Defund Climate Chaos global day of action in 26 countries this Friday
The #DefundClimateChaos day of action is this Friday, 29th of October is just days away.
Thousands of people are set to take part in actions spanning 26 countries and every continent on the planet, which is what’s needed to demand the global financial system stop the flow of money to fossil fuels before the UN climate summit in Glasgow starts. Major actions will take place at global financial centres in London, New York, Frankfurt, Toronto, Sydney as well as other locations from Manila to San Francisco, São Paulo to Nairobi, the South Pacific and across Europe.
Although our targets are some of the biggest financial companies in the world, we are mighty and together they won’t be able to silence us.
Canadians can join one of 44 events (there’s still time to start your own) happening at RBC branches across the country. See the action map here.
More on the RBC Day of action:
Behind all their slick greenwashing, Canada’s largest bank, RBC, is the country’s biggest bankroller of fossil fuels. They’ve poured over $200 billion into the fossil fuel industry since 2016—including towards projects that violate Indigenous sovereignty—all while flaunting their so-called environmental and human rights commitments.
Big banks like RBC have massive corporate budgets to pay for expensive PR schemes so they can evade accountability for financing climate chaos. But their smoke and mirrors jig is up.
This Friday October 29, people across Canada are rising up from coast to coast in a coordinated day of action against RBC. Together, we’re gathering at our local RBC branches to call out RBC’s destructive investments and send RBC a clear message: stop funding climate destruction and the trampling of Indigenous rights.
RBC is already feeling the pressure. Yesterday, CEO Dave McKay penned an article going on the defensive about holding up the fossil fuel industry—so we know they’re nervous. [3] If they’re confronted by a flood of pressure from people all across the country, they’ll worry their business as usual approach is going to cost them their reputation.
It could help convince RBC to actually walk the talk of real climate action. But to do that, we need your help. Will you join your local RBC event on October 29? We’ve created an easy-to-use map tool to find your event: just enter in your postcode and it’ll point you to the closest one!
RBC’s massive investments in the fossil fuel industry don’t just mean they’re funding climate destruction. It also means they’re supporting projects that trample on Indigenous rights. RBC is a backer of the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline—a project that is proceeding without the consent of the Wet’suwet’en people and threatens the land, waters, and forests of their territory.
The good news? Our pressure is working. Just this summer, Leadnow members ran a cross-country campaign at our local RBC branches to raise the alarm about the bank’s destructive fossil fuel financing. In response, senior RBC managers released new company lines to try to deflect concerns coming from their staff and the public. They’re going on the defensive, so we know that they’re aware and paying attention to our work.
It’s up to us to keep the pressure up.