The evidence is clear that our economy depends on nature. What’s even clearer is that the nature crisis is putting the planet at risk – it threatens our health, the climate and the places we love. Australia has one of the worst extinction rates on Earth, and it’s getting worse.
The ongoing acceleration of Australia’s nature destruction will be felt everywhere — from the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink to our backyards and our favourite holiday spots.
Behind every project is a bank that's funding the destruction and none of the big four banks has a ‘zero deforestation’ policy. They contribute to Australia being the only developed economy with a deforestation front, just like the Amazon and the Congo. It also means ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Macquarie and Westpac’s net zero commitments lack credibility as they continue to fund bulldozing forests – critical carbon stores needed to tackle the climate crisis.
That's why we're asking you to write to the banks now as they prepare for Annual General Meetings, when they most seriously reflect on public pressure and their policies. You can send the email as is or tweak it to reflect your personal concerns. Just add in a unique subject line!
Our dependence on nature in our major industries is so high, experts have warned we will be one of the worst affected countries in the world from climate change and nature loss. If unaddressed, by 2050 our economy could be losing $40 billion per year in GDP.
That's why we call on Australia's banks to:
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Assess and disclose how their banking activities impact nature.
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Set and deliver targets to reduce their impacts on nature, including ending deforestation and habitat destruction.
Use the tool on this page to make these demands of the banks. Simply add a subject line to the email we’ve prewritten (and make any other edits you like) – then click Email the banks! It’s that simple.
Header: Brown Treecreeper, Victoria. Photo: Imogen Warren / Shutterstock