The Co-operative Bank; good with money or fantastic for aviation?
has taken part in a refinancing deal for the development of Manchester Airport.
The bank will provide £40 million over the next 5 years to Manchester Airports
Group despite its much-vaunted ‘Ethical Investments Policy’ which includes mitigating
the threat of climate change as a central tenet.
change, via the extraction or production of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), with an
extension to the distribution of those fuels that have a higher global warming
impact (e.g. tar sands and certain biofuels).”
states that they won’t finance businesses that contribute towards climate change
via fossil fuels then why do they finance businesses that do the same via emissions
from aviation? It’s another case of aviation being ignored as a massive contributor
to climate change and goes to show that the Coop’s environmental image is an illusion,
if they are willing to invest millions into the fastest growing cause of carbon
dioxide emissions.”
emissions per year, making it one of the biggest polluters in the North West. It plans to demolish local homes to expands its operations, with the intention
of doubling passenger numbers by 2030.
were the only travel agent to oppose the development of a third runway at Heathrow
and we oppose the development of runways throughout the UK unless there is a clear
sustainability case.”
in particular for its recent active role in opposing the tar sands project in
Canada. While its ethical code is widely regarded as being at the forefront of conscientious
banking, this move raises serious questions over the bank’s policies.
Bank’s Ethical Policy is based on consultation with our customers and reflects
their ethical concerns.”
are a concern to some people our Policy does not contain an explicit statement excluding finance for air travel
related business.”
change, through, for instance, our refusal to invest in fossil fuel extraction
and production, procuring virtually all our energy supply from renewable sources
and our, as part of our Toxic Fuels campaign with our customers and members seeking
to halt the increasing trend towards exploiting fuels with a higher global warming
potential such as tar sands.”
other banks – Barclays, Handelsbanken, RBS, HSBC, National Australia Bank (through
its subsidiary Yorkshire Bank) and Santander – providing £40 million each over
a five year period.