Westpac held to account
BY NINA KEMPSTER
A group of local activists protested against banking giant Westpac’s climate commitments last week.
Starting on Monday the 21st of November, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition haunted the headquarters of Westpac outlets, handing out flyers and chalking slogans while chanting “Save the Reef!”
James Dagher, a NSW State Coordinator of the AYCC said the group is determined to, “hold Westpac to account on their climate commitment and rule out funding the Adani project.”
CEO of Westpac, Brian Hartzer, claimed in 2015 that the bank would be “operating, both directly and indirectly, in a manner consistent with supporting an economy that limits global warming to less than two degrees.”
According to the AYCC, Westpac has refused to publicly rule out funding Adani’s $21.7 billion Carmichael coal mine in Queensland. The mine, which will have an estimated total production of 2.3 billion tonnes of thermal coal, will generate an estimated 4.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Another NSW State Coordinator of AYCC, Mika Moriyama, told City Hub, “Bank week is about holding Westpac to account. They’ve committed to doing what they can to keep global warming below 2 degrees, and to do that, scientists have said that Australia can’t have any new fossil fuel projects.
“We’re asking Westpac to prove their commitment and their reputation as Australia’s ‘most sustainable bank,’ and publicly rule out funding Adani’s coal projects in Queensland.
“It’s important to be keeping the pressure on them until they do so, and the management really cares about their employees – so we want to make sure the employees are getting their say!” He said.
2016 has been the hottest year on record, and the Great Barrier Reef has just been through the worst coral bleaching event in history.
A volunteer of the AYCC for several years, Lucy Chen, told City Hub, “Bank week isn’t just about pressuring Westpac to make a promise. It’s about shifting the power to the people and showing the world that young people do care and that we can make a difference.”
Ms Chen spent the day asking Westpac employees their opinions’ on the Adani Coal mine and handing out cards with a link to an anonymous online poll created by the AYCC, allowing Westpac employees to “have their say in Westpac’s role in creating the future we all deserve.”
Mr Dagher argues that Westpac committing to their sustainable image is important. “We are already seeing the impacts of 1 degree of warming, meaning that the Great Barrier Reef is dying. To stay below 2 degrees of warming means we cannot open any new coal mines. Having conversations with Westpac is a great way to empower young people to make the change they want to see.
“The day was a great success with many volunteers engaging Westpac staff in fun and creative ways. Westpac talk the talk by committing to limit global warming to 2 degrees but they continue to lend to fossil fuel projects. They can’t do both. They need to stop funding fossil fuels and climate destruction,” he said.
