Climate change protestors in Shrewsbury target role of insurance industry

Shrewsbury Extinction Rebellion members rallied outside of the offices of Howden Insurance in the county town on Saturday as part of a major national campaign.

Thousands of people supporting XR’s Insure Our Survival campaign staged high-profile protests and actions in the City of London from Monday to Wednesday calling upon insurers to stop insuring all new oil, gas and coal projects.

The action shifted to insurance HQ’s in Manchester and Birmingham on Thursday and Friday before moving down to towns and cities across the UK on Saturday.

Extinction Rebellion UK has issued an 'ultimatum' to insurance industry bosses to withdraw from new fossil fuel projects or face regular protests.

Ten local XR members gathered outside the branch, with placards, leaflets and letters for the public to sign.

Linda Bromilow, a retail worker and mother of thee from Shrewsbury, said: “We’re demanding that Howden - and the entire insurance industry immediately stop insuring all new oil, gas and coal projects - and we’ll keep coming back until they do.”

Sal Mager, who works for Shropshire Archives, added: “In Shropshire, we’re well aware of the devastating impact that flooding has on local residents, businesses and communities. After seeing the terrifying images of torrential floods in Valencia this week, I’m alarmed at what the future might hold for us if we don’t all urgently pull together to tackle the climate emergency. Insurance companies and their staff have a key role to play in this mission.”

Naomi Yates, who works in a local care home, explained: “Insurance is the weak spot that could stop the fossil fuel industry from digging and drilling for more and more of the oil, gas and coal which is accelerating the climate crisis, and which in turn is flooding our homes, destroying our food supply and threatening to kill billions in our lifetimes. Without insurance, the fossil fuel crooks will have to stop their planet-wrecking operations because they can’t afford the financial costs if something goes wrong.”

Chrissy Bridge, a retired science teacher from Shrewsbury, added: “Insurance workers have a unique opportunity to be climate heroes and to use their influence within their company to work for positive change, including cutting ties with the fossil fuel industry.”

Jo Blackman, an adult education tutor from Berrington, Shropshire, added: “We know the insurance industry is listening. So we say: dump all new oil, gas and coal now - or we’ll be back.”

A spokesperson for Howden said: “We were aware of the protest action targeting a number of UK insurance companies last week, and took steps to ensure the security of our premises and the safety of our employees and visitors.

“Howden is committed to playing an active role in the transition to net zero, and we believe that we can have more impact by working with clients to accelerate their decarbonisation than by disengaging from them. We have invested significantly in developing the solutions and driving the change needed for our industry to play its crucial role in derisking both the continued development of alternative energy sources and the decarbonisation of existing.”

A spokesperson for the ABI, the voice of the UK’s world-leading insurance and long-term savings industry, was not able to comment on the specifics.

But the spokesperson says the industry has a Climate Change Roadmap which it says shows the work insurers are doing to combat climate change.

It says the sector is sector is committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050 and to the global target of a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.

It adds that the industry has a 'key role in providing the scaled investment capacity that will be needed to phase out carbon-intensive activities and replace them with sustainable and renewable innovations.'