Mark Carney Tells Global Banks They Cannot Ignore Climate Change Dangers

A deeply important article. Our American media has long been in urgent need of giving human caused climate disruption the kind of daily attention that they are giving to the Mueller investigation and report. The refusal of the corporate media to do so makes them complicit in the greatest criminal negligence of all time. Despite the enormity of the great resistance to informing us of the truth about our warming planet and the vitally needed radical changes that are so long overdue, this deadly denial is beginning to increasingly crack, as evidenced in the contents of this article. — Molly

 Financial sector warned it risks losses from extreme weather and its stakes in polluting firms

By Richard Partington

The global financial system faces an existential threat from climate change and must take urgent steps to reform, the governors of the Bank of Englandand France’s central bank have warned, writing in the Guardian.

In an article published in the Guardian on Wednesday aimed at the international financial community, Mark Carney, the Bank’s governor, and François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of the Banque de France, said financial regulators, banks and insurers around the world had to “raise the bar” to avoid catastrophe.

They said: “As financial policymakers and prudential supervisors we cannot ignore the obvious physical risks before our eyes. Climate change is a global problem, which requires global solutions, in which the whole financial sector has a central role to play.”

The warning comes as concern over the impact of climate change and the lack of urgent action is increasing, reflected in the Extinction Rebellion protests and schoolchildren’s strikes across the world.

The heads of two of the world’s most influential central banks urged other financial regulators around the world to carry out climate change stress tests to spot any risks in the system, while also calling for more collaboration between nations on the issue. They warned that a “massive reallocation of capital” was necessary to prevent global warming above the 2°C maximum target set by the Paris climate agreement, with the banking system required to play a pivotal role.

“If some companies and industries fail to adjust to this new world, they will fail to exist,” Carney and De Galhau said.

Climate change poses significant risks to banks and insurers from rising instances of catastrophic weather-related events, such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, which could land them with significant losses.

There are also risks for financial firms as governments accept the need to tackle climate change because banks that have lent to companies reliant on burning fossil fuels run the risk of steep financial losses.

To continue this article, and to view video, please go here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/17/mark-carney-tells-global-banks-they-cannot-ignore-climate-change-dangers?fbclid=IwAR3_z47zYXmPjrs-8MhazasgU9JSgSu_i5BT4p-OqOfm7oKyIelsENU4hyQ