The Problem: Bank Practices
The Banking on Climate Chaos report found that over the past 7 years, just 4 banks were responsible for 25% of all fossil fuel funding by banks, a massive $5.5 trillion from 60 banks in total. The Dirty Dozen banks were behind 50% of the bankrolling, including Barclays, Europe's top fossil fuel funding bank.
The Guardian reported that just 100 companies - fossil fuel producers and their investors - are responsible for 71% of all global emissions.
The problem is clear: The fossil fuel industry needs money to fuel the climate crisis, and banks are giving it to them. Banks must stop this funding.
Join or Start a Campaign
We're at various stages of building campaigns with students across universities: Send us a message with the form below to join the campaign at your institution or to start a new one, or just to find out more. Don't worry about how much experience you have: We'll provide the training, support, and connections you need to launch your campaign with other students.
Research
Breaking the Bank is actively undertaking research and looking for interested university students and staff to support our work. To find out more, please contact us at breakingthebank@sos-uk.org or fill out the form above. Subjects include the relationships between banks and universities; recruitment mapping; and campaigning tactics.
Survey on student perspectives on careers, banking and finance, and the fossil fuel industry
In Spring 2023, we undertook a survey of 2,728 students with results representative of the UK higher education student population. The survey found that:
- 79% of students say that an important factor in choosing a job to apply for is whether the business/organisation makes a difference to social/environmental issues
- 60% of students who would consider a job in the banking or finance sector wouldn’t take a role in a company that currently funds the fossil fuel industry and plans to continue doing so, while only 16% would still take the role
- 57% of students weren’t confident in their understanding of the link between UK banks and the fossil fuel industry
These results mean that the majority of students want jobs in companies that make a positive difference to environmental and social issues, and don’t want to work for companies that fund fossil fuels. Students are unaware that they’re being recruited for jobs they don’t want, by the fossil fuel industry’s biggest funders: banks.
Breaking the Bank is educating students to bridge the gap between their need for careers that align with their values and the lack of knowledge of fossil fuel funding, and empowering students through campaigning to effect real change on the issues they care about. We provide training, support, and funding for students to run their own campaigns locally.
To join a campaign at your university or to find out more, contact us at breakingthebank@sos-uk.org or fill out the form above.
Full survey results are available on the SOS-UK site: as an article here and a
PDF download here.