Welshpool banks targeted by climate group

Climate activists have targeted Welshpool banks once again this weekend in their bid to raise awareness of their claims that major high street banks are still investing in fossil fuels.

Extinction Rebellion cordoned off Barclays and HSBC as part of their ‘Money Rebellion’ campaign, plastering the branches with stickers, posters and ‘climate crime scene’ tape.

Barclays and HSBC have both pledged to be carbon neutral banks by 2050 and to do their part to limit global warming to 1.5°C as per the 2015 Paris Agreement.

But the group have criticised both banks, claiming that they continue to invest in fossil fuel projects and companies.

Local Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists have been targeting Barclays and HSBC branches in Newtown and Welshpool with ‘re-branding’ since Autumn 2020.

XR Newtown and Welshpool spokesperson David France said: “These banks are familiar faces in the high street, but most people don’t know the horrors that they fund with our money.

“Our XR group sent letters to the local branches of Barclays and HSBC, asking to talk about their policies, but received no reply, so we felt we had no choice but to continue the campaign locally.”

What the banks say:

Barclays

“We believe that Barclays can make a real contribution to tackling climate change and help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. It's our ambition to be a net zero bank by 2050. We’re already net zero emissions from our own operations; our focus now is on reducing the client emissions that we finance.”

HSBC

“We aim to reduce carbon emissions from our operations and supply chains to net zero by 2030 or sooner, and to align financed emissions from our portfolio of customers to the Paris Agreement goal of net zero by 2050 or sooner.”