What a year it has been for us at the Go Clean ICBC coalition!
2022 was still tough for a lot of us in many ways, but there were also moments to celebrate. In particular, moments where our international climate movement showed up in solidarity and dedication to support our struggle to make the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) go clean.
Here are two of my favourite moments I want to share with everyone.
Back in April, our friends in Türkiye gracefully crashed one of the most famous festivals in the country. They took the chance to encourage more people to support the 113,000-strong campaign against ICBC for clean air in Adana.
What’s a sea turtle got to do with the Orange Blossom Festival in Turkey, and a Chinese bank, ICBC? 😉
Learn more here: https://t.co/bYn1OSsWwv#GoCleanICBC pic.twitter.com/t4Wp8i7hh0
— Go Clean ICBC (@GoCleanICBC) April 7, 2022
In June, we stood up to ICBC during their shareholders’ meeting. We didn’t expect many to join in demanding ICBC to stop financing coal in Asia and the crude oil pipeline in Africa, yet people from all over the world – from Australia to Japan, South Africa to the United States – participated in different ways they could.
PEOPLE PWR! ✊🔥 During ICBC’s annual shareholders meeting, 🌍 global actions surrounded ICBC demanding real climate leadership – #StopEACOP, scrap all fossil fuel projects, & start funding a renewable energy future for all. No time to waste–#GoCleanICBC! https://t.co/gYQndl7hf3 pic.twitter.com/74Rty0xh7k
— 350 dot org (@350) June 30, 2022
Every milestone we achieved this year is our supporters’ milestone and victory, too – because this coalition is powered by people. From the brilliant research our partners did to expose banks funding the coal industry, to the public actions volunteers and supporters pulled off to put pressure on ICBC – we couldn’t have done all of this without the passionate people continuously supporting this work.
Change takes a long time, but it does happen. We know it’s still a long way to go to make ICBC – the world’s largest bank – fully drop financing fossil fuels, but we will get there. Remember, each of us who works for change is part of the mosaic of all who work for justice; together we can accomplish multitudes.
Next year, we’re putting more pressure on ICBC – we believe they can set up a more ambitious target for their renewable energy investments and develop a transition roadmap towards real net-zero climate action. If you want to be one of the first to know about the actions we’re brewing, sign up to support the campaign if you haven’t already.
In this critical decade of human history, we must strive for a massive impact in 2023 and beyond.