EXTINCTION Rebellion campaigners have staged a protest outside a York bank over its links to Drax Power Station, which they branded 'the world’s largest tree-burning power station.'

They tied banners to railings outside Barclays Bank in Parliament Street, proclaiming messages such as: "Axe Drax. Stop funding burning trees," and held others with messages such as: "Barclays - stop making money by funding climate chaos."

They claimed the power station near Selby 'decimates' forests across the world, while 'claiming it is a renewable energy company because trees can be replanted.'

They said trees took years and years to regrow, and provided a vital habitat for wildlife while combatting climate change by naturally capturing carbon. 

"By cutting down these life-giving organisms, Drax and their benefactor Barclays are driving climate breakdown," said a spokesperson, Adam.

He said Barclays had given Drax a £500m bond and a £300m corporate loan, and had since increased its funding to the power company. 

“Barclays is making money by bankrolling Drax. Drax burns trees, literally fuelling the destruction of ecosystems, creating pollution where marginalised communities live, and adding to the climate crisis," he said.

Another protester, Chris, said that high up in Barclays investment portfolio was the funding of fossil fuel extraction and deforestation, while the bank was trying to 'sedate' people with 'green washing advertising campaigns.”

A Drax spokesperson slammed this afternoon's protest, saying: “While everyone has the right to peaceful protest, disrupting local businesses is clearly unacceptable behaviour. 

"Drax’s sustainable biomass supports around 6,000 jobs in the North and provides enough renewable power to keep the lights on for four million homes, strengthening the UK’s energy security and lessening our reliance on fossil fuels. 

"The world’s leading climate scientists at the UN’s IPCC say biomass is needed to achieve global climate targets and over the last decade Drax has reduced its carbon emissions by almost 100% using sustainable biomass.”

A Barclays spokesperson said it was determined to play its part in addressing the 'urgent and complex' challenge of climate change. 

"In March 2020, we were one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, across all of our direct and indirect emissions, and we committed to align all of our financing activities with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement," they said.

"We have a three-part strategy to turn that ambition into action: achieving net zero operations, reducing our financed emissions, and financing the transition. 

"In practice, this means we have set 2030 targets to reduce our financed emissions in four of the highest emitting sectors in our financing portfolio, with additional 2025 targets for the two highest-emitting sectors – energy and power.

"We have also provided over £60bn of green financing and we are investing our own capital – £175m – into innovative, green start-ups.”