Barclays is one of the fifteen banking groups named as having played the most significant role in financing the tar sands in the publication ‘BP and Shell: Rising Risks in Tar Sands Investments’, published by Greenpeace and Platform. This company has its head office in London.

Take action: Contact Barclays

Sample letter and contact details

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to state my opposition to your company's financing of the extraction of unconventional oil reserves in the Alberta region of Canada.

The levels of carbon dioxide that will be released into the atmosphere as a result of exploiting this reserve will hasten the onset of climate change and is likely to push it beyond a catastrophic 'tipping point', after which we will experience irreversible changes to the climate and a new global mass extinction event.

This is made possible by the capital investment that you provide.

The oil companies that you invest in have been unable to prove the viability of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, and yet this is touted to be the 'magic bullet' that will allow us all to escape the disaster resulting from the development of the Canadian oil sands.

Not only is the pursuit of these reserves environmentally disastrous, it is also economically extremely risky. In the coming years we can expect more regulation of carbon intensive activities, we cannot count on the high price of oil, and there is no guarantee that the infrastructure or inputs will be available to provide the extremely capital intensive requirements of the tar sands in Alberta.  Therefore it is irresponsible, to say the least, to continue to provide the funds for these developments.

I urge you to consider very deeply the implications of actions, in the hope that your company is able to see beyond short term profits and recognise your responsibility to future generations.  In the meantime, I will not be purchasing any services from your company.

Yours faithfully,

Contact details

Email:  sustainability@barclays.com

Address:

Barclays plc,
1 Churchill Place,
London,
E14 5HP,
United Kingdom. 

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7116 1000

Please forward a copy of the email or letter you send and any responses you receive to us at:
campaigns[at]ethicalconsumer.org
or
Unit 21, 41 Old Birley Street, Manchester, M15 5RF.