits factoring climate risk into investment decisions, and also in the hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy investments the Inflation Reduction Act unleashed. I experience
it in major moments like Climate Week and COP. I feel it every day as I engage with our network members and staff. And I recognize it in your support and vote of confidence in our work.
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2023 Leadership Circle Executive Summary | 3
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