Extinction Rebellion Rochdale hold ‘memorial’ for those killed by climate change outside Barclays

Date published: 03 November 2021

Members of the Rochdale Extinction Rebellion group hosted their latest demonstration outside Barclays bank in Rochdale town centre on Friday (29 October).

Despite the heavy rain, the activist group – which is demanding urgent action on the climate crisis – gathered outside the bank wearing black in ‘an act of memorial’.

A tombstone, wreaths and flowers were placed outside Barclays and the death tolls of many recent climate related disasters around the world were read out.

A UN report has also warned that the risk of catastrophic climate change – including extreme heat, drought and flooding – would significantly increase if temperatures rise beyond the maximum 1.5°C point, identified in the Paris Agreement, adding that we could have just a few years left to limit a climate change catastrophe.

A review of the 2015/16 winter floods in the UK by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said that a ‘real-time’ attribution study presented after the localised flooding in December 2015 claimed the rainfall was made 40% more likely as a result of climate change resulting from human activity.

Mournful music was played, and Reverend Mark Coleman – former vicar of Rochdale before his recent retirement – led prayers for the deceased.

In addition to being a member of XR Rochdale, Rev Coleman is a protestor of Insulate Britain, and played a part in bringing the M25 to a standstill.

He said: “Our hearts break when we remember the death of so many and the needless destruction of this beautiful world.

“This is not about statistics but about real lives like yours and mine that are lost prematurely.

“People are dying in massive numbers - and it will get worse unless we stop it. Banks like Barclays have a lot of blood on their hands.”

According to a report by climate finance campaigners, in the months leading up to the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow, Barclays has financed more in fossil fuel projects than any of the UK’s largest banks.

Barclays has previously come under fire for financing fossil fuel companies and has been targeted by Rochdale XR activists in the past.

Read more: Activists vandalise Barclays bank and MP’s office with messages demanding action on climate crisisPublished: 24 March 2021

Jane Touil, Rochdale resident and climate activist, said: "People are becoming more aware of the climate emergency and are trying to live more sustainably.

“Many don’t realise banks are using their money to wreck the planet by continuing to invest in fossil fuels. Barclays is the worst European bank for doing this.

“We know that fossil fuels are the main cause of global heating.

“Barclays talks about its climate friendly ambitions, but the Banking On Climate Chaos report shows that since 2015 it has pumped $145 billion into fossil fuels. It finances companies which are pursuing new fossil fuel projects, including very environmentally damaging fracking and tar sands projects.”

In the summer, the first study linking changes in temperatures with annual increases in mortality was published. Researchers found that extreme hot and cold weather is responsible for 5 million deaths globally each year, almost 10% of all deaths globally.

Jane added: “Research published in July estimates that 5 million people are dying globally each year as a result of climate change and things will get very much worse very quickly if we don’t stop using coal, oil and gas.

“Any bank which truly cares about the climate would not be financing new fossil fuel projects.”

“In a nutshell, Barclays is implicated in climate-related deaths, and we are drawing attention to that today.”

Responding, a Barclays spokesperson said: “We are aligning our entire financing portfolio to support the goals of the Paris Agreement - significantly scaling up green financing, directly investing in new green technologies and helping clients in key sectors change their business models to reduce their climate change impact.

“By 2025, we will reduce the emissions intensity of our power portfolio by 30%, and reduce absolute emissions of our energy portfolio by 15%. Increasing at pace, Barclays has already facilitated £46bn of green finance. We are one of the only banks globally investing our own capital – £175m – into innovative, green start-ups.

“By deploying finance in this way, we are accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy and will become a net zero bank by 2050.”