The McPherson Memo: The Free Speech Edition

Dear all,

As we near the end of April, aka Earth Month, I wanted to spread a bit of positive news.

Here are three times in the past 50 years humanity has made meaningful progress on global environmental issues — progress that seemed impossible just 10 years ago.

• In 2023, global renewable energy capacity grew by the fastest pace in the last 20 years.
• More than half of the largest companies in the U.S. recognize that it's everyone’s responsibility to tackle climate change.
• Low cost solar, wind, and battery technologies are on profitable, exponential trajectories. If sustained, this will be enough to cut emissions from electricity generation in half by 2030. Wind and solar energy now regularly out-compete fossil fuels in most regions of the world.?

Believe it or not, today more people globally identify climate change as an existential threat than ever before. In a 2024 paper published in Science Advances , a team of behavioral scientists surveyed 59,000 people across 63 countries, and found that 86% of people “believed” in climate change – measured by whether they believe action is necessary to avoid a global catastrophe, humans are causing climate change, and climate change is a serious threat to humanity. Even in the U.S., the country with the lowest rates of agreement, 73% agreed.

Awareness is now a given. Action may be following more slowly than it should, but Earth Month is as good an opportunity as any to remind ourselves that we've made more progress than we think.

As always,

Susan

ON OUR MINDS

Brought to you this week by Account Coordinator Jasper Conacher , who has been enjoying New York City’s budding cherry blossoms.

University Unrest

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there has been a surge of pro-Palestine demonstrations organized by students and faculty on college campuses advocating for divestment and dissociation from Israel and calling for a ceasefire. Administrations’ varied responses highlight the tension between honoring students’ First Amendment right to protest and a university’s responsibility to ensure community safety. Campuses have a decades-long history of catalyzing cultural movements. In fact, the first Earth Day in 1970 was a student-led demonstration and teach-in. Academic institutions claim to value a critically engaged and passionate student body, yet punitive measures taken against students and supporters alike involved in the recent protest encampments calls into question whether the protection of academic freedom is being prioritized . Universities have been criticized for their utilization of police force, which resulted in over one hundred student arrests at Columbia, NYU, and other educational institutions, as it potentially undermines a university’s reputation as a forum for free, open dialogue. The question remains: how do such institutions foster an environment that encourages free speech and open dialogue, while also striving to insure its students and faculty are safe from harassment, harm and fear?

Tick Tock for TikTok

With a bipartisan vote of 79-18, the U.S. Senate approved a law which could result in a national ban of TikTok. While some American politicians have identified TikTok’s parent company ByteDance as a possible national security threat, others, despite voting in favor of the foreign aid bill, warn that a ban could lead to censorship and pose a hindrance to free speech, particularly of young people in the United States. As it pertains to data privacy, the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Free Expression Project has stated that China can access compromised data from a variety of other locations. The characterization of TikTok as a tool for the Chinese government to politically influence and spread disinformation to the American public should be contextualized within the broader risk of Americans getting unverified news and misinformation from social media applications in lieu of news outlets and platforms committed to accuracy and impartiality. Ahead of the Presidential election and in light of artificial intelligence’s role in disinformation dissemination and election interference, it is imperative that we collectively prioritize media literacy and commit to having our news come from verified sources.

Ban Book Bans

PEN America released a report stating that book bans in public schools are on the rise, with more states and titles alike being affected. More than 4,300 books have been removed across 23 states in 2023 which underscores overreaching and rampant censorship efforts from conservative groups. The titles impacted often center around LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters, which indicates the censorship attempts are both politicized and targeted. However, Democratic-leaning states are responding by pursuing bans on book bans. Washington and Maryland both passed legislation restricting book bans and Minnesota is also pushing back. Other states should follow suit and safeguard childrens’ access to diverse books. In addition to state action, publishers and writers, like independent publishing house Lee & Low Books, are making a concerted effort to write and publish books by and about BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. At McPherson, we proudly read banned books and encourage you to do so too.

ON OUR RADAR

Read:

• Natalie Foster’s The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy is rooted in the historical context of activism and crisis response and offers a pathway to economic security for all.??
• The Breakthrough Years by Ellen Galinsky provides a nuanced and solutions-oriented take on adolescents and their relationships with their peers and parents.?
• Wawa Gatheru shares why Black women are integral for the success of the climate movement in this captivating article .

Cheer:

• Forbes has identified the 2024 Best Brands for Social Impact , which were ranked by consumers using the categories of Overall Brand Values and Trust, Social Stances, Sustainability, and Community Support.?
• Laura Bassett launched her twice-weekly newsletter Nightcap, which provides a gendered lens to politics and news updates.?
• Read the tributes from peers to TIME’s list of the 2024 Most Influential People, including Leslie Odom Jr. by Kate Hudson, Sofia Coppola by Rashida Jones, and Yulia Navalnaya by Kamala Harris.

Reflect:

• Survivors of Larry Nassar, including U.S. Olympic gymnasts, will receive a $138.7 million settlement over the F.B.I. 's failures to intervene and prevent the serial abuse. The compensation serves as public acknowledgement that the criminal justice system let these women down, yet the compensation alone is inadequate in terms of justice.?
• There is an understated economic ripple effect catalyzed by climate change. Take reefs, for example , which contribute globally to tourism, as well as play an important role in food production and flood prevention in coastal cities.?
• Amid ongoing threats to democracy and freedom of speech, attend The Washington Post’s World Press Freedom Day event and listen to discussions about the necessity for free press, particularly with the approaching election.?
• The Don’t Ban Equality coalition, McPherson client, is hosting a briefing “Business Strategies for Protecting Abortion Access in 2024” on May 14th at 1:00 pm ET. The briefing will provide a comprehensive overview of how the current abortion landscape affects businesses, register here !

Apply:

• Looking for a summer internship? McPherson client New Profit is hiring for an individual to support their policy initiative America Forward, which focuses on improving the workforce development system, public benefits, and education system.???
• The Aspen Institute team is growing ! They are looking for a program associate, program coordinator and program assistant among other openings across a variety of verticals.?
• If you are interested in the intersection of sustainability and fashion, Chanel is looking for a Specialist to join their Social Commitment team.