Climate activists bank on change

FOR Jack Egan, wanting to make big corporations act in line with international climate agreements is deeply personal.

Less than a month ago on New Year’s Eve, he lost his home at North Rosedale, south of Bateman’s Bay in NSW, when bushfires ripped through the area. Mr Egan had stayed to defend his home, but was forced to flee to a bunkertype laundry on his neighbour’s property after watching his fire hose melt and his water pump catch alight.

“I saw our front deck catch on fire … the flames of the deck were licking into the window spaces and around the doors,” he said.

While he acknowledges Australia has always had droughts and bushfires, he is convinced global warming played a role in the severity of the drought and fierceness of the blazes.

“Many scientists are saying this is well-predicted and it’s a consequence of the global heating,” he said.

The experience left Mr Egan all the more keen to urge everyone, including governments and businesses, to do their bit to help keep climate change at bay. That’s why he is one of three people affected by bushfires to join environmental group Friends of the Earth in lodging a complaint against ANZ. They hope the bank will improve its climate policies.

The complaint was made yesterday to the Australian National Contact Point, a section of the federal treasury that deals with guidelines for multinational companies.

The document alleges the bank has not adhered to the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, including a failure to be fully transparent about its “indirect emissions”, or those it contributes to by financing the fossil fuel industry.

“It remains the biggest financer of fossil fuels among the big four Australian banks and it has neglected a number of opportunities to improve its direct and indirect environmental impact,” the complaint reads.

“ANZ’s lack of full disclosure about its climate change impacts prevents consumers from making informed decisions about whether or not to engage with the bank.”

The complaint is based on a similar one brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands against ING Bank, which the environmental group says has resulted in the bank committing to stronger climate action.

About 30 people linked to the group delivered the complaint to ANZ yesterday.

MANY SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING THIS IS WELLPREDICTED AND IT’S A CONSEQUENCE OF THE GLOBAL HEATING.

JACK EGAN