On Friday September 15th, as insurers and banks faced a wave of national protest, Coal Action Network announced that five insurers have given guarantees that they will not provide cover for the planned controversial West Cumbria Coal Mine.
The insurers that have ruled out underwriting the mine are AEGIS Managing Agency, Argenta Syndicate Management, Argo, 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.
Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels on September 15-17th saw half a million people joining protests across the globe to call for a just transition away from coal, oil and gas in history, making it the largest climate mobilisation since the start of the pandemic. Over 400 actions, marches, rallies, and events took place around the world, coordinated by more than 780 endorsing organisations with millions of participants taking part. In the UK Protests took place in London, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, York, Wrexham, Cardiff, Shrewsbury and Croydon. Hundreds of campaigners from Extinction Rebellion, Mothers Rebellion and Coal Action Network took to the streets assembling with banners and placards, at the doors of financial institutions, yet to rule out supporting the proposed mine.
They were joined by Buddhist and Quaker groups and other members of the local community. Some groups took part in theatrical actions, dressing as canaries to draw the link between the birds used in mines and the toxicity this mine will bring, while others held silent vigils.
These actions at Probitas, AXA XL, Chubb, Hiscox, Travelers, Chubb, Markel, CNA Hardy, and QBE Insurers as well as HSBC bank set out to raise awareness of the issue, by talking to passers by and staff, delivering letters to the insurers at and putting up blue plaques to publicly criticise these financial institutions and make it clear the this is No Time For A Coal Mine.
Andrew Taylor from Coal Action Network said: “The British government has ignored the pressure from people across the UK who are calling for them to stop the climate-wrecking West Cumbria coal mine, so today people have taken to the streets to demand that insurers and banks, including HSBC, turn their backs on this disastrous fossil fuel project. Four insurers stating that they won’t be involved is just the beginning.”
West Cumbria Mining Ltd wants to extract 2.78 million tonnes of coking coal annually from what would be the UK's first new underground coal mine in 30 years. The project has faced fierce public opposition with over 100k people joining the campaign and legal challenges as campaigners believe it goes against the government’s legally-binding net zero emissions target.
Claude Fourcroy, a spokesperson for Money Rebellion who supported the national day of action said: “The West Cumbria mine is incompatible with the UK’s climate commitments and will fuel climate breakdown. The City of London needs to stop funding and insuring new fossil fuels now.”
Insure Our Futures Scorecard shows which insurance companies are taking action on fossil fuels and climate change. It focuses on 30 leading primary insurers and reinsurers, assessing and scoring their policies on insuring and investing in coal, oil, gas, and other aspects of climate (in)action. The report highlights progress and loopholes, calls out leaders and laggards, and identifies challenges and opportunities for the year ahead.
Download the full report from Insure Our Future
AIG is a major insurance provider to fossil fuel companies, and has billions invested in the industry. AIG is the largest coal insurer outside of China, and one of the few still able and willing to underwrite new, multi-billion-dollar coal projects. The company is also among the top three insurers of oil and gas projects. While at least 37 insurers have limited or ended coal underwriting, AIG stands out as a global laggard with no restrictions on insurance for the coal sector. AIG has also failed to rule out insurance support for destructive fossil fuel expansion projects, including the Adani Carmichael coal mine and the Trans Mountain tar sands oil pipeline.
We need a just transition and ensure energy access for all. For this to happen, those who currently hold the power must act to keep fossil fuels in the ground and support just climate solutions. We’re demanding the following: 1. An immediate phase out of…
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Lloyd’s provides insurance and reinsurance that supports and enables some of the world’s worst fossil fuel projects including coal mines, tar sands pipelines, and new oil & gas exploration. Their business plans are incompatible with keeping climate change under 1.5°C. In total, Lloyds insures 40% of the world’s energy. These practices are far from new. Lloyd’s has a long racist colonial past. Its wealth was built off a monopoly insuring the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Today, Lloyd’s continues to profit from underwriting projects that sacrifice Indigenous, Black, and brown communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel extraction and the climate crisis.
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We need a just transition and ensure energy access for all. For this to happen, those who currently hold the power must act to keep fossil fuels in the ground and support just climate solutions. We’re demanding the following: 1. An immediate phase out of…
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The insurance industry found itself in the spotlight last week as a Global Week of Action blossomed across the world. From February 27th to March 3rd 2024, a wave of protests, both online and in the streets, swept through the doors of insurance giants, demanding accountability over their support for polluters and decisive action on climate change.
After a week of peaceful protest around the world, alongside hundreds of groups, our efforts have paid off. Yet another leading insurance company, Probitas, has ruled out insuring the proposed West Cumbria coal mine and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
After months of campaigning, five more major insurance companies have announced they will not support the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)!
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).
Following a week of protests, Cincinnati Global’s syndicate at Lloyd’s confirmed that it will not insure the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, which has been the subject of international protests.
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