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Campaign seeks anti-coalmine accord

A UK student campaign with branches at 50 UK universities is seeking an agreement from Stephen Catlin at Convex Insurance – a global insurer with a major presence in Bermuda – to pull away from insuring a controversial Australian coalmine.

But Convex officials told The Royal Gazette Wednesday that the letter, purportedly sent by e-mail earlier had not arrived at their offices.

People & Planet are running a campaign, 'Fossil Free Careers', which targets the recruitment pipeline of companies they say are destroying the environment.

In their letter to Mr Catlin, People & Planet co-director: Climate Justice, J Clarke, stated: “People & Planet is part of a worldwide network of student campaigning organisations that are placing increased scrutiny on the career pathways available to students and graduates.

“Fossil Free Careers is a UK-wide student campaign focusing on bringing (an) end to recruitment relationships between universities and the oil, gas, and mining industries.

“Graduates are increasingly turning away from jobs linked to fossil fuel companies, particularly coal, and understand that careers that perpetuate extractive industries have no future.

“The student body is becoming more and more engaged with environmental issues, particularly as a whole generation of school strikers move into universities.

“On many campuses, students are taking matters into their own hands, chasing companies out of university careers fairs, disrupting their recruitment pipeline and getting them permanently excluded from student and graduate talent acquisition opportunities.

“The Adani Carmichael coalmine in Australia would be an immense driver of the climate crisis, with emissions that will exceed the UK's own territorial emissions.

“43 major insurance companies have now rightly ruled out providing insurance to the climate-destroying and socially unjust Adani mine.

“We are writing to clarify with you, for the purposes of our campaign and its targets, where Convex stands on this project: Has Convex ruled out insuring the Adani mine and its associated infrastructure, and if yes, will you make this decision public?

“We appreciate your transparency on this crucial issue, and look forward to hearing from you.”

But after all that, officials speaking for Convex and Mr Catlin said that no one had yet found any evidence of the communications in their offices.

Meanwhile, Adam McGibbon, the UK campaign lead in another pressure group, Market Forces, said the latest interest in Convex comes at a time when the insurance industry is running into potential future recruitment challenges, as a survey shows insurance professionals are deeply concerned about climate and want their companies to do something about it.

Market Forces mounted publicity campaigns in London and Bermuda against Convex and Mr Catlin late last year, also trying to separate the insurer from the Australian coalmine.

Carrier Management photo, as it reported on a survey of insurance employees and risk management students concerned about climate change

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Published January 13, 2022 at 7:57 am (Updated January 13, 2022 at 7:49 am)

Campaign seeks anti-coalmine accord

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