Paul Oosting MR, Pictures
Financial institutions must understand that if they fund socially and environmentally irresponsible project activities like Gunns pulp mill or logging in PNG, they will bear the brunt of community outrage and opposition.
Wellington, NZ
MEDIA RELEASE 19th November 2007
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON PULP MILL TARGETS ANZ
Customers and the public informed of ANZ’s involvement in destruction of forests in Tasmania and Papua New Guinea
Just two days after the massive Hobart rally and launch of the Community Pulp Mill Pledge, the ANZ bank has again been the focus of community attention over their support for destructive logging in Tasmania and Papua New Guinea and consideration of funding the Tamar valley pulp mill. The international day of action was held at over 25 branches across Australia and in Japan, New Zealand and Britain.
“Because governments have let the public down people are taking the pulp mill battle to the corporate sector, starting with the ANZ bank,” said Mr Paul Oosting pulp mill campaigner for The Wilderness Society.
The Pulp Mill Pledge, where the public sign on to pledge their support to continue peaceful protest against the Tamar Valley pulp mill, includes a statement that signatories ‘will not invest in banks or other financial institutions that fund the pulp mill or other forest destruction.’
“The public and ANZ customers do not want to see their money being used to fund the destruction of the world’s precious forests,” said Paul Oosting, pulp mill campaigner for The Wilderness Society.
“The community campaign to stop financial institutions investing in Gunns’ proposed pulp mill and forest destruction went global today,”
“The majority of Tasmanians and Australians are opposed to Gunns’ pulp mill as it threatens the environment and future of Tasmanian families’”
“Just the logging needed to feed the mill would generate massive levels of greenhouse gasses conservatively estimated to be equivalent to adding an extra 2.3 million cars on the road each year.”
A number of recent reports including the Stern review highlight the importance and urgency of protecting native forests to combat climate change.
“This pulp mill would lock in the destruction of valuable carbon rich forests and be climate-change disaster.”
“Financial institutions must understand that if they fund socially and environmentally irresponsible project activities like Gunns pulp mill or logging in PNG, they will bear the brunt of community outrage and opposition,” concluded Mr Oosting.
