Commonwealth Bank sued in bid to reveal carbon pollution it finances
by The Daily Eye Team October 18 2014, 1:38 pm Estimated Reading Time: 0 mins, 51 secsAustralasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility launches proceedings after failing to force bank to put the issue up for shareholder vote A court case has been launched against the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) after it rejected a shareholder request for it to reveal the level of greenhouse gas emissions it finances. Activist group the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), which is a minor shareholder in the CBA, banded together with more than 100 other shareholders to ask the bank to report on the amount of carbon pollution it finances.
The resolution also called on the bank to outline its exposure to ?unburnable carbon?, referring to fossil fuel projects that are unlikely to go ahead due to economic trends and global action to mitigate climate change. ACCR lodged a case in the federal court on Tuesday challenging the CBA?s refusal to put the resolution to shareholders at its upcoming annual general meeting. If it were put to shareholders, the resolution would require a simple majority to pass.