Banks fuelled over £123 billion ($150 billion) into companies with “carbon bomb” projects in 2022.
The Guardian revealed the carbon bombs – 425 extraction projects that can each pump more than one gigaton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – together hold enough coal, oil and gas to burn through the rapidly dwindling carbon budget four times over.
At the top of the list is JPMorgan Chase, which financed $141.8bn into companies operating carbon bombs since the Paris Agreement.
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HSBC fuelled $62.1 billion and Barclays $54.4 billion.
In response to the findings, a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said: “We provide financing all across the energy sector: supporting energy security, helping clients accelerate their low-carbon transitions and increasing clean energy financing with a target of $1 trillion for green initiatives by 2030.
“We are taking pragmatic steps to meet our 2030 emission intensity reduction targets in the six sectors that account for the majority of global emissions, while helping the world meet its energy needs securely and affordably.”
A spokesperson for HSBC said: “Supporting the transition to net zero and engaging with clients to help them diversify and decarbonise is a key priority for us. We are working to align our financed emissions to net zero by 2050.”
