This AGM season, we need your help to get carbon off and climate on the books of the Big 4 Banks.
Since 2008, the Big 4 have loaned $19 billion to new Australian coal and gas projects, like the Galilee Basin that would turn the Great Barrier Reef into a coal shipping highway, and Maules Creek mine, that would destroy a state forest and condemn the local community to a future of ill health. The Big 4 also have superannuation arms, which are investing our retirement savings in fossil fuel companies like BHP, Woodside and Rio Tinto.
As divestment campaigns grow and confidence in coal and gas starts to shake, the fossil fuel industry will be turning to our banks more than ever to lend them a helping hand.
But, as the mercury soars, it’s time for the Big 4 to make a choice – between using their money to build a sustainable future or pandering to the profit-driven pleas of the fossil fuel industry. If companies like Exxon and BHP reject the latest science and the need to keep our fossil fuels in the ground, its time for our Banks to take a stand by cutting off support for an industry who's bottomline will see our future fried. Our banks are answerable to their shareholders and customers, so it’s time for us to exercise our democratic rights.
If you’re a Big 4 shareholder, sign up today to help us lodge climate change resolutions at the Big 4 AGMs.
This November and December, we’ll be working with our friends at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility to lodge resolutions calling on the Big 4 to disclose the unburnable carbon* on their books. To sign up, you need only be a shareholder with one or more of the Big 4 banks. Once you register, we’ll talk you through the process and support you at every step.
For more information checkout these handy FAQs.
*To avoid dangerous climate change, experts agree that the majority of fossil fuel reserves cannot be burned. These reserves are referred to as "unburnable carbon".