ASIA
In Asia, we’re fighting the buildout of gas infrastructure and working towards an end to all finance for fossil fuels.
OVERVIEW OF WORK
One of the greatest threats to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement is the buildout of gas infrastructure in Asia. As campaigners move from successful campaigns to stop coal buildout, Oil Change is working with partners across the region and internationally to increase awareness that gas is dirty, expensive and undermines development.
We are working with the Fossil Free Japan coalition to stop Japanese public finance for overseas gas, coal and oil projects and are also working to push the Asian Development Bank to stop financing fossil fuels.
LATEST PROGRAM POSTS
A letter delivered to U.S. President Biden from 560+ organizations around the world applauded Biden's decision to halt pending LNG export approvals and called on him to expand the pause to halt all permitting of new LNG infrastructure and export projects.
They are calling it the largest civil disobedience climate protest in the history of Australia. This weekend, thousands of activists, young and old, from across the country descended on the world’s largest coal port at Muloobinba (Newcastle), on Awabakal and Worimi land and water.
Rich countries have continued to approve USD 4.4 billion in international public finance despite committing to end this support by the end of 2022. Six countries including the United States, Germany, Italy and Japan have at least 26 fossil fuel projects awaiting approvals, with Germany having the biggest number of projects pending.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are a prominent environmental defender sentenced to five years in prison on false tax charges by a country that is increasingly trying to silence activists and academics.
LATEST PROGRAM RESEARCH
This report looks at G20 country and MDB traceable international public finance for fossil fuels from 2019-2021 and finds they are still backing at least USD 55 billion per year in oil, gas, and coal projects. This is a 35% drop compared to previous years (2016-2018), but still, almost twice the support provided for clean energy, which averaged only $29 billion per year.
Asia is one of the few remaining growth markets for gas. The fossil fuel industry and its proponents are pushing to develop $379 billion of gas terminals, pipelines and power plants in Asia over the next decade. Roughly three-quarters of all Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) import terminals in development globally are planned for Asia. This aggressive buildout ignores a simple truth.
This impending buildout of new gas infrastructure poses one of the greatest threats to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Instead of forming a bridge — as gas proponents claim — gas expansion builds a wall against the clean energy future we need.