Campaigners visited the HSBC branch in Weymouth to protest against the bank financing fossil fuels.

Members of St Aldhelm’s and St Ann’s Churches were out in full force as part of a national action by Christian Aid. The charity encouraged campaigners to visit the bank’s branches across the country during Lent to make sure that is in keeping with the Paris Agreement’s target of keeping the global warming rise within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures.

The campaigners delivered a letter to the branch staff to forward to the CEO of HSBC, John Flint, urging the bank to invest in clean energy and help protect the world.

Christian Aid Regional Coordinator for Dorset, Fiona Daborn, who has an office at St Aldhlem’s church said: “Christian Aid’s Lent and Easter appeal is called Rise Up, and as the waters rise around the world we have to rise up, and speak for all those people whose livelihoods are being destroyed by climate change.“Leading scientists and the intergovernmental panel on climate change tell us we have 12 years to stop catastrophic climate change. We have to do everything we can to make sure that those financing dirty fossil fuels are held to account.

“HSBC has agreed to invest $100 billion in tackling climate change by 2025. This is

fantastic. But it’s still investing in fossil fuels, which are fuelling climate change. We want HSBC to use its position as a major bank to lead the way. “Staff at the bank were happy to listen to the group and agreed to pass the letter on. Change happens when people come together and it’s great to know that we’re part of a national movement with others in Dorset and around the country.”

A HSBC UK spokesman said: “HSBC is committed to helping our customers make the transition to a low-carbon economy in a responsible and sustainable way. HSBC has stopped financing new coal-fired power in all countries around the world apart from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. A targeted and time-limited exception applies to these three countries until 2023 in order to appropriately balance local humanitarian needs with the need to transition to a low-carbon economy, but only if independent analysis confirms that there is no reasonable alternative to coal and any new plant complies with the highest efficiency standards. Since the release of the new energy policy in April 2018 until the end of 2018, HSBC financed no new coal-fired power plants.”