People & Planet took UK Government to court over carbon-intensive investments such as tar sands.

We took the government to court over RBS’s carbon-intensive investments such as tar sands. The majority of RBS was then owned by the public and we argued that the government should be using its shareholding to invest in a low-carbon future not dirty fossil fuels. The High Court ruled that the Treasury can ignore climate change and human rights but the fight was not over and we continued to work towards our sustainable vision in our Ditch Dirty Development campaigning that followed.

A High Court judge blocked a request for permission to hold a Judicial Review over the Treasury’s lack of adequate environmental and human rights consideration of Royal Bank of Scotland’s investments.

“We’re incredibly disappointed with the court’s decision not to allow a full hearing on this important case and will be appealing the judgement. Essentially, the judgement means that RBS’ profits come before the climate and human rights of people.This is particularly hard to swallow after Gordon Brown’s soaring rhetoric on climate change yesterday. We’re incredibly angry to see that just one day later the Treasury outrageously argued that for a director of business to take environmental concerns into account would be a ‘burden’ and ‘handicapping’. Yet, this is precisely the kind of positive action that the government should be promotoing, if we are to believe one word of Gordon Brown’s speech yesterday.