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

Local climate action groups denounced Lender of The us for displaying “one particular of the worst illustrations of corporate greenwashing” Thursday as the bank introduced its weather targets for 2030—centering their program of action on cutting down carbon emissions intensity as an alternative of minimizing their complete emissions.

With CEO Brian Moynihan declaring the bank aims to “enable guarantee a just, stable changeover to the sustainable future we all want,” the financial institution announced that it would reduce the intensity of its emissions alternatively of complete emissions.

“Financial institution of America’s depth-only targets, which lag well powering U.S. and worldwide very best follow, put it firmly on the facet of weather delay, when time is quickly jogging out to lower absolute emissions in fifty percent by 2030.”

Emissions intensity refers to the quantity of emissions measured against yet another unit, even though a pledge to lower absolute emissions would involve Financial institution of The usa to cut down the total of emissions it is sending into the environment around time.

“By utilizing carbon intensity metrics, Lender of America has set up a predicament wherever its over-all greenhouse gasoline emissions could keep on to increase until eventually 2030 and it would however be ready to claim that it has satisfied its climate aims,” explained Alec Connon, co-director of the Cease the Funds Pipeline Coalition.

The bank introduced its pledge a lot less than two weeks just after the Intergovernmental Panel on Weather Transform (IPCC) produced its hottest report on the local weather crisis, reiterating previously warnings that the continued extraction of fossil fuels—for which Financial institution of The us has offered at least $232 billion in financing given that 2016—will place the Paris climate agreement’s objective of limiting international heating to 1.5°C out of get to.

“In present day announcement, Lender of America touts its ‘history of weather leadership’—and then unveils 2030 emissions targets which are intensity-only, absolutely compatible with increases in complete emissions and significant expansion of fossil fuels, in particular expanded extraction of fossil gas,” explained Jason Opeña Disterhoft, senior weather and energy campaigner for Rainforest Motion Network.

“Bank of America’s depth-only targets, which lag properly behind U.S. and international greatest apply, put it firmly on the aspect of climate delay, when time is immediately functioning out to cut absolute emissions in half by 2030,” he additional.

Lender of The usa will facial area a vote at its shareholder meeting on April 26, with some of its investors contacting on the financial institution to commit to insurance policies making sure its lending and underwriting do not support fossil fuel jobs.

Connon expressed hope that the bank’s investors will “choose be aware of this duplicity and vote in favor of crucial local climate resolutions.”

“Like far too numerous of its friends, Bank of The usa is hoping to move off imprecise pledges and accounting tricks as serious local weather action,” reported Sierra Club Fossil-No cost Finance marketing campaign manager Ben Cushing. “The science is apparent that accomplishing internet-zero financed emissions by 2050 means stopping funding for the enlargement of fossil fuels.”

“Cutting down emissions depth whilst expanding financing for the fossil fuel industry and general financed emissions is utterly insufficient to attain that concentrate on and add to a climate-steady long run,” he additional.