Posts by Elizabeth Bast

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  World Bank Fossil Fuel Lending Increases in Last Year

  Elizabeth Bast, October 8, 2013
  In spite of a heightened institutional focus on combating climate change, the World Bank increased its lending for fossil fuels over the last year. Meanwhile, the World Bank also has a ways to go in terms of tackling its objective of supporting universal access to energy, as only 8 percent of the Bank’s energy portfolio last year targeted the world’s poorest.

• World Bank Group Increases Lending for Fossil Fuels and Large Hydro

  Elizabeth Bast, October 8, 2013
  The World Bank Group (WBG) increased financing for both fossil fuels and large hydropower significantly this past year, while financing for clean energy dropped. Overall, only 8 percent of the Bank’s energy financing last year was aimed specifically at the poor.
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  Electrifying Africa – But at What Cost to Africans?

  Elizabeth Bast, September 16, 2013
  Two U.S. initiatives to provide Africans with electricity seem likely to lead to large, climate-polluting projects rather than the locally sourced renewable energy rural Africa needs.
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  U.S. Export-Import Bank Rejects Dirty Coal Plant

  Elizabeth Bast, July 18, 2013
  Today, in the first major test of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan directive to end financing for overseas coal projects, the U.S. Export Import rejected the financing of U.S. exports to the 1200-megawatt Thai Binh Two coal-fired power plant in Vietnam.
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  World Bank Shies Away from Coal But Embraces Natural Gas

  Elizabeth Bast, July 17, 2013
  Yesterday, the World Bank’s Executive Directors agreed to a new ‘Energy Sector Directions Paper’ which lays out the expected course for the Bank’s future energy lending. While there are some encouraging indications that the Bank will move away from coal financing, the increased emphasis on natural gas and large hydropower is likely to undermine the strategy’s stated objective of increasing energy access for the poor.

• 59 Groups Pressure World Bank to Clean Up Energy Lending

  Elizabeth Bast, April 3, 2013
  Development, faith, human rights, community, and environmental groups from more than 20 countries teamed up today to ask World Bank President Jim Kim to end Bank support for all fossil fuel projects unless the projects are solely focused on directly increasing energy access for the poor.
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  Donate to Oil Change International!

  Elizabeth Bast, December 21, 2012
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  West Africa oil boom overlooks tattered environmental safety net

  Elizabeth Bast, January 20, 2012
  This is a cross-post from the Center for Public Integrity. Original article available here.  Oil industry regulation lags behind as Ghana ramps up production By Christiane Badgley, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists On November 3, 2011, fishermen working near the Jubilee oil field 60 km. off the coast of Ghana spotted a large oil slick...
  Continue reading 'West Africa oil boom overlooks tattered environmental safety net'.
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  Keystone XL Does Not Enhance U.S. Energy Security

  Elizabeth Bast, January 18, 2012
  New report by Oil Change International and Natural Resources Defense Council finds Keystone will increase price of oil in the Midwest.  

• Keystone XL: Undermining Energy Security

  Elizabeth Bast, January 18, 2012
  The Keystone XL pipeline has been presented as a boon to U.S. energy security by its proponents. It is no such thing.