BHP Billiton Marapikurrinya Park. Photo by Michael Theis [CC BY-ND 2.0].Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton on Tuesday urged shareholders to vote down a resolution which says BHP should quit industry groups who disagree with the firm on climate change and energy policy. The resolution, which was submitted by ethical investing group the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), would pull BHP out of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), Australia’s top mining industry association.
BHP has advocated for action on climate change and called for a price on carbon. Meanwhile, MCA was active in opposing Australia’s carbon price, and has pushed the government to support new coal-fired power plants.
The company has stated that approving the resolution in its entirety would not be in BHP’s best interests, however. Instead, it is planning to review all of its memberships and identify any significant differences on key issues by December, according to a statement posted to the company’s website on Tuesday.
“We believe that by working within associations, we can, with other like-minded members, seek to exert a positive influence on the industry as a whole,” BHP said.
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