On the Friday of the Camp for Climate Action, four intrepid Rising Tiders left the site to bring the battle over a new power station at Kingsnorth to the doorstep of the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is one of E.ON's biggest financial backers, and to highlight the links between the financial sector, the fossil fuel industry, and disastrous climate change.
Two people superglued themselves to the front doors of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Oil and Gas Division in Central London, while others wielded a banner reading “RBS: Cashing In On Coal”.
In 2007, projects financed by RBS were responsible for more emissions than the whole of Scotland. Along with other banks, RBS participated in financing E.ON to the tune of $70 billion over the course of 2007. RBS has also financed companies like Arch Coal, who are engaging in controversial mountain top removal mining in the US, and are also financing companies like Dynegy who are looking to roll out new coal power stations across America.
While glued to the door, Sam Harrison said: “The Climate Camp has always been about far more than just stopping a new power station at Kingsnorth. The fact that the Royal Bank of Scotland has been targeted twice in as many days highlights the intimate involvement of well-known high street banks in the destruction of our climate, thanks to the billions of pounds they invest in fossil fuel projects each year. We need to shift to a different kind of economy – one that doesn’t rely on endless economic growth at all costs, and respects the natural limits of the planet.”
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