Last Friday, 39 organizations from across Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States sent a letter to the Turkish G20 President and all G20 finance ministers, calling for the ministers to set out a strict timeline for the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.
Author: Heike Mainhardt
New Coal Finance Report Reveals Substantial Role of State-owned Banks
New BankTrack report highlights that commercial banks are ignoring climate limits, financing a record US$88 billion for coal operations in 2013.
Adding to Miscues, Missed Deadline Puts World Bank-supported Indonesian Coal Plant at Legal Risk
This week, the Central Java Coal Power Project added to its list of failures, as continued refusal by villagers to sell their land for the proposed coal plant has forced the Indonesian government to yet again extend the deadline for financial closure of the project. This provides yet another reason for the World Bank to intervene.
Japan Urged To Stop Financing Coal ahead of Obama-Abe Summit
Today, over 30 groups from around the world, including Oil Change International, sent an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on April 24th urging Japan to follow the United States and other countries’ pledges to stop financing coal overseas.
Momentum Grows to Stop Coal Finance, but Further Action is Critical
Two important actions were added to the growing list of recent global steps curbing public finance for coal. First, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) joined the World Bank and European Investment Bank (EIB) in adopting a new Energy Strategy that significantly restricts support for coal power projects. As the second climate feat of the week, the U.S. government voted no on the Board of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a proposed coal power plant in Pakistan. However, even though the U.S. and several other countries voted no or abstained from supporting the Pakistan coal plant, the ADB board still had a simple majority, and therefore approved $900 million in funding for the 600 MW Jamshoro coal plant.
World Bank Accelerating Coal Development in Indonesia
The World Bank’s infrastructure program in Indonesia stipulates policies and government subsidies that promote the accelerated development of over 16 GW of coal power projects in the country ahead of developing feasible renewable alternatives.
World Bank Boosts Coal in Indonesia Revealing Loopholes in New Energy Strategy
A new investigation by Oil Change International shows that the World Bank’s infrastructure program in Indonesia reads like a coal industry wish list stipulating policies and government subsidies that promote the fast-tracked development of over 40 coal projects in the country ahead of developing feasible renewable alternatives.
EBRD’s Draft Energy Policy continues Support for Dirty Coal
Whether you’re from Europe or the US, your tax dollars are helping them finance climate-damaging fossil fuel projects, thanks to the EBRD. But that can change.