As rain poured on hundreds of people protesting outside the Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC) annual shareholder meeting in April, CEO Dave McKay joked about the bank’s sponsorship of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
“Yes, we’re very excited about bringing Taylor Swift to Canada,” McKay said with a smile. “She will boost our economy and we’re very proud to be her sponsor.”
RBC is Canada’s top fossil fuel financing bank, and one of the worst in the world. According to the most recent Banking on Climate Chaos report, RBC has financed climate chaos to the tune of over US$256 billion USD since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2016.
While most of us are struggling to make ends meet and dealing with climate-fueled disasters like floods and fires, RBC is profiting from making it worse.
RBC’s investments in petrochemical refineries are harming frontline Indigenous communities, including my (Vanessa’s) home of Aamjiwnaang First Nation. This First Nation near Sarnia, Ont.ON, recently faced a state of emergency after chemical plants released dangerously high levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene.
For decades, Aamjiwnaang community members have been plagued by pollution from the refineries that cloud the air and cause generational health impacts, including cancers and reproductive health issues.
RBC is also a major funder of TotalEnergies, the French company behind the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). When completed, EACOP would be the world’s largest heated crude oil pipeline, cutting through Uganda and Tanzania. Already displacing communities, EACOP’s proposed route passes hundreds of rivers and lakes, endangering the drinking water of over 40 million people.
In addition to fossil fuels, RBC invests in weapons manufacturers, holding shares in General Dynamics, an American company building bombs used to devastate Gaza.
Over 15,000 children have been killed by Israel, and over 21,000 children are missing and presumed buried under rubble.
All of these issues are interconnected and illustrate the profound impact that our banks have on climate justice and human rights.
While emissions from Taylor Swift’s private jet get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, RBC’s contribution to climate chaos is way bigger.
Uniting Swifties for Climate Justice
RBC’s sponsorship of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour attracts and distracts us, the same young people who are, and will be, greatly impacted by the climate crisis. That’s why Swifties are uniting to call on Taylor to drop this toxic bank once and for all.
Over 7,000 people have already joined Unite the Swifties for Climate Justice, taking action to hold RBC accountable. Those who join also have a chance to win tickets to the Eras Tour in either Toronto or Vancouver this fall. Two sets of two tickets are being given away by the campaign.
To enter, participants can take actions including signing petitions, joining training calls, and planning or attending art builds. These challenges increase in difficulty as the contest goes on, giving people chances to gain more entries into the draw.
The climate justice movement includes pop artists like Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is one of the biggest celebrities in the world because of her dedicated fan base, the same fans who have real power to make positive change for a better future.
As Swifties, we are using our power to confront RBC’s injustices, and bringing attention to its role in funding the climate crisis and human rights violations from Turtle Island to Palestine.
Art is connected to our environment and makes us human, inspiring us to take on the greater challenge: taking responsibility for creating a better future for us all.
We understand how bleak even our near future looks, and know we cannot move forward without massive changes. Together, we are turning our shared admiration for an artist’s work into actionable advocacy, pushing for a fairer and more just world.
Vanessa Gray is an Anishinaabe Kwe from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, and Horeen Hassan is a member of Decolonial Solidarity – Guelph.
This article appeared in the 2024 Oct/Nov issue.
