A BANK was targeted in a protest against its investments in fossil fuels.
Barclays Bank in High Street, Lewes was used by Extinction Rebellion groups in Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford to spread its pro-environment message yesterday (August 27).
Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement that uses non-violent action to push governments into action.
The group stenciled “Stop Funding Fossil Fuels” on the front of the building with black paint.
Extinction Rebellion claims Barclays is the largest funder of fossil fuel infrastructure in Europe. According to the Banking on Climate Chaos report from March 2021, the bank has invested US $ 145 billion in the coal, oil and gas sectors since the Paris Agreement.
Dirk Campbell, who led Lewes’ action, commented: “You have to tell Barclays that fossil fuel financing is not acceptable.
“They talk about their green credentials and their infinitely small investments in green businesses in an attempt to hide the fact that they are the worst fossil fuel investor in Europe.
Extinction Rebellion outside Barclays Bank in Lewes
“We are not trying to blame and shame, we are just giving them the message, we are in a climate emergency, and the only way to minimize the worst effects of global warming is to not invest in fossil fuels. – it in the ground. ”
Dozens of Extinction Rebellion members Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford have joined the two-week protest currently taking place in London.
These protesters are calling on the British government to immediately stop all new investments in fossil fuels.
The protests follow a disastrous report by the IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – which found the past decade to be warmer than any period of the past 125,000 years.
Dirk added: “We took this step today at Barclays because it is visible. It is not enough to join protests in London which then go unreported in the media.
“This kind of thing has to be done locally all over the country – that’s what’s going to make a difference.”
A Barclays spokesperson said: “We are aligning our entire financing portfolio to support the goals of the Paris Agreement – significantly increasing green financing, investing directly in new green technologies and helping customers across sectors. keys to changing their business models to reduce their impact on climate change. .
“By 2025, we will reduce the emissions intensity of our energy portfolio by 30% and the absolute emissions of our energy portfolio by 15%.
“Our rapidly growing capital markets business has already facilitated £ 46 billion in green financing. We are one of the only banks in the world to invest our own capital – £ 175million – in innovative and green start-ups.
“By deploying finance in this way, we are accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy and becoming a net zero bank by 2050.”
To learn more about Extinction Rebellion Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford, including information on upcoming meetings, visit https://xrlewes.org.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-28 16:55:00