Today, the Sierra Club and Oil Change International released a new report highlighting the failure of the world’s top multilateral development banks (MDBs) to align their energy lending with the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) projections for ending energy poverty.
World Bank
World Bank Lending Priorities Fall Short on Access to Clean Energy and the Climate Challenge
The World Bank should prioritize energy access by redirecting energy financing away from large fossil fuel projects toward decentralized renewables.
World Bank financed $1 billion in fossil fuel exploration projects
New analysis released today by Oil Change International finds that World Bank Group finance for projects that included exploration for new fossil fuel resources reached a new high in FY2013, at nearly $1 billion out of the $2.7 billion spent in total for fossil fuel projects.
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World Bank Group finance for projects that included fossil fuel exploration was highest in FY2013, at nearly $1 billion out of $2.7 billion total for fossil fuel projects in 2013.
World Bank Group financed $1 billion in fossil fuel exploration projects in 2013
World Bank Group finance for fossil fuel exploration projects from FY2008 to 2013 was highest in 2013, at nearly $1 billion out of $2.7 billion total for fossil fuel projects.
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 Fossil Fuel Lending Increases in Last Year
In spite of a heightened institutional focus on combating climate change, the World Bank increased its lending for fossil fuels over the last year. Meanwhile, the World Bank also has a ways to go in terms of tackling its objective of supporting universal access to energy, as only 8 percent of the Bank’s energy portfolio last year targeted the world’s poorest.
World Bank Group Increases Lending for Fossil Fuels and Large Hydro
The World Bank Group (WBG) increased financing for both fossil fuels and large hydropower significantly this past year, while financing for clean energy dropped. Overall, only 8 percent of the Bank’s energy financing last year was aimed specifically at the poor.
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.