11 April, 2019 One of Australia’s biggest insurance companies has ended up being the last major insurer still open to providing insurance to (underwriting) new thermal coal projects. Suncorp, which owns brands AAMI, GIO, APIA and Just Car, was put into this embarrassing position after competitor QBE announced an end … Read More
Incitec Pivot: 4°C warming = selling more fertiliser
December 2018 Incitec Pivot is an Australian multinational corporation that manufactures fertiliser, explosives, chemicals, and delivers mining services. At its annual general meeting yesterday, chairman Paul Brasher was asked if the board support the goals of the Paris climate agreement. Brasher refused to take a stance saying: “Our position is … 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
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, which is about to drill an offshore oil well in Peru that has a CO2 emissions potential of 110 million tonnes … 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
Financial services giant IOOF all hot air when it comes to climate action
28 November 2018 For a company that openly declared it considers climate risk at its annual general meeting (AGM) today, IOOF has done remarkably little to show how it plans to manage those risks. Earlier this year the financial services giant told shareholders it was a strong supporter of the … Read More
Climate a hot issue at Bluescope Steel’s annual general meeting
23 November 2018 “Our targets are based on the… Australian [emissions] requirement” chairman John Bevan told shareholders at Bluescope Steel’s annual general meeting (AGM) today in Sydney, where climate change was a hot topic. Whilst acknowledging support for the global Paris climate accord, the steel manufacturing giant said its emissions … Read More
Coal companies called out on future viability
22 November 2018 The recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report found that a jump from 1.5ºC to 2ºC of warming would mean the death of the Great Barrier Reef, twice as many people worldwide exposed to water stress, and an extra 40,000 people in small island … Read More
“If we’re not reducing emissions then we should be castigated publicly” – Woolworths chairman tells shareholders
21 November 2018 With a slew of climate-related questions and a grilling over labour exploitation practices as well as its gambling operations, the board of retail and consumer staples giant Woolworths clearly felt the pressure at its annual general meeting in Sydney today. Prior to the meeting the Australasian … Read More
Wesfarmers: still keeping investors in the dark
19 November 2018 Earlier this year, Market Forces released its Investing in the Dark research on climate risk disclosure among the top 100 ASX listed companies. Analysis revealed that Wesfarmers has made progress in: acknowledging the science of climate change classifying climate risk as a financial risk considering the risks … Read More