Protesters set up ‘climate justice memorial’ at Lloyd’s of London | Lloyd’s

Protesters have created a “climate justice memorial” in the City of London to protest against the financing of fossil fuel industries ahead of Cop26.Activists from environmental groups including Pacific Climate Warriors, Coal Action Network and Extinction Rebellion laid wreaths and flowers at the entrance of the Lloyd’s headquarters in what they described as a “climate justice memorial”.“We want to commemorate and commiserate the homes and lives lost to the climate crisis,” one Extinction Rebellion member said on Friday.Lloyd’s is an insurance market which Coal Action Network, one of the protest’s organisers, claims “underwrites the majority of the world’s most climate-wrecking projects”.The demonstrations are part of global action targeting the financial centres of the largest economies around the world the weekend before the UN’s Cop26 climate summit. Activists aim to draw attention to the disadvantaged communities most affected by the climate crisis in what they hope will be the largest financial climate protest in history.“We want to call on Lloyd’s as Pacific Islanders to move the money away from fossil fuel industry so we can put an end to an era which is exporting harm directly to our islands,” said Brianna Fruean, who came to the UK to participate in Cop26.More protests in the City of London are planned throughout the day culminating with a vigil at the Bank of England. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist, is set to join protesters in the afternoon.The demonstrations have also targeted Macquarie Group, an investment bank that the protesters have said is financing the Silvertown tunnel in London, which is planned to link the borough of Newham and the Greenwich peninsula. Extinction Rebellion activists say the tunnel will bring more traffic and pollution to Newham, which is one of the city’s most deprived and polluted boroughs, though the mayor’s office has said it does not expect it to worsen pollution.Protests are taking place in 26 countries on Friday, and are also targeting JP Morgan Chase in the US and Deutsche Bank in Germany.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/29/protesters-set-up-climate-justice-memorial-at-lloyds-of-london