4 months ago
I retrieve erstwhile watching an section of “Game of Thrones” and reasoning to myself: “My brother-in-law is right. My films are pathetic.”
“Game of Thrones” person deadly dragons, I’ve sewage lukewarm cups of tea. They’ve sewage epic battles, I’ve sewage group being somewhat disconnected pinch each other. At nan extremity of my films 2 group buss – astatine nan extremity of their episodes they trim each other’s heads off.
So ideate my astonishment and delight erstwhile I recovered myself connected nan telephone to 2 of nan stars of nan show themselves: Kit Harington and Rose Leslie (who played Jon Snow and Ygritte). It wasn’t, alas, to talk them into appearing successful “Notting Hill Apocalypse” aliases thing juicy that would move my profession around. But connected nan different hand, it was astir nan gravest threat facing america each – not nan Night King, but ambiance change.
And a mates of weeks later, we were each filming together for Make My Money Matter, a nonprofit I founded to raise consciousness astir ambiance change. Our caller campaign highlights nan hidden narration betwixt nan U.K.’s largest precocious thoroughfare banks and nan fossil substance manufacture and really this drives nan ambiance emergency.
The crippled is simple: a mates are having therapy – pinch immoderate added herb because Kit and Rose are joined successful existent life. At first, you deliberation it’s really them: she’d for illustration him to beryllium much unfastened astir their relationship, he’s excessively engaged reasoning astir his nationalist image. But arsenic it goes on, nan twist is revealed – Kit is simply a banker, Rose is an lipid executive – and what is playing retired is the hidden relationship betwixt nan banks wherever you and I support our money and nan lipid companies they are financing pinch billions of dollars.
It’s a grim connection but truthful is our banks’ continued support of fossil substance description . Because, contempt their promises to spell green, caller investigation shows that successful 2022 unsocial nan large 5 U.K. precocious thoroughfare banks – Barclays, HSBC, Santander, NatWest and Lloyds – provided complete $37 cardinal to lipid and state companies.
In fact, since nan Paris Climate Agreement was struck successful 2015, these 5 banks person provided complete $140 cardinal to nan world’s biggest fossil substance expanders. This is contempt clear guidance from nan International Energy Agency, nan U.N., and thousands of starring scientists that fossil substance description will origin catastrophic ambiance change.
Not only is this bad for nan planet, it is besides bad for banks – a toxic narration pinch an manufacture astatine expanding consequence of ambiance litigation, authorities regularisation and stranded assets. And it’s besides wildly unpopular. Our investigation shows almost half of U.K. slope relationship holders would see moving to a slope that does not support fossil substance description , while conscionable 12% of customers deliberation their slope is doing capable to conflict ambiance change. The grounds is clear – group want their banks tackling nan ambiance crisis, not fuelling nan fire.
Our telephone to action is straightforward: for banks to perceive to nan science, perceive to their customers and instantly extremity financing oil, state and ember description . That doesn’t mean an extremity to each fossil fuels immediately. There of people will beryllium an ongoing request for fossil fuels arsenic we modulation to renewable energy. But it does mean nary money for caller lipid and state fields – and nary money for those companies progressive successful this vulnerable practice.
When we started our campaign, asks for illustration this mightiness person seemed extremist but thankfully not truthful now. In caller months, we’ve seen immoderate banks for illustration Lloyds return important first steps, ruling retired nonstop finance for caller lipid and gas. If this were “Game of Thrones” it’s each still a spot Season 1 – a fewer insignificant clashes. But nan existent battles are still to come.
That’s because we cognize that nan immense mostly of money banks supply to lipid and state companies - astir 90% of it - is wide firm finance. We besides cognize that not a single major fossil substance institution has committed to ending description .
As a result, Make My Money Matter believes that immoderate wide finance provided by banks to nan fossil substance assemblage still support vulnerable fossil substance description . That’s why it is truthful important that banks put fossil substance companies who remained committed to processing caller lipid and state connected announcement unless they alteration their ways.
At nan extremity of nan film, Kit, nan banker, says to Rose, nan lipid executive: “It’s you. It’s ever been you.” As they fastener successful a steamy clasp it seems for illustration this toxic narration whitethorn beryllium never-ending. But our run shows it doesn’t person to beryllium that way. By asking citizens to make their money matter for nan satellite we judge we tin thief extremity nan vulnerable narration that exists betwixt our banks and fossil substance description and commencement a caller one. One wherever our banks money nan solutions to nan world’s problems, not nan causes.
So I inquire anyone who banks pinch Barclays, HSBC, Santander, NatWest and Lloyds to inquire them to extremity – aliases they mightiness conscionable suffer their customers arsenic they lead america into losing nan conflict against ambiance change.
You tin watch our short movie beneath and telephone connected nan Big Five U.K. precocious thoroughfare banks to extremity financing fossil substance description complete astatine makemymoneymatter.co.uk.
