West Africa oil boom overlooks tattered environmental safety net

January 20, 2012By Elizabeth BastBlog Post

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 … Read More

Shift the Subsidies Database Reveals $40 Billion in Fossil Fuel Funding Over Last Four Years

November 30, 2011By Elizabeth BastBlog Post, Research & Opinions 2 Comments

Development Banks Still Financing Dirty Energy New Database Reveals $40 Billion in Fossil Fuel Funding Over Last Four Years Nov. 30, 2011, Durban, South Africa – Major multilateral development banks have provided financing of over $40 billion to fossil-fuel energy development since 2008, according to the new Shift the Subsidies database (http://shiftthesubsidies.org), launched today by … Read More

Unclear on the Concept: How Can the World Bank Group Lead on Climate Finance Without an Energy Strategy?

November 28, 2011By Elizabeth BastReports 1 Comment

The World Bank Group is experiencing clear difficulties in synching its core lending and its energy strategy with climate goals, and the institution has taken steps that can easily be viewed as creating a conflict of interest. Given these difficulties and contradictions, the institution should focus on cleaning up its own act before making further forays into climate finance initiatives.

Story of Broke

November 14, 2011By Elizabeth BastBlog Post, Featured

Story of Stuff’s latest film – Story of Broke – is now here! And guess what? It’s all about subsidies – and how we can shift our taxpayer money away from the dinosaur economy and towards a clean, bright future! Check it out! And then take action!  

Payback Time? The Supercommittee & Fossil Fuel Subsidies

November 9, 2011By Elizabeth BastBlog Post, Research & Opinions, Separate Oil and State

The 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or “supercommittee,” have received at least $4.2 million in campaign contributions from dirty energy interests lobbying to keep their wasteful taxpayer subsidies, according to a new report from Oil Change International (OCI) and Public Campaign Action Fund (PCAF). The report analyzes the millions of … Read More