Take part in our UK-wide day of action against Lloyd’s of London (no relation to Lloyds bank) and their marketplace insurers of fossil fuel projects on 17 May - the day many will be returning to their offices after lockdown. We need to let the Lloyd’s of London's marketplace know we’re aware of the critical role they and their insurers play in enabling risky climate-wrecking projects from the first day they return to their offices.
How do I get involved?
There are actions outside the offices of fossil fuel insurers all around the UK - check out what's happening near you and sign up to get more info!
What kind of action?
Anything you want - get creative! An old bedsheet and a bit of paint is all you need for a banner. And we'll post you fliers to hand out to insurance staff and the public so you don't have to remember all the facts (email us a postal address).
We've made a full action brief that's got lots more details, ideas, background, resources, and legal stuff in.
Can't get out on the streets, or there isn't an action happening near you?
Please help us make a big impact on social media. Check out our social media pack for sample messages to share before the action and on the day.
Background
We’re demanding Lloyd’s of London insurers act now to rule out insuring the Adani (Carmichael) and West Cumbria coal mines, and fossil fuel projects more widely. Lloyd’s of London has so far only said they’re willing to rule out new insurance trades on Arctic exploration, thermal coal, and Canadian tar sands by the end of 2021…but allow the renewal of insurance of even these shameful practices until 2030. That’s an insult to the Paris Agreement and to all communities that will suffer the worst effects of climate change.
Lloyd’s of London marketplace is in the top 4 for insuring fossil fuel projects - and underwrite fossil fuel projects that other insurance companies won't touch, allowing mining companies to take risks exploring and unearthing new fossil fuels that we need to keep in the ground. Insurance is a vulnerable link in the chain needed to start and continue these huge climate-wrecking projects.
Despite being one of the main insurance marketplaces propping up the glob al fossil fuel industry, these insurance trades only account for around 5% of Lloyd’s of London insurance market. That means, with enough encouragement, insurance for all fossil fuel projects—such as the Adani or West Cumbria coal mine—could be banned. Join us in taking action to stop some of the riskiest, climate-wrecking fossil fuel mega-projects in their tracks.
We are an environmental organisation dedicated to ending coal mining and use in the UK for the sake of our collective climate and ecosystems. So you’d think we’d celebrate the claim by Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd that it will finally stop mining coal today at Ffos-y-fran in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. But we’re not. Because the abject failure of Merthyr County Borough Council to stop…
People hailing from Cumbria to London, and everywhere in between, descended on the Mines and Money Conference in London across two days (28th-29th Nov 2023). We demanded that investors stop pouring cash into the mining sector, and instead invest in our collective future. Together with Fossil Free London and other groups, we greeted investors with…
The insurers that have ruled out underwriting the mine are AEGIS Managing Agency, Argenta Syndicate Management, Hannover Re and Talanx. These are the first financial institutions to rule out any involvement with the project, and the win represents a new phase in the campaign to stop the project from going ahead.
Today’s global actions focused specifically on the state-owned China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure), the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim), and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). Sinosure is said to be in advanced talks with the Ugandan government about providing credit for the project.
On 18th October dozens of protesters staged a sit-in occupation of the plush City of London offices of ten Lloyd’s of London insurers demanding they rule out insuring the proposed West Cumbria coal mine and East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
Global mining companies are coming to London soon attempting to find investors in their ruinous projects at the Mines and Money Conference (28th to 30th November). Join our protests against it!
01 September 2022: Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd applies for a S.73 time extension to mine coal from Ffos-y-fran, and to accordingly delay and vary restoration works.
06 September 2022: Planning permission ends for coal mining at the Ffos-y-fran site, after 15 years and 3 months of operations.
12 September 2022: first reports to MTCBC have been made by local residents of coaling beyond the end of planning permission.
Over 30 Welsh NGOs and businesses have signed a letter to Welsh Minister Julie James and Deputy Minister Lee Waters, demanding they draw a line in the sand and announce ban on any further coal mines on Welsh soil. The letter was delivered on 11th October 2023.
On 15th September 2023, The Guardian reported that Tata Steel accepted Government funding to avoid closing its steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, by decarbonising it instead – but at a loss of up to 3,000 jobs. The UK Government is providing £500 million, and Tata Steel is expected to provide another £725 million…
