Media Release
Saturday 30 November.

350.Aotearoa in Christchurch

Westfield’s Riccarton Mall hosted some unexpected drama on Saturday as groups 350Aotearoa and Coal Action Network Aotearoa brought their message of “dirty money” to thousands of surprised Christmas shoppers.

By setting up a “climate crime scene” complete with bodies, forensics experts and photographers, the group highlighted the way that money lent to mining companies such as Bathurst Resources is actively funding the destruction caused bt climate change here and around the world.

Saturday’s flash-mob style event entertained shoppers for a few minutes with about 30 people suddenly acting as if they had died. Actors dressed in forensics suits set up a mock crime scene outside the Westpac bank, and checked the “bodies” finding that a climate crime had been carried out. Other volunteers handed out information leaflets to bemused onlookers and even took some mince pies to bank staff.

Group spokesperson Ants Field explained that Bathurst is planning to destroy the Denniston Plateau to get coal that will make climate change much worse, and they can only go ahead with financial support from Westpac. “Westpac like to make a lot of their claims to be sustainable and socially just,” said Field,”but lending to Bathurst makes a mockery of their claims. This is dirty money and it’s being used to fund the actions that lead to climate change. Westpac must realise that they have to either stop financing Bathurst or stop making greenwash claims.”

“If we are to keep to the safe limit of 2 degrees of global warming we all have to get used to mining and using a lot less fossil fuels like coal. 80% of the known reserves of coal will need to stay in the ground. Banks have a responsibility, just like everyone else to change the way they work to limit the effects of climate change”

ENDS

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