Climate change protestors from across the north and north-east have gathered on the streets of Glasgow to call out investors for fuelling “climate chaos.”
Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists from the Highlands and Moray are taking their fight against climate change to the world’s biggest fossil fuels financier JP Morgan, contesting their world-beating fossil fuel financing.
Between 2016-20, the bank sank £232 billion into the fossil fuel industry – 33% more than the second-placed bank – with £104 billion invested in the expansion of fossil fuels.
Furious protestors have now blocked the entrance to the bank’s main offices in Glasgow as part of their Greenwash March across the city.
During the course of the march, protestors will be accompanied by a samba band, Mother Earth, and a greenwashing machine.
JP Morgan is one of several major COP26 sponsors and financial institutions being targeted by the group on COP26’s Finance day.
Loss of trust
Mick Drury, of XR Forres will take part in a short skit outside the bank to highlight their green-washing
He said: “Decisions made at COP26, will have huge consequences for the future wellbeing of communities around the world, particularly those already on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
“COP26 will decide who is sacrificed, who escapes, and who profits most. Institutions like JPMorgan have had five years since Paris to take action to reduce their fossil fuel financing yet funding is greater than ever.
“We’ve lost five critical years when we should have been redirecting financing towards a just and clean energy transition.”
He added: “Time and time again, banks like JPMorgan have proved that they can’t be trusted to be part of the solution. On COP26’s Finance Day, governments must step in to regulate their fossil fuel funding activities and let these multinational corporations know we will no longer permit their slick green-washing of business as usual.”
During the course of the protest on Waterloo Street, campaigners will attempt to glue their hands to the entrance doors as activists from other XR groups spray the windows with water-soluble green chalk paint.
Security around the bank has been increased in preparation for the expected attack this afternoon.
The protectors aim to draw attention to the hypocrisy of JPMorgan Chase whilst disrupting ‘business as usual’ for the bank.
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‘Threatening the lives and livelihoods of ordinary, hardworking people’
Elaine Jack, of XR Gairloch added: “JPMorgan Chase likes to advertise its flashy net-zero offices and ‘Paris-aligned commitments’ but continues to pour billions into the very industries that are fuelling climate chaos and threatening the lives and livelihoods of ordinary, hardworking people.
“Rather than leading the way on sustainable finance, it is using smoke and mirrors to allow the fossil fuel sector to increase production whilst claiming to have reduced the carbon intensity of their emissions.”