17 October 2019 Aurizon’s annual general meeting (AGM), held in Brisbane today, was dominated by concerns over Aurizon’s potential involvement in the destructive Adani Carmichael coal project. Both shareholders inside the meeting and #StopAdani activists outside called on the rail freight company to refuse to provide coal haulage services to … Read More
Whitehaven Coal pins hopes to catastrophic 4°C scenario
17 October 2019 Australia’s biggest dedicated coal miner, Whitehaven Coal, went to great lengths to talk up the prospects of demand growth for its product at the company’s annual general meeting in Sydney today. What the Whitehaven board failed to mention, however, was the fact that those demand projections are … 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
Super funds back Origin’s smoke and mirrors climate plan
16 October 2019 Origin Energy’s annual general meeting today was dominated by shareholder and community concerns over the climate, environmental and social impacts of the company’s dirty fossil fuel operations and plans. That’s not surprising given Origin is one of Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas polluters and has plans to prolong … Read More
Engineering firm Cardno becomes 60th major company to rule out Adani
10 October 2019 This morning at its annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney, engineering consultancy Cardno’s Chairman committed the company to doing no further work on the disastrous Adani Carmichael coal project. Cardno, which has been involved with Carmichael since at least as early as 2013, will be winding up … Read More
Suncorp faces heat at its AGM as losses mount on climate impacts
Brisbane, 26 September 2019 The climate crisis dominated Suncorp’s annual general meeting in Brisbane today, from the Chairman and CEO reporting losses from extreme weather events, shareholders bringing personal stories of how climate impacts are destroying their lives, right the way through to the last item of business – a … Read More
AGL shareholders demand coal plant closure
19 September 2019 AGL shareholders today sent a strong message to Australia’s biggest climate polluter, with more than 30% voting in favour of a resolution demanding the company reduce emissions in line with the Paris climate goals. Only twice before has a climate change-related shareholder proposal received more than 20% … Read More
Our super funds can help sway climate-change targets
18 September 2019 Market Forces in the Media: Op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald by Julien Vincent, Executive Director, Market Forces It was one of the loudest signals yet that Australian superannuation funds wanted strong action on climate change. Ahead of this year’s G20 meeting in Japan, the likes of … Read More
Media Release: Rio Tinto to face shareholder resolution as BHP sets Paris-aligned ‘scope 3’ emission reduction goals
Thursday 12 September, 2019: Following BHPs confirmation that the public goals it will release next year for its “Scope 3” greenhouse gas emissions will be aligned with the Paris Agreement, externally verified and time-bound, environmental finance group Market Forces is turning its attention to rival miner Rio Tinto. Market Forces … Read More
Macquarie’s slow progress leaves room for gas expansion
25 July 2019 Macquarie Group’s annual general meeting today saw the company face community and shareholder backlash over its advisory role on the huge Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the United States. While Macquarie has made some good progress on climate risk disclosure this year, the company’s … Read More
