Should the public ignore the history of the Rockefeller Foundation as they shift resources towards promoting Agenda 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
In late July 2022, Rockefeller Foundation (RF) president, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, released a public letterdetailing the organization’s plan to increase their resources and attention to addressing climate change. Shah noted that the RF had a hand in shaping “the American and global responses to the pandemic’s crises“ as they funded projects like the CommonPass, helping promote the concept of vaccine passports.
Established in 1913, the foundation used the Rockefeller family wealth to ostensibly promote “public health” by funding mass vaccination campaigns and the founding of public health authorities around the world. To continue their mission today, Shah says the RF must “directly confront climate change.”
Shah says the foundation has taken steps in this direction already, including helping women get “green jobs,” investing in “regenerative agriculture,” and committing to divest its $6 billion endowment from fossil fuels. Shah said the foundation has “divested most of our endowment from the sector.”
The foundation also partnered with the Ikea Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund to accelerate the transition to so-called “renewable energy.” The groups claim to have raised more than $10 billion in additional funds.
The announcement of a reallocation of resources did not include much in the way of details or solid plans. However, Shah did write that the foundation’s goal is to “develop an integrated vision and plan for the years 2025 to 2030” that will be shared with RF Trustees within a year. No updates have been shared since the letter was published.
