Tiffany & Co publishes an open letter to Scott Morrison calling for ‘bold and decisive climate action’
Tiffany & Co has taken out a full page in Saturday’s The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald papers, imploring Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take “bold and decisive climate action” in light of the national bushfire crisis.
Led with the headline ‘We stand with Australia’, the open letter reads:
Dear Prime Minister Morrison,
As the brave people of Australia continue to battle bushfires that are devastating communities and wildlife, now is the time for bold and decisive climate action.
As a jewellery company, you are contributing to constant mining as well as potentially shady labour sources in your supply chain.
How about Tiffany’s take the initiative in discouraging mining by not selling any of your products???
Poor move really.
Lots of “Climate Action Now” everywhere but there is no conversation on realistic and practical ways of doing so. It feels climate activists are more socialist revolutionaries in disguise, simply wanting to overturn the existing institutions and climate change is just a means of achieving that.
I think you miss the point of activists – no one is saying they’re experts on how to transition a country away from coal. Activists exist to demonstrate the passion and commitment of Australians to a cause they care about.
Also – there is HEAPS of conversation by the think tanks and the CSIRO on how to move Australia to a cleaner and safer future. Stop speculating and start listening ya fossil!
This is exactly the narrative that adds no value to the conversation whatsoever. Label someone a fossil? How did you come to this?
Oh, the experts have a way of solving this, ACTION NOW!!
Change starts with each and everyone of us and that includes changing our daily behaviours in an impactful way. Yes! You and me! I am not a denier btw I have made a personal commitment to do more by way of planting more in my yard at least. It’s these baby steps that will really bring meaningful change.
Great couple of points. Exactly how Tiffany & Co has any place or credibility to lecture the PM is beyond me. Do they ship their products around the world on sailing boats? Blood diamonds anyone?
The larger issue raised is the yelling about ‘more action’ with nothing to back it up. How much more? Paris agreement? Paris plus 50%? Kill all coal mining and hundreds of thousands of jobs? When exactly? (And another coal mining country will step up and replace our banned coal so the net effect on global emissions will be a big fat zero. So how does that help?)
Ban all air travel immediately? Implement a one child policy and stop all immigration (oh, that’s racist) to deal with overpopulation? Dismantle capitalism and the ‘patriarchy’? Shut down Australia and leave?
And if we do any of this, all we can hope for is that our ‘leadership’ sets an example and other, larger emitters will follow suit. We hope. Because 1.3% is a drop in the ocean, no matter how you cut it.
And are we also advocating that the developing world can’t use cheap sources of power (such as fossil fuels) to drag themselves out of poverty? We’re OK so they can get stuffed? We’re talking a billion people who only seek to have the opportunities we have all enjoyed before we got so bored in our middle class lives we had to champion the worthy cause of climate change while consuming far more than our share.
Most of us want practical, manageable ideas to reduce our individual contributions (less consumption, less driving, renewable energy for those that can afford it) while ensuring we maintain our first world lifestyle and pensioners don’t sit in the dark and cold in winter because they can’t afford the cost of electricity.
Or, perhaps people should stop buying jewellery?
“It feels climate activists are more socialist revolutionaries in disguise, simply wanting to overturn the existing institutions and climate change is just a means of achieving that.”
Man I hope so.
Hmm, it’s almost like capitalism is a major cause and accelerator of climate change and socialism is actually a practical and realistic way of enacting climate action
If socialism is widely promoted as the solution to climate change, be prepared for the climate to keep changing
Hang on, don’t these guys mine diamonds?
Morrison is ruled by the coal companies, Murdoch and the right wing of the Coalition. He merly mouths words in semantics to look like he is listening.
He was dead right when he called it the Muppet Show.
Fizzy Bear has more heart than this megalomaniac.
When I saw the ad on Saturday, I thought how dare they? How much tax has Tiffany paid since setting up in Australia? When companies start telling the prime minister how to think that a dangerous step.
“When companies start telling the prime minister how to think that a dangerous step.”
Ummm, where have you been the last 20 years? News Limited has told the leaders of the UK, US and Aus how to think for ages.
@Ben are you serious?
You might want to watch how a few companies have a LOT of power over ScoMo.
It’s been happening for quite while now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDtKFbXoQ6Q
And, it’s darn pretty relevant to the broader discussion of climate change
Hmm blood diamonds anyone? Anyone?
Suggest ALL Australians and internationals with major statements, listen to the ABC TV interview (Jan10) with the PM and David Spears. Aust is committed to Paris Climate agreements and to exceed its agreed target, other initiatives rolling out with new legislation that must be approved by parliament that can enable change in unprecedented times. A Royal Commission enquiry into fires and other natural disasters ahead likely to be introduced.
I saw the interview and it’s very interesting. But we can’t take everything the PM says as gospel truth, wait until the Fact Check has been run in a day or two. He said nothing about Aus moving away from exporting 40% of the world’s coal, that’s a big one to be addressed.
So we ban coal exports, only to have them replaced by other countries that mine and export coal. This achieves what exactly, besides making you feel good?
Empty words. He won’t be around long enough to see any of that come to fruition.
Good to see corporate establishments finally taking some leadership.
If policitians leave everything up to the market, the market will show up and urge them to govern properly
Let‘s start by Tiffany not selling any gemstones mined by child labour or generating cash used for warfare. And then no gold because some is produced by artisan miners polluting waterways with mercury. Nor using electricity for lighting or Airconditioning produced by Burning Coal. Revert to street stalls selling junk jewellery from China? No, that does not „work“ either. Maybe just selling home made lemonade?
Wow, a full page ad from a company that sells vastly over-priced jewellery will really make the federal government sit up and take notice.
This advert just looked like a tacky attempt to use our bushfires as a marketing opportunity.
That’s because it is. It’s obviously capitalizing on the misfortune of others, and i right now call out anyone linked to this ad to put their name to it. CD, media, client, PR, anyone? If there is any ounce of legitimacy or genuine purpose behind this, a bunch of people would have put their names to it.
Protesters, “influencers” and now brands are all quick to shout and scream that something has to be done about climate change, but what solutions are they proposing and what constructive action are they prepared to take themselves? Climate change is a global problem that will be fixed by Govts, businesses and individuals working together.
Are individuals and “influencers” prepared to:
– fly less? (and only in economy when they do fly)
– ban air conditioners in private homes?
– limit all households to one car?
– only be able to use the car 3 days a week?
– give up the overseas holiday jaunts / cruises and holiday close to home?
– the list goes on….
Until Australia gets over our “blame everyone but me culture”, and accepts we are all going to have to make sacrifices, then meaningful discussion around fixing the issues is a long way off.
Rant over.
Nice deflection. All most people are after is a reasonable, considered response from our leaders rather than the sorry excuse of a mess they keep stumbling over. You know the ones, we elect them to do exactly this… guide us through crisis.
If they stop spreading lies and set an example of responsible government and citizenship, the rest of us would follow.
@VAR isn’t a ‘reasonable, considered response’ to the issue of climate change meeting our Paris commitments? Ideally without the Kyoto accounting trick – maybe that’s some ground they could give to shut some of the critics up.
We shouldn’t do less than other countries, but I struggle with those agitating for us to do significantly more, because it’s nothing but symbolism and won’t make any difference to the temperature.
I’m with Luke – if all those yelling about climate action lived a carbon-free life we’d smash our targets.
Forbes took aim at Tiffany this time last year for its real-is-rare approach to diamonds and use of only mined diamonds. The company has not embraced the more environmentally-sound use of lab-created diamonds stating – “Our position is that lab-grown diamonds are not a luxury material. We don’t see a role for them as a luxury brand”. The environmental impact of a 1 carat mined diamond is: 181 to 226 tonnes of earth removed, 480 litres of water used, 57 kilos of air pollution released and approximately 64 kilos of carbon dioxide emitted. Perhaps this may change following the company’s US$16.2 billion sale to Louis-Vuitton-Moet-Hennessy late last year, but then it might not.
As someone who has worked in jewellery for a few years, and across brands (including Tiffany), I can say with confidence that Tiffany & Co takes its commitment to the environment very seriously. There are many allegations that Tiffany diamonds are “blood diamonds”. Is this merely an assumption that diamonds are inherently linked to negative environmental ramifications, or is it backed up by bullet-proof evidence? They’re the only jewellery brand with a “strong” rating from Human Rights Watch, and I have experienced first-hand they are committed to producing ethically sourced products. I don’t know any jewellery brands with an entire line dedicated to saving the wild.
I’m not saying that jewellery has no environmental impact. But that Tiffany & Co jewellery is as best as you’re ever going to get in terms of its effect on the environment.
G’day Tiffany & Co,
PM Morrison earns considerably less than your CEO and works far harder with infinitely wider and more serious responsibilities.
‘Bold and decisive climate action’ as you describe it, from him will not prevent a single bushfire nor save a single human life.
The actions he is taking however, will.
What certain people don’t understand, but Mr Morrison does, is that Australia experiences an average 54,000, yes thousand, bushfires every year and has done so for decades if not longer.
He also understands that the first reliable reports of a monster fire season, such as the one we are currently experiencing, was recorded in 1851.
It seemed like it was the end of the world to the people back then, but it wasn’t.
There have been many more in the ensuing 169 years. Mitigation continues to be the best response to the power of nature. Anything else smacks of hubris.
At the end of this lousy season, we will have to kick a few bureaucrats, and maybe Ministers in the collective arse (trad. Aussie expression) to ensure increased prescribed burning to cut fuel loads. (Australia has had hot summers for a billion or so years and we’ve been a bit slack lately with the burn-offs).
Thanks for your concern but as an Australian, I can say this to you:
We will sort out it mate, no sweat.
Scomo deserves a fair crack anyway.
Love from,
an ex-farmer, ex-volunteer firefighter, survivor of a bastard wind change
Tiffany and Co has taken out a full page. Imploring Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take “strong and conclusive atmosphere activity” considering the national bush fire emergency.
the daring individuals of Australia keep on fighting bush fires that are destroying networks and natural life, right now is an ideal opportunity for intense and definitive atmosphere activity.