Annastacia Palaszczuk today said she would veto any federal loan by the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to help fund Adani’s Carmichael coal and rail line.

“This is a welcome move by Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Labor Party that will be appreciated by the people of Queensland,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“Tim Nicholls and the LNP need to move quickly to divert this distortive loan from a project that no commercial bank will touch and risks the Great Artesian Basin, farmland and the Great Barrier Reef.

“A billion dollars has the potential to be much better spent in north Queensland, on projects that could create vast numbers of jobs in tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, education and health services.”

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Annastacia Palaszczuk today said she would veto any federal loan by the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to help fund Adani’s Carmichael coal and rail line.

“This is a welcome move by Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Labor Party that will be appreciated by the people of Queensland,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“Tim Nicholls and the LNP need to move quickly to divert this distortive loan from a project that no commercial bank will touch and risks the Great Artesian Basin, farmland and the Great Barrier Reef.

“A billion dollars has the potential to be much better spent in north Queensland, on projects that could create vast numbers of jobs in tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, education and health services.”

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Two years since the Paris Climate Agreement signalled the intent to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Greenpeace said leaders meeting in Bonn must now achieve real progress on the Paris Agreement’s implementation guidelines (the rulebook).

Leaders must also set the groundwork for raising climate ambition and ending the injustice of inaction ahead of the first stocktake of collective efforts in 2018. (1)

Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan said:

“We have no time to waste. Our climate is changing, putting people and communities increasingly at threat, from Suva to Washington or anywhere, but we have a window of opportunity to take fast, bold action to deliver true security and justice for every one of us.

“At this year’s COP, leaders can start fulfilling the promises they made in Paris and signal their intent to seize the opportunity and the obligation of our time by ramping up climate action.”

Dubbed the Pacific COP because it is being presided over by Fiji, it will be the first time the global community has met since US President Trump announced Washington would withdraw from the Paris agreement. Fiji has called for Bonn to become a visionary summit and a reaffirmation of climate action.

“Trump’s decision to back out of Paris has backfired spectacularly, sparking a groundswell of support for global climate action. There is no turning back and there will be no renegotiation and that message must be made clear at COP23. We expect new leaders to emerge in Bonn and the eyes of the world will be on the EU, China and others to step up,” Morgan added.

The continued hypocrisy of Paris signatories is also being exposed as people around the world take matters into their own hands. On November 14, the Norwegian government’s Arctic oil drilling agenda will be challenged in court as part of a global wave of people litigating to hold governments and big polluters to account. (2)

“Negotiating for global climate action in Bonn while planning to open up the Arctic for oil drilling is simply incompatible and when politicians put oil before people, they need to be held accountable. This is why we are taking Arctic oil to court,” Morgan added.

In Germany, summit co-host Angela Merkel must also bring substantial climate commitments to the Pacific COP if she is to reclaim her climate-chancellor badge.

Greenpeace Germany Executive Director Sweelin Heuss said:

“Coal is still a major part of Germany’s energy mix threatening the nation’s targeted emissions cuts, while CO2 emissions from the transport sector continue to rise despite the promises of cleaner, more efficient cars. What authority does a COP host hold if it fails to deliver on its own promises? Germany must now kick its coal habit and signal the end of the line for the combustion engine.”

Notes:

1. More information can be found in Greenpeace’s media briefing:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/briefings/climate/COP23/COP23_mission_briefing.pdf

2. More information on the court case against the Norwegian government:

https://www.savethearctic.org/en/peoplevsarcticoil/blog/we-are-going-to-court/

Contacts:

Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org, phone: +86 156 5241 1229 (CH), +49 152 1927 7342 (DE)

For interviews with Jennifer Morgan, contact Leola Abraham, Communications Manager, Greenpeace International: leola.abraham@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 6 46 16 20 12

For interviews with Sweelin Heuss, contact Gregor Kessler, Communications, Greenpeace Germany: gregor.kessler@greenpeace.org, phone: +49 151 7270 2918

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

The average global temperature from January to September 2017 was approximately 1.1°C above the pre-industrial era, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) provisional Statement on the State of the Climate published today.

“The WMO report provides yet another impetus for world leaders to live up to their commitments under the Paris climate agreement and phase out fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate change,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“Global warming causes more frequent extreme weather events and exacerbates their intensity. It puts lives in the Pacific and all around the world at risk, but there is still a chance to prevent once in a lifetime disasters becoming the new norm if world leaders gathered at Bonn commit to ending the era of fossil fuels.”

The report was published on the opening day of the UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, where leaders from across the world will aim to set the rules for the implementation of the Paris agreement, which aims to contain global warming to 1.5°C.

2016 is likely to remain the hottest year on record, due to a powerful El Niño with 2017 and 2015 to take second and/or third places respectively. 2013-2017 is set to be the hottest five-year period on record.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the results were part of a “long term warming trend”.

“We have witnessed extraordinary weather, including temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius in Asia, record-breaking hurricanes in rapid succession in the Caribbean and Atlantic reaching as far as Ireland, devastating monsoon flooding affecting many millions of people and a relentless drought in East Africa,” Mr Taalas said

“Many of these events – and detailed scientific studies will determine exactly how many – bear the tell-tale sign of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities.”

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which is hosting the Bonn conference, said the findings highlight the growing risks to life on Earth if leaders fail to get on track with the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement. 

“There is unprecedented and very welcome momentum among governments, but also cities, states, territories, regions, business and civil society. Bonn 2017 needs to be the launch pad towards the next, higher level of ambition by all nations and all sectors of society as we look to de-risk the future and maximize the opportunities from a fresh, forward-looking and sustainable development path,” Ms Espinosa said.

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan

+49 1521 8480440

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org

In announcing his state’s ban on single-use plastic bags today Mark McGowan told reporters plastic was "the curse of the earth" and was responsible for killing wildlife and degrading the environment.

“Five out of seven states have now listened to the concerns of their residents and the scientists who have repeatedly warned how bad our plastic pollution crisis is,” Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Nathaniel Pelle said.

“The only two states continuing to ignore the desire of their constituents by holding back a ban are Victoria and NSW. But while Victoria has left the door open, in NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flatly refused to consider a ban instead leaving the problem for industry to manage -  that’s a certain recipe for polluted beaches and dead marine life.  

“Other states have now proved we can reduce plastic waste - these two governments who aren't on board need to wake up and take action.”

WA’s ban will be effective from July 1, 2018 making NSW and Victoria the only Australian states that are yet to act on banning single use plastic bags.

"This is a huge win for the people of WA less than a year after a previous state government publicly said they would never ban plastic bags," Greenpeace activist Bhaval Chandaria said.

Queensland’s moved to ban single-use plastic bags and implement a container deposit scheme last week. South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT all have bans on single-use plastic bags in place. NSW and Victoria are yet to implement any policy on bags despite polls showing overwhelming support for a ban [1].

“There is no good reason for the Premiers and Environment ministers of these two lagging states to still be dragging their heels,” Pelle said.

“This paralysis means millions of plastic bags will make their ways into the environment and waterways of NSW and Victoria for absolutely no reason.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

[1] http://bit.ly/2eCLL21

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

A group of people, including a number from coal-affected communities have today delivered a
load of coal to the front of the Commonwealth Bank’s Harbour Street office in Sydney in order to highlight
the consequences of their fossil fuel lending policies.

The coal has been placed in front of the main entrance to the building alongside posters highlighting the impacts of the Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy on community health, the environment, and the global climate.

“The Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy promises to support a transition to net zero emissions by 2050 but their actions make a mockery of that promise,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“By failing to exclude highly polluting fossil fuel projects like coal mines CommBank are funding projects that destroy our environment, take a catastrophic toll on the health of communities, and accelerate climate change.”

Since March more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for CommBank to rule out investment in new coal projects. But in October CommBank released a one-page “Climate Policy Position Statement” which contains no restrictions around lending to coal projects - the only of the “big four” to fail to do this[1].

Newcastle resident and grandfather John Hayes lives within 200 metres of the world’s largest coal port in Carrington, for which the Commonwealth Bank was a mandated lead arranger.

“The Commonwealth Bank is damaging the air quality of my community which is putting the health of my  seven grandchildren at risk,” Mr Hayes said. “I have come to Sydney today to attempt to deliver a bag of coal back to CommBank’s CEO, Ian Narev.”

Analysis by environmental finance group Market Forces shows that the Commonwealth Bank has loaned AU$6 billion to fossil fuel companies in the last eighteen months [2].

Despite public commitments to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees in late 2015 Commonwealth Bank last year loaned more than $3.8 billion to coal, gas and oil mining and infrastructure projects, making it the biggest funder of dirty fossil fuels in Australia in 2016.

“By continuing to invest in the coal industry, CommBank have failed both the Australian people and their own shareholders by exposing them to the risk of catastrophic climate change,” Moylan said.

“CommBank must change their climate policy before their AGM to recognise that climate related risks are real and to take significant measures to curb them.”

The dubious honour was awarded to the Australian government on the second day of the COP23 climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where world leaders are gathered to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“As bad neighbours go, Australia is the worst! Providing funding and approval for these mines (Adani isn’t the only one!) would put its already vulnerable neighbours at further risk. You should be striving to protect the Pacific Islands, Australia, not destroy them,” CAN said in a statement.

Pacific islander platform Pacific Island Represent presented the Fossil of the Day award and slammedthe Australian government, which has publically committed to the aims of the Paris Agreement while simultaneously lining up $1 billion of taxpayer money for the Carmichael mine and rail line, as well as lobbying other governments for overseas finance.  

“For us in the Pacific this is a matter of survival. Australia can’t sign up to the Paris agreement and then give almost $1 billion to Adani to build the world’s biggest coal mine. It is putting short term profits ahead of the future of entire nations,” Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani said.

“The age of fossil fuels is over. Australia must prove it is serious about limiting warming to 1.5 degrees if it wants to reduce the frequency and severity of natural disasters, from strengthening Pacific cyclones and sea level rise to extended bushfire seasons and bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.”

Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and is on track to become the world’s largest LNG exporter. Australia also supports Statoil’s plans to drill for deepwater oil in the Great Australian Bight, another risky venture that will lock in decades of emissions and make achieving the Paris goals much more difficult.   

The Australian government is well-known for its climate denialism and continued support of coal, gas and oil expansion despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that we must phase out fossil fuels, and has also scrapped renewable energy subsidies and abandoned its Clean Energy Target (CET).

“Australia’s hypocritical actions are destroying the environment inside its own borders and beyond. The Australian government cannot continue to do this and call itself a friend of the Pacific. These are not the actions of a friend,” Kuridrani said.

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan

+49 1521 8480440

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org

For interviews in Australia contact:

 Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner Simon Black

0418 219 086

simon.black@greenpeace.org

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org; phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470(available 24 hours)

Loss and damage refers to impacts of climate change including slow onset events such as sea level rise, and extreme weather events, such as tropical cyclones, which may both result in loss of lands, livelihoods and in small island states, coastal areas.

“Australia has long lacked many things – sympathy, support, and solidarity among them – with its Pacific Island neighbors, but these bullying tactics are over the line, even for them,” the Climate Action Network, which presented the award said in a statement.

Australia’s reported hypocritical behaviour also appears to contradict the comments it made in its opening statement on behalf of the Umbrella Group of non-EU developed countries to current COP President Fiji.

“We are mindful that this is the first time a Small Island Developing State has held the Presidency and we are committed to providing our full support for your successful Presidency, including to bring the Pacific consciousness to this COP which we know to be an important aspect of your Presidency,” Australia said in its opening statement to the COP plenary.

“Australia’s domestic policies, such as support for the fossil fuel industry through subsidies, is insult enough to the Pacific. Couple that with blocking financial mechanisms for the highly affected, and you do not have a recipe for friendship,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Head of Pacific Net Matisse Walkden-Brown said.

The Pacific Island Climate Action Network (PICAN) condemned Australia’s reported obstruction, saying the region is already experiencing loss and damage from climate change.

“Support is necessary and deserved from countries who have caused this problem. Developed countries’ fossil fuels is the Pacific's loss and damage. The issue of Loss and Damage finance needs to be advanced not continuously pushed to the next session," PICAN said.

Australia was awarded the Fossil of the Day along with Canada, the EU and the US.

Australia, through the Umbrella Group, also argued in 2015 that there be no reference to loss and damage in the Paris Agreement, reportedly driven by fear of being forced to pay compensation for climate damage caused by their emissions.

On day two of COP23 Australia received the Fossil of the Day for its support of the Adani Group’s plans to build the world’s largest export coal mine.

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan

+49 1521 8480440

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org

While there has been progress on the Paris rulebook and the design of next year’s stocktake of collective climate action efforts (the Talanoa Dialogue), the issue of pre-2020 climate action has emerged as the most contentious aspect of COP23 in Bonn.

Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan said:

“Developing countries are rightfully concerned about pre-2020 climate action and developed countries need to show good faith by giving the issue the space it needs to discuss how to ratchet up our efforts.

“Emissions need to peak by 2020 at the latest. This means pre-2020 climate action is critical if we’re to limit global warming to the 1.5 degrees. We have a small window of opportunity and the sooner we act, the better.”

Germany has targeted a 40 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, but will fall far short of its target unless it ends its reliance on coal. Greenpeace is demanding Merkel signal a full coal phase out in the new coalition government agreement.

“Merkel cannot truly call herself a friend of the Pacific is she fails to meet her commitments at home. The time for climate sweet talk has ended. Merkel must present a plan on how to reach and go beyond the 2020 targets,” Morgan added.

In a year marked by a spate of destructive hurricanes, drought and floods, climate vulnerable Fiji is presiding over this year’s climate talks in Bonn, placing heightened focus on the threat of rising seas and extreme weather.

The climate talks also coincide with new figures from the Global Carbon Project revealing CO2 emissions are expected to rise this year by about 2 percent after three years of zero growth due to the slower pace of emissions cuts in the EU and US and (anomalous) higher emissions in China.  (1)

“We are making progress, but not fast enough. We must do more. Developing countries are right to raise the issue of pre-2020 action. All stakeholders need to pull together,” Morgan said.

“Bonn is another crucial step in the path and all eyes are on Chancellor Merkel. The US non-state actors have shown the true face of America by their commitment to climate action here in Bonn. Merkel and others, like the EU and China, now need to do the same,” Morgan said.

Notes

1.     Global Carbon Project's repport on the Global Carbon Budget is available here

Contact

Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org, phone: +49 152 1927 7342 (DE)

For interviews with Jennifer Morgan, contact Leola Abraham, Communications Manager, Greenpeace International: leola.abraham@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 6 46 16 20 12

For German media, contact Gregor Kessler, Communications, Greenpeace Germany: gregor.kessler@greenpeace.org, phone: +49 151 7270 2918

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

Norway’s Grandparents Climate Campaign has also joined the case, as intervenors against the government and in support of the environmental groups.

Truls Gulowsen, Head of Greenpeace Norway said:

“This is a big day for all of us fighting climate change and greedy governments around the world. By allowing new oil drilling in the Arctic the Norwegian government puts homes, health and families everywhere at risk, and should be held accountable. It is clear to us that this new search for oil is in violation of the Paris Agreement and the Norwegian Constitution, and we look forward to raising these arguments in court.”

In the trial, set for 14-23 November, the plaintiffs will argue that the Norwegian government has violated the right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations granted by the Norwegian Constitution. This will be the first time this right is used in court. Around the world some 90 countries have a Constitutionally protected right to a healthy environment, and this lawsuit can have a ripple effect helping guide other jurisdictions on how to interpret these rights in their legal systems, and inspiring more people to hold their governments to account.

Ingrid Skjoldvær, Head of Nature and Youth, added:

“The Norwegian government, like every government, has an obligation to protect people's right to a healthy environment. It is us in the younger generation, and our children, who will feel the worst effects of this oil being burned. This court case is giving us a critical opportunity to protect our futures and, we hope, providing a valuable tool for others to do the same.”

At the same time as the climate trial starts in Norway, Fiji is hosting the United Nations climate change conference COP 23 in Bonn, and attending the first day of the trial in Oslo are two young Pacific Islanders representatives from Fiji.

Alisi Nacewa, Pacific Island Represent activist said:

"We are here in Norway because our home is on the frontline of climate change. Our way of life is being impacted by extreme weather and rising sea levels right now. There is no way the continuation of oil and gas extraction, can deliver a world below 1.5 degrees. No way. No matter how politicians try to spin it. The Norwegian government has signed the Paris Agreement but they continue to drill for oil and supply the world with more fossil fuels. The two are in complete contradiction. It’s time to hold countries accountable for breaking their Paris commitments."

The Norwegian government will defend their decision to, for the first time in 20 years, open up a new oil drilling area in the Barents Sea, allowing 13 oil companies to start new exploration campaigns in the Arctic. Norwegian state-owned Statoil has already begun their drilling operations in the Arctic this summer.

The 13 oil companies that have new license blocks in the Barents Sea are: Statoil (Norway), Capricorn, Tullow and Centrica (UK), Chevron and ConocoPhillips (USA), DEA (Germany), Aker BP (Norway), Idemitsu (Japan), Lukoil (Russia), Lundin Petroleum (Sweden), OMV (Austria), PGNiG (Norway/Poland).

Notes for editors:

Media briefings and background on the climate lawsuit: http://act.gp/2jkhjix

Legal writ submitted to Oslo District Court:http://act.gp/2hc0EJQ

Nature and Youth is a youth organisation with branches all across Norway. They are connected to Young Friends of the Earth Europe, but it is the organisation in Norway that is a plaintiff in the case.

Photos and video clipreel: http://act.gp/2hviZp6

Contacts:

Truls Gulowsen, spokesperson, Greenpeace Norway,  +47 901 07 904, truls.gulowsen@greenpeace.org
Ingrid Skjoldvær spokesperson, Nature and Youth + 47 977 02 181, ingridsk@nu.no

Daniel Bengtsson, international communications coordination, Greenpeace Nordic, +46 703 300 95 10, daniel.bengtsson@greenpeace.org

Poul Bonke Justesen, press officer Greenpeace Nordic, +45 2629 4938, poul.bonke.justesen@greenpeace.org

For Australian media enquiries call:

Simon Black, simon.black@greenpeace.org, 0418 219 086

The announcement came as part of the bank’s 2017 Sustainability Report, released today, which also promised to increase clean energy financing to $20 billion by 2025.

“This is an important step by NAB and reflects community concern, but the bank clearly has a very long way to go,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“In order to meet their Paris commitments of keeping warming well below two degrees and as close to 1.5 degrees as possible, financial institutions need to rule out new coal investments and phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

“A proper review based on science and the Paris commitments would lead NAB to this conclusion.”

The news further isolates the Commonwealth Bank as the only major Australian bank that has no restriction on coal financing and with the highest financed emissions.

“As many as 14 global banks have ruled out project finance for new thermal coal mines,” Moylan said.

“And with community members planning to take action as part of Commbank’s AGM on Thursday the message is starting to get through to the major banks - there is no place for high-polluting and deadly coal investments anymore.”

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

This is the first time a NCP has accepted a complaint on the basis of a threat to the climate. This could open up a new avenue for holding businesses accountable for their carbon footprint and climate impacts.

Kim Schoppink, a campaigner with Greenpeace Netherlands, said:

"No corporation should get away with financing climate destruction. This should serve to accelerate the inevitable transition away from fossil fuels. To be responsible, businesses must report emissions and climate risks, or they too will face investigations and even lawsuits. The time for them to act is now."

Jonathan Moylan, a campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“This complaint underscores the fact that banks that do not adopt targets to reduce their fossil fuel exposure will be investigated for violating global standards. The Commonwealth Bank not only has no targets, but it has no policies in place to restrict its exposure to coal.”

Peter Ras, Senior Policy Advisor at Oxfam Novib, said:

“The decision of the OECD National Contact Point to accept our complaint against ING is great news. We hope this is a wake-up call for the bank and that it will encourage ING to take concrete steps to reduce the climate impact of its financing.”  

International companies, like ING, must respect the corporate social responsibility expectations of the country in which they are based. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises is clear about what those expectations are.

Among other things, the OECD considers it important that companies report on how much they contribute directly and indirectly to greenhouse gas emissions and that companies set targets to reduce emissions. ING does this for the emissions of its own operations, but not for those of the companies and projects it finances, even though these emissions are significant.

The four organisations sent their complaint to the NCP the 8th of May, 2017. They called on ING to demonstrate its commitment to the OECD Guidelines in relation to the climate impact of its investments.

ING can do this by publishing details of the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to its investments, as well as setting ambitious, concrete and measurable targets to reduce them. This approach should align ING's climate policy with the aim of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as agreed by the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. [3]

This investigation is part of a growing global wave of legal challenges to businesses failing to act on climate change. This year, Commonwealth Bank was forced to acknowledge climate change as a material risk in its annual report, following a lawsuit brought by two shareholders that was later withdrawn following the Bank’s announcement. [4] Cities in California are also suing the world’s biggest companies for contributing to climate-fueled sea-level rise that will cost billions of dollars. [5] All of these actions are part of a concerted effort to ensure greater transparency of climate risks and a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Notes for the Editor:
[1]https://www.oxfamnovib.nl/Files/rapporten/2017/OECD%20complaint%20against%20ING%202017.pdf

[2] https://www.oesorichtlijnen.nl/meldingen/overzicht-meldingen/lopende-meldingen

[3]http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/convention/application/pdf/english_paris_agreement.pdf

[4]https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/21/commonwealth-bank-shareholders-drop-suit-over-non-disclosure-of-climate-risks

[5]https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-usa-oil-climatesuits/california-cities-sue-big-oil-firms-over-climate-change-idUSKCN1BV2QM

Contacts:

For Australian media contact:

Simon Black, senior media campaigner / simon.black@greenpeace.org / 0418 219 086

Kim Schoppink - Climate & Energy Campaigner - Greenpeace Netherlands -

+31681410797 - kim.schoppink@greenpeace.org

Peter Ras - Senior Policy Advisor - Oxfam Novib

+31623300110 - peter.ras@oxfamnovib.nl

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth are suing the Norwegian government for opening up new oil fields for drilling in the Arctic, arguing that this is a violation of the Paris Climate Agreement and the right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations as stated in the Norwegian constitution.

Norway’s state owned oil company Statoil, has already conducted exploratory drilling in the contested areas.

“The expansion of fossil fuel extraction directly contradicts the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees,” Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani said.

“The Norwegian government has signed up to the Paris Agreement but any steps they take to reduce emissions by doing things like banning petrol and diesel cars are negated by their plans to expand oil drilling operations in the Arctic.

“Fossil fuels cause climate change, which for us in the Pacific means more frequent and intense cyclones and rising sea levels that threaten to wipe entire nations off the map. The Norwegian government cannot commit to containing global warming and then go and open up new oil fields.”

The science that underpins the Paris agreement is clear: at least 80 percent of existing fossil fuel reserves have to stay in the ground. If the world is to achieve the Paris target limiting global warming to 1.5°C, all new fossil fuel developments must be stopped.

If Statoil follows through on its plans to drill in the Arctic the oil would not hit the market for 10 to 20 years, locking in future emissions.

Statoil have also recently expanded their operations into other risky oil fields with plans currently in place to drill in the rough, deep waters of the Great Australian Bight.

“We’ve come all the way from Fiji to bear witness at this trial and show the Norwegian government that its operations have far-reaching consequences. But we didn’t need to travel this far to find an example of Statoil breaking Norway’s Paris commitments and exacerbating climate change in the Pacific, with their rigs eyeing up waters off the southern coastline of Pacific neighbour Australia” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“Statoil’s appetite for risky frontier oil knows no bounds. The earth is under assault from Statoil in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The company is determined to pollute the ocean, destroy marine life and risk workers lives in its own Arctic waters but it acts with equally reckless abandon on the other side of the world in the Great Australian Bight.”

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Media Campaigner Martin Zavan

+61424 295 422

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org 

Australia was named among the “very low-performing countries” in three of the four categories the CCPI ranking is based on – greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and climate policy.

Australia was also listed among the lowest performing countries in terms of renewable energy.

“Australia appears to be going backwards,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Deputy Program Director, Susannah Compton, said.

“Recent howlers include scrapping subsidies for renewable energy in one of the sunniest countries on earth and propping up the embattled Adani mega-mine with offers of public handouts when no commercial bank will touch the project.

“Australia’s climate inaction is an anchor dragging down global progress towards limiting warming to 1.5C.  And as the world’s largest coal exporter soon-to-be largest gas exporter, what happens here is of material concern to our Pacific neighbours and the Arctic ice melt.

“Australia urgently needs to strengthen its 2030 targets on emissions reductions and renewables, and announce credible policy pathways to meet them.”

The news comes around two weeks after the United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) ‘Emissions Gap’ report found that Australia was on track to miss its Paris Agreement commitments by a significant margin.

Australia has pledged to reduce its emissions by 26-28 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. However, UNEP projects the nation’s emissions will rise to 592 million tons of C02 equivalent annually by 2030, far above the 429-440 MTCO2 level required.  

Read the full CCPI report here

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

+61 418 219 086

simon.black@greenpeace.org

In a statement released to the ASX ahead of the bank’s annual general meeting shareholders were informed that they “should note that our coal funding is comparatively small and has been trending down for some time. We expect that trend to continue over time as we help finance the transition to a low carbon economy”.

“Commonwealth Bank have today set a new standard for financial investment in Australia,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“By ruling out future investments in coal they have shown they are willing to literally put their money where their mouth is on fossil fuel investment.

“Westpac, ANZ, and National Australia Bank must immediately follow suit and show the rest of the world Australian financial institutions are serious about combating climate change and protecting coal affected communities.”

Moylan said the announcement shows Australia was now joining other world economies who are moving away from the most polluting of all fossil fuels.

“Around the world financial institutions are turning their backs on coal,” Moylan said.

“But we cannot be complacent and ignore the very real damage every mine and every coal-fired power plant is doing to the environment, the communities that surround them, and the planet.”

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

The Trump administration failed to stop the global climate talks from moving forward, despite its  announcement to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but the world is still in urgent need of action.

The head of Greenpeace’s political delegation Jens Mattias Clausen said:
 
“Leaders must now go home and do the right thing, prove that they have listened to the voices of the Pacific, with all their hurt and hope, and understand the urgency of our time. Talk is not good enough and we still lack the action we need.

“We call on France, Germany, China and others to step up and display the leadership they claim to stake. Clinging to coal or nuclear power and parading as climate champions while failing to accelerate the clean energy transition is nothing but bad faith.”

This year’s COP placed heightened attention on climate impacts and the need for accountability, but failed to deliver the concrete support that a small island COP should have. 
 
Clausen added:

“We welcome the focus on enhanced ambition and the inclusion of pre-2020 climate action in the design of next year’s stocktake, the Talanoa Dialogue. This will form part of Fiji’s legacy and it is imperative that the dialogue will not just be a discussion but actually lead to countries ramping up their climate targets. 

“Bonn still leaves a daunting task of concluding the Paris rulebook next year. Countries need to rediscover the political courage they had in Paris to complete the rulebook on time.”

A deal to break a deadlock in Bonn over the languishing pre-2020 climate action from developed countries and to anchor it in coming climate talks must now prove pivotal in forging additional ambition.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani said:

“The Pacific has been dealing with the devastating impacts of climate change for years so time is a luxury we do not have. While leaders talk, we face the effects. It’s time for leaders to live up to their promises.” 

Greenpeace USA climate campaigner Naomi Ages said:

“We have seen the true face of America here, exposing how Trump and his regressive fossil fuel agenda are outnumbered by those who proclaim with one voice, America is still in. It's been abundantly clear here that despite Trump, climate action continues. World leaders must now categorically reject any proposed weakening of America’s commitments and hold the US administration to account if it reneges.”

Greenpeace Germany Executive Director Sweelin Heuss said:
 
“This COP saw Germany drastically lose credibility and leadership on climate action. Chancellor Merkel’s disappointing speech failed to align Germany with a coalition of progressive nations stepping away from coal, raising doubts if Germany is committed to the ambition of the Paris agreement. Only by deciding on a coal phase out will the new government be able to reach its climate targets for 2020 and 2030.”

Greenpeace China Climate Policy Adviser Li Shuo:

“The Pacific COP has been a way-station in China's aspiration to become a climate leader. The transformation from a developing country to a responsible global power takes time and courage, but climate leadership demands urgency. In 2018, eyes will increasingly turn to China to enhance the country's climate ambition and help conclude the Paris rulebook.”

Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Yeb Saño said:

"The voices from the climate frontlines have spoken in the Pacific COP. But how much have those who are historically most accountable for climate change listened? Those least responsible for climate change are suffering the worst impacts and this great injustice must be addressed. Governments and corporations must urgently change their policies and practices to avert climate-related human rights harms."

Contact:
Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org, phone: +49 152 1927 7342

For German media, contact Gregor Kessler, Communications, Greenpeace Germany: gregor.kessler@greenpeace.org, phone: +49 151 7270 2918

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

More than half a million people have submitted their names as evidence of the global opposition against Arctic oil drilling. They are asking the Norwegian government to withdraw the new oil licenses in the Arctic. In a crowdsourcing drive to contribute to legal costs, so far 2500 Norwegians have donated funds covering close to half of the legal costs for the plaintiffs.

Truls Gulowsen, Head of Greenpeace Norway said:

“The Norwegian Constitution gives the right to a healthy environment. Winning this case -- having new oil licenses in the Arctic ruled invalid -- would keep millions of oil barrels in the ground. During the hearing, I believe we have made it clear that opening up new oil fields will be in violation of both the Norwegian constitution and the Paris Agreement. We have also shown that Norway, in fact, risks losing billions by investing in these oil fields.”

During the trial, three environmental organisations: Greenpeace, Nature and Youth and Grandparents Climate Campaign, have argued that the Norwegian government has violated the right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations, as outlined in the Norwegian Constitution §112. This is the first time this right has been used in the court of law. Around the world, over 90 countries have a constitutionally protected right to a healthy environment, and the world is now waiting to see if the verdict can inspire more people to make their governments responsible to their citizens.

Ingrid Skjoldvær, Head of Nature and Youth, added:

"If we lose, the Norwegian state will continue to drill for oil in the Arctic. This will lead to more climate change and an uncertain future for young people today, and those who come after us. Our hope is that the court will both cancel the oil licenses awarded in the 23rd licensing round and ensure that the Norwegian government start to assess the climate change consequences of distributing new oil licenses."

During the first week of the climate trial in Oslo, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, the Norwegian Oil Fund and the Norwegian Central bank (Norges Bank) asked the Government for permission to divest more than 35 billion USD from oil and gas to “make the government’s wealth less vulnerable”.

The 13 oil companies that have new license blocks in the Barents Sea, and would be affected by the verdict, are: Statoil (Norway), Capricorn, Tullow and Centrica (UK), Chevron and ConocoPhillips (USA), DEA (Germany), Aker BP (Norway), Idemitsu (Japan), Lukoil (Russia), Lundin Petroleum (Sweden), OMV (Austria), PGNiG (Norway/Poland).

-- ENDS --

Photos and video clipreels: http://act.gp/2hviZp6 

Contacts:

For Australian media contact:

Simon Black, senior media campaigner / simon.black@greenpeace.org / 0418 219 086

For international media contact:

Truls Gulowsen, spokesperson, Greenpeace Norway,  +47 901 07 904, truls.gulowsen@greenpeace.org

Ingrid Skjoldvær spokesperson, Nature and Youth + 47 977 02 181, ingridsk@nu.no

Steinar Høiback, spokesperson, Grandparents Climate Campaign, +47 911 74 848

Poul Bonke Justesen, press officer Greenpeace Nordic, +45 2629 4938, poul.bonke.justesen@greenpeace.org

Notes to Editor:

Media briefings and background on the climate lawsuit: http://act.gp/2jkhjix

Legal writ submitted to Oslo District Court: http://act.gp/2hc0EJQ
Nature and Youth is a youth organisation with branches across Norway. They are connected to Young Friends of the Earth Europe. Nature and Youth is a plaintiff in this case.

A group of people, including a number from coal-affected communities have today delivered a
load of coal to the front of the Commonwealth Bank’s Harbour Street office in Sydney in order to highlight
the consequences of their fossil fuel lending policies.

The coal has been placed in front of the main entrance to the building alongside posters highlighting the impacts of the Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy on community health, the environment, and the global climate.

“The Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy promises to support a transition to net zero emissions by 2050 but their actions make a mockery of that promise,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“By failing to exclude highly polluting fossil fuel projects like coal mines CommBank are funding projects that destroy our environment, take a catastrophic toll on the health of communities, and accelerate climate change.”

Since March more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for CommBank to rule out investment in new coal projects. But in October CommBank released a one-page “Climate Policy Position Statement” which contains no restrictions around lending to coal projects - the only of the “big four” to fail to do this[1].

Newcastle resident and grandfather John Hayes lives within 200 metres of the world’s largest coal port in Carrington, for which the Commonwealth Bank was a mandated lead arranger.

“The Commonwealth Bank is damaging the air quality of my community which is putting the health of my  seven grandchildren at risk,” Mr Hayes said. “I have come to Sydney today to attempt to deliver a bag of coal back to CommBank’s CEO, Ian Narev.”

Analysis by environmental finance group Market Forces shows that the Commonwealth Bank has loaned AU$6 billion to fossil fuel companies in the last eighteen months [2].

Despite public commitments to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees in late 2015 Commonwealth Bank last year loaned more than $3.8 billion to coal, gas and oil mining and infrastructure projects, making it the biggest funder of dirty fossil fuels in Australia in 2016.

“By continuing to invest in the coal industry, CommBank have failed both the Australian people and their own shareholders by exposing them to the risk of catastrophic climate change,” Moylan said.

“CommBank must change their climate policy before their AGM to recognise that climate related risks are real and to take significant measures to curb them.”

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org; phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470(available 24 hours)