Climate Activists Blockade RBS Headquarters
September 01, 2009
Contact: press@climatecamp.org.uk
On action: 07914 515 493, 07014 515 370
Climate camp media team: 07040 900 905, 077728 61099
Activists from the Camp for Climate Action [1] have blockaded the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Central London today in a protest against the bank’s investments in carbon intensive projects.[2] Twelve activists dressed as construction workers used step ladders and bicycle D-locks to close off the corporate HQ on Bishopsgate, with other protestors dressed as construction workers surrounding them. Other activists have used superglue inside the building to attach to one another forming a human blockade. Outside the protesters have unfurled banners reading, “RBS: UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP” and “ETHICAL RENOVATION IN PROGRESS”.
The group are protesting against RBS investments in the fossil fuel projects, in particular funding for the coal industry and tar sands extraction in Alberta, Canada. [3]
James Clarke commented “RBS is 70% owned by the public but it is completely against the public interest for our money to be used to fund climate change. Yet again, the banks are putting profit over people”
Bryony Taylor, 20 said, “This is an ‘anti-banks holiday’. We’re here to say that the banks, especially RBS, need to be fundamentally reconstructed to put sustainability at the top of their agenda. It’s outrageous that hot shot bankers are being given multi-million pound golden hellos from tax payers’ money whilst showing total disregard for the future of the planet.” [4]
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Oli Sumerling, 23, said “We need to transform RBS into the ‘Royal Bank of Sustainability’. RBS needs to halt all loans to coal and tar-sands extraction, and accept responsibility for the climate impact of its
lending. [5] Currently, they are locking us into future emissions which will lead us to runaway climate change.”
Campaign groups ‘Platform’ and ‘People and Planet’ intend to launch a judicial review against the Treasury, which owns RBS, arguing that the government has failed to take into consideration the social and environmental cost of the bank’s investments. [6]
Another action linked to coal is due to happen within the hour, in central West London.
Contact: press@climatecamp.org.uk
On action: 07914 515 493, 070 14 515 370
Climate camp media team: 07040 900 905, 077728 61099
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The Camp for Climate Action (August 27th - September 2nd) is being held on Blackheath in South London. www.climatecamp.org.uk
- RBS has specialised in financing fossil fuel projects worldwide, even going as far as marketing itself as “the oil and gas bank”.
- The ABN Amro arm of RBS recently helped finance a £1.1bn pipeline to the Alberta Oil Sands region. Between 2004 and 2007 RBS was involved in loans to oil sands company OPTI Canada. The greater energy needed to extract oil from the sands results in three times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing a barrel of conventional oil.
- http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gpM-o5r2-Z-bgtywU-8NmmN9rf7w
- E.ON, the energy giant behind plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, has also been a recipient of RBS finance. Over the past three years, RBS was involved in two other loans to E.ON — one worth £33bn in November 2006 and one for £15bn in November 2007.
- http://peopleandplanet.org/navid7821