Coffs Coast climate activists say ‘Funding Coal Is Bananas’ Coffs Coast Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 9, 2021 Action at the Big Banana. Photo: supplied by the Coffs Coast Climate Action Group). THE Big Banana was emblazoned with ‘Funding Coal Is Bananas! We’re Coming For You’ last week by members of the Coffs Coast Climate Action Group. The group followed up with another banner at the Big Prawn in Ballina which read, ‘Funding coal? You stink like an old prawn this big!!’ Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au These actions were part of a national week of action by the #StopAdani movement targeting BlackRock, HSBC, State Bank of India, JP Morgan, and MUFG, the biggest investors in the Adani Group. “These investors are enabling Adani’s massive coal expansion plans,” said Liisa Rusanen, spokesperson for Coffs Coast Climate Action Group. “We’ve visited the ‘big things’ to highlight just how big a problem coal is,” she said. “It is the biggest driver of climate change, fueling the increase in extreme weather events and climate impacts like droughts, bushfires and floods and Adani’s dirty coal mine would destroy indigenous lands, risk precious water resources and be another nail in the coffin for coral reefs.” The national week of action included letter-delivery actions at investor offices around the country and online campaigns. The Coffs Coast Climate Action Group hosted a ‘Digital Storms’ action, with the aim of flooding the executives of the investing companies with phone calls, emails, calendar reminders and social media messages. Ms Rusanen said, “Adani knows their coal mine is risky and unpopular – that’s why they are quietly shuffling investor money through their corporate empire to fund it – but it’s time these big investors took responsibility for their role in this destructive project. “We’re calling on them to use their influence and demand Adani stop work on the Carmichael coal mine, or else pull their money out from Adani,” she explained. “Our movement is made of ordinary people around the country, and internationally, who are determined to stand up to Adani’s destruction,” Ms Rusanen said. “We’ve already won commitments from 100 major banks and contractors to rule out working with Adani and these investors must be next.” By Andrew VIVIAN Follow-up action at the Big Prawn.
