Asset managers pulling strings and burning our future

Coal is a dirty word and let’s make no mistake, this polluting industry is taking its last gasps.Over recent years, big banks and super funds – or pensions as they are known around the world – have been ending financial support for coal. But some – like Australia's biggest super fund AustralianSuper – have been going against this trend and propping up companies building new coal mines.In this podcast, Brett Morgan, Investor Campaigns Manager at Market Forces and Maggie McKeown, Queensland Coordinator at Lock The gate join us to delve into the depths of coal mining and help us understand why it still has financial backing.How is it that new coal mines are being opened, flying in the face of climate science that says: there can be no more expansion of fossil fuels to keep us safe and with a liveable climate.Send us Fan Mail

Gas is often sold to us as essential for our energy security, jobs and economy.But with much of our gas exported overseas, questions around tax and energy prices, and big new projects steaming ahead, like Beetaloo Basin fracking, Papua LNG and Browse off Scott Reef in Western Australia, there’s a much bigger story.What are we being told about gas, what’s being left out, and what are the consequences for communities, water and our climate?Today, we are joined by Market Forces Corporate campaigner Angelica Mantikas to find out.Send us Fan Mail

Money talks – and when it comes to the climate crisis, where that money flows matters.Joining us today on Climate Biz Matters, is Will van de Pol, Chief Executive at Market Forces. Thanks for joining Will.For over 10 years, Will has been trying to talk sense into some of the world’s biggest asset managers, like Blackrock, Vanguard and others that collectively control hundreds of trillions of dollars in wealth. That’s right hundreds of trillions of dollars.Managing more than $15 trillion, BlackRock controls an investment pool larger than the entire annual economic output of any nation on Earth, other than the United States and China.Will joins us to unpack the power of finance, the people controlling the money, and why they’re still investing in new fossil fuels making climate change worse and adding to the dangers we’re seeing in our lives and on our TV screens every day, from scorching heatwaves to devastating floods and wildfires.Send us Fan Mail

Did you know there’s a good chance your superannuation fund – or pension fund as they're known in most countries worldwide – is investing your retirement savings in companies building harmful coal, oil, or gas projects?We’re taking a closer look at Australia’s superannuation industry, the billions invested in fossil fuels, and what happens when tens of thousands of members raise concerns. Some have even had lawyers on the case.We’re joined by Market Forces Investor Campaigns Manager, Brett Morgan and AustralianSuper member Winnie Fu, who has voiced her concerns about how her fund has reinvested in Whitehaven Coal – while still claiming commitment to global climate goals.Send us Fan Mail

Australia’s biggest bank Commonwealth Bank has gone from worst to first of the big four in cutting funding to coal, oil and gas.Macquarie has become one of the country’s biggest fossil fuel funders rather than aligning with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.In this episode of Climate Biz Matters we speak to Kyle Robertdson who’s the Research Director at Market Forces and Morgan Pickett, Market Forces’ Policy Analyst, who’ve both been at the forefront of efforts to have Australia’s biggest banks listen to customers, climate scientists and experts - and then take action.We examine how positive change has been made possible and how we, as bank customers, can influence our financial institutions to do better for the climate. Send us Fan Mail