The Joyce Foundation and global warming

The Joyce Foundation's response to the emergence of global warming as a major environmental issue has been to place its faith in Carbon Capture and Storage technology to bury carbon dioxide from new coal-fired power stations.

On its website it states that "an estimated thirty-six coal plants are under various stages of consideration for the Great Lakes region. Burning coal emits carbon, which contributes significantly to global warming; in addition, coal-burning plants have been major polluters of air and water in the Midwest and nationally. Coal gasification technology offers the possibility of reducing overall emissions as well as potentially capturing and storing carbon. The Joyce Foundation is supporting efforts to make sure that new Midwest power plants are built with the cleaner technology."

2007 Grants
On its website the Joyce foundation lists the grants made in 2007 under its "climate change and coal" program as being :


 * CUB Consumer Education and Research Fund, Chicago, IL $75,000.00 "to promote policies that would hasten the development of IGCC technologies in Illinois."


 * Energy Foundation, $100,000.00 "for continued support of a fund used to underwrite smaller-scale efforts to contest the licensing of conventional coal plants in the Midwest"


 * Environment Illinois Research and Education Center Chicago, IL, $160,000.00 "for continued support of its Global Warming Solutions Program"


 * Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, $120,000.00 "to analyze the impact of biofuels development on the Upper Midwest and on U.S. agricultural, environmental, and energy policies, and the global implications of biofuels for food, trade, and development strategies in developing countries."


 * Bipartisan Policy Center $75,000.00 "for a study by the National Commission on Energy Policy of the consequences of increasing coal production in the United States, including analysis of the environmental impacts of mining-collectively known as upstream impacts."


 * Clean Air Task Force $55,000.00 "to support a delegation of Midwest policy makers, industry representatives, and environmental groups to visit European coal gasification projects and meet with European counterparts."


 * Congressional Research Service $539,000.00 "for a series of expert sessions to inform Congress on alternative long-term U.S. energy policies."


 * Rockefeller Family Fund, $50,000.00 to "support the Renewable Energy Alignment Mapping Project".


 * Chicago Council on Global Affairs, $100,000.00 "to support the 2007 Chicago-Shanghai Dialogue III project aimed at fostering collaboration on energy and environmental challenges facing both cities."


 * Clean Air Task Force, Boston, MA $60,000.00 "to retain local counsel and technical experts to appear in the licensing hearings for a proposed IGCC project."


 * Council of State Governments, Lexington, KY $157,162.00 "to organize and convene a summit on energy and global warming for midwestern governors."


 * Energy Center of Wisconsin Inc., Madison, WI $100,000.00 for "planning and convening the Energy Transition 2050 Conference in Chicago."


 * Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development, Minneapolis, MN $99,400.00 "to brief Midwest lawmakers and regulators about how advanced coal technologies are currently deployed in Europe and encourage their support for similar adoption here."


 * Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund, Sprigfield, IL $175,000.00 "to continue organizing support for the Great Lakes compact and clean energy policies in Illinois, and to broaden and strengthen its coalition."


 * Izaak Walton League of America Inc. St. Paul, MN, $350,000.00 "to continue to encourage the deployment of advanced coal generation in Minnesota and to promote policies that enable and encourage carbon capture and storage."


 * Minnesotans for An Energy Efficient Economy, St. Paul, MN $300,000.00 "to establish a media center to provide communications tools and services to regional and national organizations working on energy issues."


 * Union of Concerned Scientists Inc. Cambridge, MA $75,000.00 "to support its efforts to study and highlight the financial risks of future carbon dioxide emission limits."

Joyce Foundation role in founding of Chicago Climate Exchange
The Joyce Foundation was an early funder of the Chicago Climate Exchange, providing $12,000.

Contact
Web: http://www.joycefdn.org/Programs/Environment/Default.aspx

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Design to Win: Philanthropy's Role in the Fight Against Global Warming
 * Philanthropy and the No-Coal Movement

External Articles

 * Carol A. Overland, "Joyce Foundation gets $$ and gives $$", Legalectric (Blog), May 22, 2008.