We are women of the world showing our banks, super funds and pension funds that if they’re invested in coal, oil or gas, we won’t continue to be their customers. We’re putting our money where the planet needs it and are sending an open letter to the world’s leading financial institutions that are investing in fossil fuels to tell them to STOP! To read our open letter, scroll to the bottom of the page. Our money is invested in fossil fuels through our bank accounts, super funds and pension funds. That means, if we’re not looking into who we bank with and where our super is invested, and switching to ethical alternatives, we are unknowingly supporting the building of new polluting mining and fracking projects, as well as the burning of coal, oil and gas.
We need to create a new world and a huge part of that is making sure our money is backing the industries that will make our future bright, beautiful and safe. Moving our money away from fossil fuels is one of the most powerful actions we can take to help the planet, and yet, it’s also one of the easiest. You only have to do this one time, and the impact is everlasting. In the last 5 years, 35 of the world’s leading banks have invested more than US$2.7 trillion in fossil fuel investments. And we have the power to change this. We need renewable energy and other good things that support us now, support our future and our planet.
Will you take the pledge to switch your bank, super or pension fund to an ethical option today?
Our partners: 1 Million Women would like to thank our partners Australian Ethical and Bank Australia for their support in this crucial campaign. Not only are they our wonderful partners but we love them because they invest in projects that are contributing to a bright, beautiful low carbon future and they don’t invest in harmful projects like coal, oil and gas.
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Open letter from women of the world to banks, super funds, pension funds and all financial institutions that continue to fund fossil fuels.
(We will add the number of women who have pledged in our campaign to our open letter.)
We are women of the world asking you to be a leader now at this critical time for humanity and our planet. We have less than a decade to prevent irreversible global heating, according to the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists, or else we inflict catastrophe on future generations. Will you play your part in driving solutions to this environmental, social and economic crisis? Will you stop funding the fossil fuel industries?
Women are disproportionately impacted by climate change, with 80 percent of the people displaced by climate chaos being women and children, predominantly in developing countries, often poverty-stricken countries. The acceleration of extreme weather events, sea level rises, ocean acidification and ferocious bushfires will drive ever more displacement. The catastrophic bushfires in Australia – in which an estimated 3 billion animals were killed or displaced, 12.6 million hectares were burned and 434 million tonnes of CO2 were emitted – have served as a stark reminder of what is to come if we do not keep temperature increases within 1.5°C, the critical limit to maintain a safe planet as indicated by the Paris Agreement.
We need to build a safe future for our planet for the sake of our children, for those living in poverty who’ve done the least to cause climate change but are suffering the most, for future generations and for us all. Your role in building this future is critical. You have an opportunity to be a leader, to support renewable energy and other industries that will make our future bright, secure and safe. You have a moral and fiduciary duty to stop funding the industries that are driving devastating climate impacts, like the coal, oil and gas industries – the dominant drivers of global heating.
We are daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers from every corner of this planet who are putting our money where the planet needs it. Ignore us, and we will not continue to be your customers. We are shifting our money to the leaders of your sector, to the banks, super funds and other financial institutions that are not investing in fossil fuels, and that instead are investing in companies committed to building a safe future for our planet.
1 Million Women is a movement of over 965,000 women and girls from all over the world making key lifestyle changes to act on climate change. A vital part of this is moving our money away from the financial institutions that are putting our future at risk. We implore you to invest in a secure future and stop investing in companies that are fuelling climate change. Across the world, trillions of dollars have already been ‘divested’ from fossil fuels. This is not a passing fad. Now is the critical time for you to divest (or divest completely if you have already partially divested) – for the signatories of this letter, for the growing number of your customers who want to invest in a safe future, and for us all.
More and more people will take our lead by moving their money away from your institution if you don’t lead now and stop investing in companies that are fuelling climate change. Will you be a leader?
Natalie Isaacs
1 Million Women Founder
Fossil fuel-lending financial institutions that we will send our open letter to:
JPMorgan Chase
Wells Fargo
Citi
Bank of America
RBC
MUFG
Barclays
TD
Mizuho
Scotiabank
Morgan Stanley
HSBC
BNP Paribas
Goldman Sachs
Bank of China
Bank of Montreal
Credit Suisse
ICBC
Deutsche Bank
SMBC Group
CIBC
Société Générale
China Construction Bank
Crédit Agricole
ING
Agricultural Bank of China
UBS
BPCE/Natixis
Santander
Standard Chartered
UniCredit
BBVA
Intesa Sanpaolo
RBS
Commerzbank
Westpac
ANZ
Commonwealth Bank
NAB
Hostplus
AustralianSuper
Have you divested from your bank, super fund, pension fund or other financial institution? Tell us who they are and we’ll add them to our list. Email us at [email protected].