Science Group Condemns Repression Tactics by Citi, NYPD Against Climate Activists

Organizers with the Summer of Heat on Wall Street campaign report that Citi and the New York Police Department (NYPD) have been escalating attempts to suppress nonviolent protests and inhibit freedom of speech and free assembly at the bank’s headquarters in New York City, including by targeting specific activists for arrest. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is one of more than 100 organizations endorsing the Summer of Heat campaign.

Below is a statement by Kathy Mulvey, the accountability campaign director for the Climate and Energy Program at UCS, who has more than 30 years of experience in corporate accountability campaigning.

“As an endorser of the Summer of Heat on Wall Street, UCS is in solidarity with climate activists peacefully protesting Citi’s continued financing of fossil fuel expansion during the accelerating climate crisis. We condemn the unjust reported targeting of campaign leaders by Citi’s Security and Intelligence Services and the NYPD.

“According to the 2024 Banking on Climate Chaos report, Citi is the second largest financier of fossil fuels and the largest financier of fossil fuel expansion since the Paris climate agreement. This summer, more than 750 scientists and researchers led by UCS sent an open letter to top Citi executives emphasizing the need to end fossil fuel finance, invest in renewable energy, and respect human rights and Indigenous sovereignty. The science is clear: rapidly phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to allow for economic prosperity and a livable future for people and the planet.

“The window to avert the worst impacts of climate change is rapidly closing, and we staunchly support people around the world who are taking bold, creative, and peaceful action to stop the deadly harms that Big Oil and its financiers are causing. Efforts by the fossil fuel industry and its allies to criminalize and suppress protests imperil democratic freedoms and obstruct meaningful climate action. UCS calls on Citi security and the NYPD to drop baseless charges, cease repression tactics, and respect the constitutional rights of Summer of Heat protesters.”

If you have any questions or would like to arrange an interview with Mulvey or another UCS expert, please contact UCS Climate and Energy Media Manager Ashley Siefert Nunes.

Additional UCS Resources and Analyses:

• A June 2024 letter to Citi executives from more than 750 scientists and researchers.
• A blogpost by Dr. Carly Phillips, a research scientist at the Science Hub for Climate Litigation at UCS, on her experience speaking at the Summer of Heat Scientists Speakout and a video of her talk.
• The latest blogposts by UCS experts and a map updated daily on the 2024 Danger Season.
• A peer-reviewed study by UCS, “Killer Heat in the United States.”
• A UCS study, “Too Hot to Work: Assessing the Threats Climate Change Poses to Outdoor Workers.”