NAB was forced to lay bare its contradictory climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies highlighting the vast discrepancy between what the bank says, and what it does during question-time at its annual general meeting (AGM) in Melbourne.
Westpac makes no apology for continuing to back dirty coal
12 December 2018 Westpac’s hypocrisy – their statements on climate against the reality of their loan book – was a major theme at the big four bank’s annual general meeting today in Perth. And despite supporting the 2015 Paris climate agreement Westpac’s board made no apology for continuing to lend … Read More
Washington H. Soul Pattinson flies the coal flag and tells concerned shareholders to “sell their shares”
7 December 2018 “We continue to believe in the long term need and demand for coal” the CEO of Washington H. Soul Pattinson (WHSP), Todd Barlow told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney today. It quickly became clear that climate change was a hostile topic for … Read More
QBE staff get donuts as QBE scores donuts on climate action scorecard
Tuesday 4 December 2018 This morning staff arriving at global insurance company QBE’s head office in Sydney were offered free donuts by Market Forces volunteers. The donuts represent QBE’s shameful zero scores on the international insurance climate scorecard released this week. Twenty-four global insurance companies were rated on their coal … Read More
QBE falling behind competitors on climate action
Monday 3 December 2018 All over the world, the damage humans are doing to our climate is increasingly evident. Heat records are being smashed, droughts are taking their toll, floods and bushfires are costing lives and homes. Both the UN and the International Energy Agency have released reports proving that … Read More
Karoon Gas: not quite the environmentalist it claims to be
30 November 2018 “We are at heart environmentalists,” CEO Robert Hosking of oil explorer and soon-to-be producer, Karoon Gas told shareholders at today’s annual general meeting in Melbourne. The company, about to drill an offshore oil well in Peru that has a CO2 emissions potential of 110 million tonnes (that’s … Read More
Resource Generation – “dead” without Noble Group’s backing
30 November 2018 Resource Generation (Resgen) has only one asset — a coal mine they want to build in South Africa. They haven’t yet been able to reach financial close for this mine but that was not the only issue raised at their annual general meeting in Brisbane today. India’s … Read More
Armour, Horizon Oil and Norwest: we’re too small to worry about climate action
30 November 2018 Armour Energy, Horizon Oil and Norwest Energy are oil and gas exploration companies with no publicly disclosed policies to address climate risk. According to their latest annual reports Horizon, Armour and Norwest have failed to: accept the science of climate change or acknowledged the aims of the … Read More
Bank of Queensland dismally slow on climate action as catastrophic fires rage around the state
29 November 2018 “We only have $38 million worth of equipment that may be used in environmentally sensitive areas,” Bank of Queensland (BOQ) chairman Roger Davis told the bank’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Brisbane today as fires raged around the state. Davis was referring to the tens of millions … Read More
Media release: Reaction to Adani news of self-funding Carmichael project
29 November 2018 Reacting to the news that Adani has decided to self-fund the entirety of its Carmichael coal project, Market Forces Executive Director Julien Vincent said: This is an act of desperation from Adani, which knows the window of opportunity to build its Carmichael mega coal mine is rapidly … Read More