Climate activists rally against RBC in Kingston, Ont. – Kingston | 24CA News

Climate and indigenous rights activists from numerous teams gathered Saturday in Kingston to protest a serious financial institution funding fossil fuels.

It’s the second time in simply 12 days that the sidewalk in entrance of the Royal Bank of Canada department in downtown Kingston has been taken over by local weather and indigenous rights activists who mentioned they’re fed up with the financial institution’s investments in fossil fuels, together with the Coastal Gaslink pipeline being constructed on Wet’suwet’en land in northern B.C.

“The Royal Bank of Canada is the biggest bank in Canada, and is also the biggest funder, underwriter, of fossil fuel investments in Canada,” mentioned Jamie Swift, a member of the Seniors Climate Action Network, or SCAN.

Members of SCAN in addition to members of the youthful group, Queen’s Backing Action on the Climate Crisis, partnered for the trigger, which Siena Margorian mentioned weighs closely on their future.

“The people in power now who are older than us are taking actions that are going to affect us, our livelihoods, the lives of our children and our grandchildren, but they won’t be around to see the consequences of it,” mentioned Margorian, who’s co-president of the Queen’s group.

The group marched up and down on the sidewalk in entrance of the financial institution, chanting for the funding of fossil fuels to finish.

Similar demonstrations passed off in quite a few cities throughout the nation Saturday together with all the way in which in B.C.

A senior, Swift mentioned he has his granddaughter in thoughts as he marches.

“When Nora reaches my age, 71, this century will be coming to a close and and all the frightening signs are that our world may well not even be inhabitable,” he mentioned.

Many members of each teams, together with Swift and Margorian, mentioned they’ve divested cash they’d invested in RBC and closed their financial institution accounts with the establishment to ship a sign, they usually hope that others will comply with go well with.

“It’s kind of an action that, for the rest of my life, I’m no longer banking with RBC and that younger people are making actions that they’re not investing their money in companies like this, based on their actions,” she added.

“The goal for today is to keep up the spirit and build momentum for divestment from RBC and other banks that back climate breakdown,” mentioned Swift.

In a press release to Global News, RBC mentioned that they’re taking deliberate motion in opposition to local weather change, together with a purpose of attaining net-zero emissions by 2050.

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