Employees arriving for work at Aviva last Wednesday were met with a cheery group of Extinction Rebellion activists challenging them to become climate heroes.

They were handed leaflets explaining how their business could stop oil gas and coal companies from burning down the planet by refusing to insure them.

Heather, from Extinction Rebellion, explained:

"Insurance is the weak spot that could stop the fossil fuel industry from exploiting more oil, gas and coal, driving the accelerating climate crisis. Without insurance, the fossil fuel industry would have to stop its planet-wrecking operations because it wouldn't be able to afford the financial costs if something went wrong. By effectively insuring the climate emergency, the insurance industry is helping to create the extreme weather that floods and overheats homes, workplaces and schools, threatens our food supply and is likely to lead to conflict and more places becoming uninhabitable. It also causes increasing disruption to nature."

Extinction Rebellion outside Aviva, Pear Street, Sheffield.

placeholder image — Extinction Rebellion outside Aviva, Pear Street, Sheffield.

Sean, who held a placard saying “Help. This is an urgent Nature and Climate Emergency”, said, "The insurance industry could be climate heroes and use their ‘superpower’ to shut down the fossil fuel industry and help save our entire civilisation, and the biosphere that we rely on for life. We’re here at Aviva today because they are insuring fossil fuel projects that are destroying all of our futures. We are pleased that Aviva has agreed to stop insuring new fossil fuel projects, but demand that they stop insuring oil, gas and coal projects."

The campaigners also visited AON on Napier Street, an insurance broker. Letters were sent to both companies.

XR’s Insure Our Survival campaign has already made the insurance industry sit up, take notice and act. In February and October last year thousands of XR activists, acting alongside a global campaign coalition called Insure Our Future, staged a week-long series of actions across the world. Sheffield XR supported the lobby of the British Insurance and Brokers Association Conference in Manchester last May.

After repeated mass visits to the offices of insurers in the City of London and in towns and cities across the UK, giant global insurer Zurich announced that it would no longer insure new oil and gas projects.