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
Too little, too late: NAB’s new climate policy an exercise in greenwash
15 November 2019: NAB’s Sustainability Report, released today, is little more than greenwash and a recipe for climate catastrophe, says environmental finance group Market Forces. In particular, its central announcement to exit thermal coal mining by 2035 is a clear example of too little too late, falling short of time … Read More
Media Release: Three major banks face shareholder resolutions on climate action
Westpac, NAB and ANZ called upon to reduce exposure to fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement’s climate change goals. Thursday 10 October 2019 Environmental finance organisation Market Forces is today lodging shareholder resolutions with Westpac, NAB and ANZ today. The resolutions call for a reduction in lending and … Read More
Our Future: clean energy a test for banks’ rehabilitation
Today’s release of the Royal Commission’s report into the financial services industry will chronicle the recent misconduct of the major banks and plot a course for how the industry can restore some integrity. It’s going to be a long road back, but one opportunity for redemption comes in the role banks can play reshaping our energy landscape.
Big four banks increase their fossil fuel exposure
January 2019 Australia’s major banks have been getting back into fossil fuels over the last year, casting doubt on their seriousness in tackling climate change through their investments. This study compares the banks’ reported exposures to fossil fuels and renewable energy from 2017 to 2018, finding some very worrying trends. … Read More
NAB hauled over the coals at its 2018 AGM
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.
CommBank and NAB fund massive new LNG terminal despite 2°C commitments
8 June 2018 Last week we released our Banks 2° Scorecard 2018, an updated account of how the actions of Australia’s big four banks are tracking (or not) to their stated support of the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to well below 2°C, compared with pre-industrial levels. Market … Read More
ANZ finance the purchase of Rio’s last coal mine
5 April 2018 ANZ has contributed to a US$1.7 billion (AU$2.2 b) deal to finance the purchase of Rio Tinto’s last coal asset by Indonesian coal miner Adaro Energy and private equity manager EMR Capital. The deal comes despite ANZ’s repeated claims that the bank’s lending to coal is on its way … Read More
Australian bank policies still lag international peers
The fossil fuel lending policies of Australia’s big four banks have once again been found to fall short of international expectations. In the latest Banking on Climate Change Fossil Fuel Finance Report Card, only NAB’s coal mining policy, announced last year, scored higher than a C-. While it’s worth acknowledging … Read More
