Bank of America Accused of Using ‘Accounting Tricks as Real Climate Action’

Climate motion groups denounced Bank of The us for exhibiting “one particular of the worst examples of company greenwashing” Thursday as the bank produced its weather targets for 2030—centering their strategy of motion on reducing carbon emissions depth rather of decreasing their complete emissions.

With CEO Brian Moynihan declaring the financial institution aims to “aid assure a just, steady changeover to the sustainable future we all want,” the lender declared that it would lessen the intensity of its emissions rather of absolute emissions.

“Bank of America’s intensity-only targets, which lag perfectly behind U.S. and world-wide greatest practice, place it firmly on the aspect of local weather hold off, when time is promptly jogging out to reduce complete emissions in 50 % by 2030.”

Emissions depth refers to the volume of emissions calculated versus one more unit, when a pledge to lower absolute emissions would have to have Financial institution of The us to minimize the amount of emissions it is sending into the ambiance over time.

“By making use of carbon depth metrics, Lender of The usa has set up a predicament where by its over-all greenhouse gas emissions could go on to increase right up until 2030 and it would continue to be in a position to declare that it has achieved its weather plans,” claimed Alec Connon, co-director of the Halt the Revenue Pipeline Coalition.

The lender announced its pledge fewer than two months following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Transform (IPCC) launched its most up-to-date report on the weather disaster, reiterating previously warnings that the ongoing extraction of fossil fuels—for which Bank of America has offered at minimum $232 billion in financing considering the fact that 2016—will set the Paris local weather agreement’s purpose of limiting world heating to 1.5°C out of reach.

“In today’s announcement, Lender of The united states touts its ‘history of local climate leadership’—and then unveils 2030 emissions targets which are intensity-only, totally appropriate with increases in absolute emissions and substantial enlargement of fossil fuels, specially expanded extraction of fossil gas,” explained Jason Opeña Disterhoft, senior climate and power campaigner for Rainforest Action Community.

“Lender of America’s intensity-only targets, which lag effectively powering U.S. and world-wide most effective apply, place it firmly on the facet of local weather delay, when time is swiftly operating out to lower complete emissions in 50 % by 2030,” he extra.

Financial institution of America will encounter a vote at its shareholder assembly on April 26, with some of its buyers calling on the bank to commit to guidelines making sure its lending and underwriting do not assist fossil gas tasks.

Connon expressed hope that the bank’s investors will “get observe of this duplicity and vote in favor of critical climate resolutions.”

“Like way too many of its friends, Financial institution of The united states is making an attempt to move off imprecise pledges and accounting tricks as authentic weather action,” said Sierra Club Fossil-Free Finance marketing campaign supervisor Ben Cushing. “The science is obvious that acquiring web-zero financed emissions by 2050 means stopping funding for the expansion of fossil fuels.”

“Minimizing emissions intensity even though raising funding for the fossil gas marketplace and over-all financed emissions is utterly inadequate to obtain that concentrate on and contribute to a climate-secure long run,” he additional.