America's Biggest Banks Fund Fossil Fuel Projects - How To Fight Back
Has your recent awareness or experience with climate change increased your desire to fight back and prevent irreversible damage to the planet and living things? If you’ve done your research, you know there is no shortage of ways to advocate for the environment. You can reduce paper, plastic, energy, and water consumption, invest in eco-friendly products, and spread awareness. As more people follow suit, collaborative efforts can help create a brighter future.
While these are all impactful and necessary actions, you can’t underestimate the power of your money. Continue reading to learn more.
Banks And Your Money
You may have a few bucks tucked away under your mattress, in the freezer, in a safe, or buried in a hole in your yard for safekeeping. However, most of your money is in the bank. Banks offer a practical and safe solution to store your cash. You receive interest as a reward for keeping your money in a bank. As a customer, you can also access financial services ranging from mobile check deposits and online bill pay to loans and credit cards.
Although banks provide a variety of advantages, consumers don’t realize how their money could be helping to exacerbate climate change. Major banks use your money to invest in fossil fuel businesses and projects.
COPYRIGHT_WI: Published on https://washingtonindependent.com/america-s/biggest-banks-fund-fossil-fuel-projects/ by Alberto Thompson on 2022-08-24T09:31:11.960Z
Why Does This Matter?
What’s the big deal? Although it doesn’t seem concerning, understanding how fossil fuels impact the environment can provide a different perspective.
The fossil fuel industry is responsible for drilling, mining, and burning coal, oil, and gas. The process releases greenhouse gases and increases the earth’s temperature. The hotter the planet gets, the more we’ll experience extreme weather, droughts, floods, and more.
What Can You Do?
If you care about the environment and its inhabitants, you can’t feel good about knowingly investing your money with banks that cause more harm than good. Fortunately, there are ways you can make a difference, advocate, fight back, and demand banks stop investing in fossil fuels. Continue reading for suggestions.
Learn Where Your Money Is Going
The first step is to learn where your money is going. Research your bank to learn more about their investments. The internet can provide a wealth of information on your bank and what it does to make money.
Switch To An Ethical Bank
If you discover that your bank invests in fossil fuels and they’re not willing to make changes, you should switch banks. Believe it or not, several financial institutions believe in ethical banking. They invest in environmentally-friendly businesses and practice sustainability within their organization to provide greener solutions to their customers while helping the planet.
Join Advocacy Groups
There is power in numbers; you’re not the only one concerned about banks and their fossil fuel investments. Join the cause by supporting advocacy groups and signing petitions to get the world’s largest banks to take action.
Share Your Knowledge And Actions With Others
Your efforts to protect the environment shouldn’t stop at switching banks and joining advocacy groups. You should also share your knowledge and actions with others. Talk to your friends and family, share posts on social media, and use other platforms to spread awareness. The more people who know about the issue and take action, the more likely these major corporations will change.
You may enjoy and use modern conveniences like banking in your everyday life, but the environmental impact is too significant to ignore. Don’t remain complacent and ultimately part of the problem. Find out where you’re money is going, and get in the fight to demand change for the sake of the planet, animals, and humanity.
About The Authors
Alberto Thompson - I live in Vancouver, Canada, and work as a web developer and graphic designer. Back end programming (PHP, Django/Python, Ruby on Rails) to front end engineering (HTML, CSS, and jQuery/Javascript), digital usability, user interface, and graphic design are all areas of web development where I spend my days. I'm a huge fan of web creation and design in all of its forms, as well as assisting small businesses and artisans with their online presence.
