“No one expects their savings to be used, even indirectly, to finance environmental destruction, human rights abuses, or harm to children.”

These are the words of Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, in an open letter to HSBC that has been signed by Operation Noah.

The letter supports an unprecedented action taken by the Methodist Churches of Colombia, Great Britain and Ireland, alongside CEPALC (the Ecumenical Centre for Communication in Latin America), who this month submitted a formal legal complaint to the OECD against HSBC.

Click here to add your name to the Open Letter by 10 July

The complaint raises concerns about the banking giant’s role in financing activities linked to environmental damage, the displacement of communities, water scarcity, and serious health impacts associated with the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia.

HSBC finances environmental harm in Columbia

HSBC has financed Glencore, the multinational mining company that owns the Cerrejón mine – the largest open pit coal mine in Latin America – for many years. Despite longstanding concerns raised by affected communities, faith groups and human rights advocates about environmental, health and human rights harms linked to the mine, Glencore has failed to address these issues. HSBC, meanwhile, has not meaningfully engaged with concerns about its financing relationship with the company.

The Methodist Church is taking legal action 

Now, the Methodist Churches – customers of HSBC through their investment manager, Epworth – are taking legal action. Their complaint argues that HSBC has failed to meet the standards set out in the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct.

In response, the World Council of Churches is inviting Christians around the world to add their names to an open letter urging HSBC to:

• Respond in good faith to the concerns raised by the Methodist Churches;
• Commit to ending financing for new and existing thermal coal mining operations; and
• Engage with affected communities in the La Guajira region to ensure fair remediation for harms already caused.

The letter highlights the experiences of communities in La Guajira, where mining activities have been linked to displacement, water insecurity and health impacts. It also points to the wider consequences of thermal coal extraction, which continues to fuel the climate crisis and disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, especially children and future generations.

As the World Council of Churches states, Christians should “apply scrutiny to the actions of their banks, seek clarity on how their money is being used, and ensure their assets are not invested in ways that harm children, human rights, and the ecosystems that sustain them.”

This is a responsibility that extends to all of us.

Is your money financing fossil fuels?

That is why Operation Noah helped found the Big Bank Switch campaign. If you bank with HSBC – or any high street bank that continues to finance fossil fuel expansion and environmental harm in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities – we encourage you to move your money to a fossil-free alternative.

Join the Big Bank Switch movement today

Banks will only change when customers consistently make it clear that financing environmental destruction and climate harm is unacceptable. By speaking out, signing the open letter, and moving your money, you can help build the pressure needed for meaningful change to protect our shared home.

Photo credit: Holly Jones, London Mining Network