18 December 2019 After record levels of shareholder support for climate risk management resolutions at ANZ and Westpac, it was NAB’s turn today to face the music over its failure to adequately manage climate risk. Since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, NAB has continued to lend heavily to … Read More
ANZ grilled on climate inaction and secret coal plan
17 December 2019 Coal lending was on the agenda two weeks before ANZ’s annual shareholder meeting in Brisbane today, as revelations hit the news that ANZ had a secret plan to slash its thermal coal mining loans by 75% (representing more than $700 million) by 2024. The secrecy of the … Read More
Westpac: a laggard on climate change
12 December 2019 Westpac’s board knew they would be facing fired-up shareholders at today’s annual general meeting (AGM) but perhaps weren’t prepared to bear the weight of responsibility for the impacts on communities and customers fighting the climate crisis. Amid its recent scandals, the board was forced to address the … Read More
ANZ’s secret plan to cut thermal coal leaves Westpac out in the cold
6 December 2019 ANZ has internal plans to cut thermal coal mining exposure by 75% by March 2024.* While this is a welcome ambition, ANZ has not confirmed the targeted 75% reduction officially in public policy. Take a moment to tell ANZ to publicly confirm its secret plans to phase … Read More
NAB climate commitments too little, too late
15 November 2019 NAB’s sustainability report, released today, signaled an end to the bank’s involvement in thermal coal mining, but places its exit far later than what is needed to help meet the Paris Agreement climate goals. The commitment to be out of thermal coal by 2035 is five years … Read More
HSBC: don’t fund coal in Bangladesh
12 November 2019 In May 2018, HSBC put out a policy that ruled out funding new coal power plants in countries other than Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. Our new report, co-published last week with civil society organisations in Bangladesh, shows that if all the new projects were built, these plants … Read More
Increased fossil fuel lending out of line with Westpac’s climate commitments
8 November 2019 There is a clear disconnect between Westpac’s pledge to help curb the climate crisis and their subsequent decision to increase lending to fossil fuel projects. Though Westpac’s exposure to fossil fuels may have decreased from one September to the next, this does not capture the full extent … Read More
Bendigo Bank fails to back Paris Agreement for second year running
29 October 2019 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank enjoys a lot of kudos for being one of Australia’s medium-sized banks that doesn’t invest in fossil fuels. Thousands of Australians have moved to Bendigo Bank as a result of its position on our banks comparison table. But at the bank’s annual general … Read More
Getting out of coal can’t save CommBank scrutiny at its AGM
16 October 2019 In August, Commonwealth Bank took a major step forward when it committed to get out of thermal coal by 2030, a commitment that no other major bank has so far made. Today, shareholders showed their appreciation for this commitment, but quickly moved to hold the bank to … Read More
NAB, ANZ and Westpac hit with climate risk shareholder resolutions
10 October 2019 Market Forces has lodged shareholder resolutions with NAB, ANZ and Westpac, calling on the three major banks to reduce their exposure to coal, oil and gas in line with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. The resolutions come after the major banks have continued to lend … Read More
