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Climate Change Action is Smart Investing Dear South Bend City Council, My name is Zach Myszka. I am currently a Masters of Accounting student at Notre Dame, where I also did my undergraduate. I am writing to you today with a simple message: Investing in climate change action is investing in the future. As I am sure has been proven to you all by now, climate change is real and is a clear danger to our future. We're not talking 2100, we're talking 2050,probably even 2030. There is no denying the reality of our changing planet, and that we are causing that change to accelerate beyond"normal". If we do not act now, there will soon be no time left to act. In many ways, South Bend reminds me of my hometown, Crivitz. Crivitz is a town of less than 1,100 people in Northeast Wisconsin. Much like South Bend once was, Crivitz has struggled through a changing national economy. Too many people live in poverty and the manufacturing jobs once held be so many are drying up. While South Bend has made the leap to be a city of tomorrow, Crivitz is at risk of becoming a ghost town. I bring in this comparison because the difference between South Bend and Crivitz is in the actions their leaders have taken. South Bend's proactive investments in the community have brought about growth and reinvigorated the city. I hope that your decisions will continue that progress. Invest in your city and act against climate change. J.P. Morgan recently wrote a"Philanthropy Field Guide" illustrating the many ways the investors can make an impact. J.P. Morgan and Chase Bank, in addition to other banks across the globe, have also started including climate change in their financial models. Numerous non-profits, including the Sierra Club, invest solely in companies and local-level governments which are acting against climate change, providing resources to corporations and communities in response to the reality of climate change. If top financial institutions and non-profits are including climate change in their decision making, why shouldn't we? Thank you for your time and your service to the community. Sincerely, Zachary Myszka Notre Dame: B.B.A. Accountancy and History, 2018; Masters of Science in Accounting, 2019