Billionaire environmental philanthropist questioned on mining impact
8 reported
A Vox reporter interviewed billionaire investor and philanthropist Tom Kaplan about his environmental giving, following his auction of a Rembrandt drawing for nearly $18 million to benefit Panthera, a wild cat conservation group he co-founded. During the conversation, Kaplan became defensive when asked whether his mining business conflicts with his conservation work. Kaplan, founder of The Electrum Group and chair of NovaGold Resources, said mining has a “very, very tiny footprint” compared to agriculture and climate change, and denied that mining harms wild cats. Vox later interviewed four mining experts who disputed that claim, and Panthera itself lists mining as a threat to at least two wild feline species. The article notes that Kaplan is not alone among billionaires whose philanthropy coexists with environmentally harmful business activities, citing Jeff Bezos, MSC shipping owners, and Kjell Inge Røkke as examples. Philanthropy experts told Vox that wealthy donors often avoid addressing tensions between their wealth source and charitable giving.
What’s reported
Tom Kaplan auctioned a Rembrandt drawing for nearly $18 million to benefit Panthera, a wild cat conservation group he co-founded.
Kaplan is founder and chair of The Electrum Group, an investment firm focused on mining precious metals, and chair of NovaGold Resources.
Kaplan told Vox that mining has “very, very tiny footprint” and denied it harms wild cats.
Four mining experts interviewed by Vox disputed Kaplan’s claim that mining has no detrimental impact on wild cats.
Panthera lists mining as a threat to the flat-headed cat and the Andean cat.
The IUCN lists “mining and quarrying” as a threat to 19 cat species.
Kaplan declined further comment after Vox shared a detailed list of reporting with him.
The UN reported that for every dollar spent to protect nature, more than $30 goes toward destroying it, largely from private industries.
Key figures
Tom Kaplan, billionaire investor and philanthropist, founder of The Electrum Group, chair of NovaGold Resources
Sara Herschander, Vox colleague
Stephen Prince, vice-chair of Patriotic Millionaires
Glen Galaich, author and CEO of Stupski Foundation
Jessie Bluedorn, philanthropist and environmental organizer
Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, CEO of Environmental Grantmakers Association
Sources: vox.com
