Co-ops and mutuals must work together for climate action, says Great Southern Bank CEO Paul Lewis

23 November 2022

Great Southern Bank’s CEO Paul Lewis has reiterated that cooperatives and mutuals must work together to tackle climate change. It follows the launch of the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals’ (BCCM) Declaration of Climate Action in the past week.

“The Declaration of Climate Action is a great initiative, and one Great Southern Bank is very pleased to support. Australians are witnessing first-hand the often-devastating impacts of climate change on their homes, their lives, and their livelihoods. Unless we can reduce emissions and limit global warming, these incidents, and the impact they have on people’s lives and livelihoods will continue to grow. 

We launched our own Climate Action Plan earlier this year, including a commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2040. But tackling the considerable challenges of climate change is something that cannot be achieved alone. Collaboration is key to building scale and creating impact.

There’s such an opportunity for co-ops and mutuals to work together for collective action on climate change because we are motivated by improving the livelihoods of our customers. We acknowledge the important role our industry needs to play in leading climate action. We are already working with our peers to understand the collective role our sector can play in managing climate risk and transitioning to net zero.”

Read the full story Co-ops and mutuals must work together for climate action, says Great Southern Bank CEO Paul Lewis, Eco Voice, 23 November