The twin challenges of air pollution and climate change demand a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, and a particularly rapid phase-out of coal-fired power plants. Despite this, the Korean government continues to be among the biggest backers of coal-fired power plants around the world.

A new analysis of the energy finance provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) shows that while financing for clean energy access has increased since the bank's landmark New Deal on Energy for Africa, support for off-grid and mini-grid solutions — often the fastest and most affordable energy access solutions — must accelerate if Africa is to realize universal energy access by 2030.

Investor briefing, October 2018

Co-published with Greenpeace

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The IEA scenarios — including the Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) — fall short of the Paris Agreement goals and therefore don’t actually answer the question investors are asking, namely: are companies prepared for a world that takes the Paris Agreement seriously? The SDS is not providing an effective stress test, nor a useful guide to how things may change.

 
This investor briefing examines some of the claims the IEA has made in response to concerns raised by investors and others about its scenarios. We hope that this briefing will assist investors in scrutinising the IEA’s responses. We recommend how investors might engage

Overall, the MDBs are not financing energy access at nearly a sufficient level to meet the needs of energy-poor communities. Much of the energy access finance that is being provided is being directed to many of the communities that need it most. But even so, energy access is not reflected as a priority for the MDBs.