Saturday, June 2: G8 leaders won’t arrive for several days, but the demonstrations in Germany have already begun. I’m just back from today’s march, which started in a few different locations throughout city of Rostock, Gemany, and then converged at the fair grounds near the city’s harbor. The Police have apparently claimed that there were … Read More
End Oil Aid
World Bank President Resigns
After two years as President at the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, architect of the Iraq war, tendered his resignation on Thursday evening. “I have concluded that it is in the best interests of those whom this institution serves for that mission to be carried forward under new leadership,” writes Wolfowitz in a statement posted on … Read More
British MPs Call for an End to Oil Aid:
British Member of Parliament, Michael Meacher, has introduced an “early day motion” that calls on the British aid agency, the Department for International Development, to stop subsidizing oil companies through development agencies like the World Bank. Other Members of Parliament are invited to endorse the motion, which will stay open until November. A similar motion … Read More
Heating up for Wolfowitz at the Bank
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is accusing beleaguered World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz of trying to weaken references to climate change in the World Bank’s Clean Energy and Investment Framework. GAP has released an internal summary of a February 2006 World Bank meeting on the Framework. The summary includes the following passage: “Feedback from the … Read More
An Appeal to Pelosi to Help End Oil Aid
Only 10 days after Congressman Maurice Hinchey introduced the End Oil Aid Bill in the U.S. Congress, more than 150 organizations from 50 countries have written to House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, recognizing her clean energy efforts and calling on her to lend support to eliminate international ‘oil aid’. The letter (Acrobat pdf) cites over $20 … Read More
Ecuador Throws Out World Bank Rep Over Oil Aid:
Direct World Bank financing for oil companies is worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but the Bank’s behind the scenes work to make the world safe for Big Oil is priceless. While Bank support for mega-projects involving companies like Exxon and BP may get most of the attention, the Bank’s biggest impact on … Read More
Ronald Jonkers: Big Oil’s Man in Iraq
You knew he had to be there, even if we didn’t know his name before. As ace reporter Daphne Eviatar reveals in this month’s American Lawyer, Ronald Jonkers is the oil industry’s man in Iraq – and US taxpayers are picking up the bill. Jonkers unfortunately wouldn’t comment for the article – and apparently few … Read More
Erasing Climate Change at the World Bank
The scandal at the World Bank is quickly spreading to Paul Wolfowitz’s handpicked deputy, Juan Jose Daboub. First he is accused of trying to remove references to “family planning” from World Bank documents, now the Bank’s Chief Scientist, Robert Watson, is accusing him of trying to erase references to climate change from the Bank’s Clean … Read More
Raise your hand if you think Wolfowitz must go
The Wolfowitz must go campaign, which we at Oil Change support for a wide variety of reasons – including the fact that Bank lending for oil increased by more than 75% last year – is now in high gear. ParkRidge47, who created the now famous Obama / Think Different ad, has done a brilliant satire … Read More
“End Oil Aid” Bill introduced
Environmental organizations today applauded Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) for introducing legislation that seeks to end subsidies for the international operations of oil companies. The “End Oil Aid” bill, introduced yesterday, calls on international financial institutions including the World Bank, Export Import Bank and Overseas Private Investment Corporation to stop financing oil and gas projects. “Oil … Read More