It was a busy Friday for Brynn O'Brien three weeks ago. The former commercial and human rights lawyer left her office in Sydney's Surry Hills just before noon and headed into the CBD to join 80,000 school children and other protesters to strike against climate inaction.
And while it’s far from certain the activists' demands will be met, it is clear corporate boards and executives can no longer afford to ignore them. For evidence, look no further than the fact O'Brien's call with BHP's Mackenzie took place. BHP's approach of reviewing' their memberships and staying 'inside the tent' over the past few years has catastrophically failed.It calls for the company to suspend its membership of groups including the Minerals Council of Australia and the Business Council of Australia due to their advocacy for issues such as subsidies for coal-fired power stations in Australia and the development of a new thermal coal basin.
But as one of the most influential companies in the nation, the way it chooses to spend shareholders' money on policy advocacy is closely scrutinised We basically are just part of a movement – we are trying to do our bit knowing we need all sorts of action at once.A similar resolution to BHP's was put to Origin last year and gained a staggering 46 per cent of investor support – the largest-ever vote for a resolution without the support of the board. The energy company avoided a similar resolution this year after announcing a review that had found inconsistencies on some climate policy issues.
"These resolutions, we prepare them and write them up in the hope we don't have to lodge them," says Market Forces director Julien Vincent, adding that private dialogue with company leaders is where they can often achieve their biggest concessions. "But they have been extremely effective." Vincent, once a Greenpeace organiser, is no stranger to on-the-ground campaigning. He and his colleagues attended last month's climate strike in Melbourne's Treasury Gardens, which drew a crowd of more than 100,000.
NickToscano1 Climate Change is a hoax. Regarding propaganda: Keep tabs of corporations, entities & Individuals that continually perpetuate this treacherous scam.
NickToscano1 They're terrorists. Not activists.
NickToscano1 Well I hope they don’t have shares in these companies. Hate see them benefit from super funds.
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