Bankwatch Mail 57

Bankwatch Mail    |    11 November 2013

Download

Coinciding with the beginning of international climate negotiations at the COP19/CMP9 in Warsaw and with many observers already questioning the Polish government’s ambitions for the summit, Issue 57 of Bankwatch Mail introduces the country also known as Coal-land and finds (among many other things) people protesting (successfully) against the pervasive smell of coal in the air.

Content

1. Krakow’s citizens rally against coal to protect their health
Coal may still very much be king in the minds of the Polish government but, on the evidence of a groundbreaking campaign over the last year in Krakow, the seeds have been sown for a citizens’ revolution that could redraw the Polish energy sector and improve health and quality of life for towns and cities all across the country. Alongside effective campaigning, EU money is playing a role in these developments, and has the potential to do a lot more.
2. Shackled to coal: EBRD set to buck positive global investment trends
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the last of three multilateral international financial institutions (IFIs) to undertake a revision of its energy lending this year, is scheduled to adopt a new energy policy on December 10. The EBRD’s policy review process follows similar reviews at both the European Investment Bank and the World Bank that have seen both institutions introduce conditions intended to restrict their respective lending to coal projects.
3. New Report – How Turkey’s coal boom threatens local economies on the Black Sea
With coal power expansion booming in Turkey, a new Bankwatch report based on a recent field trip finds that the environmental impacts of coal power plants are inadequately assessed, while Turkey’s viable, clean alternatives to coal are neither being analysed or discussed seriously by senior policy- and decision-makers.
4. Your lungs and voices are cordially invited…
Climate change is still, for a lot of people, an abstract, complex issue. It remains difficult to mobilise people against the coal industry as they are not always able to make the connection between fossil fuels, climate change and health problems such as asthma. The Cough4Coal campaign, to be formally launched during COP 19 in Warsaw, aims to invigorate and inform the debate on how we should plan for future sustainable and healthy energy provision.
5. What your doctor can tell you about the climate – and what COP delegates need to hear
If a doctor could prescribe a healthy planet, drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would be on the top of the list. In fact, such a prescription was developed by leading health advocacy organisations and handed over to delegates at the UNFCCC’s COP 15 in Copenhagen. The surprising thing about this prescription is that instead of costing money it actually results in considerable savings.
6. Enel drops coal power plant project in Romania
After a five year planning and permitting process, and citing economic reasons, Italian energy giant Enel announced last month that it will not now be moving forward with a coal-fired power plant project in Romania.
7. “Job creation, reduced energy bills, cleaner environment … hmmm” – eastern member states failing to grasp EU Budget’s green potential
With only a few weeks to go until the end of the year, and the official start of the new EU budgetary period for 2014-2020 that will see billions of euros flow into central and eastern Europe (CEE), national governments are racing to finalise their EU spending allocations for the forthcoming seven-year period. But, according to new analysis and a data visualisation put together by Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe, CEE member states look set to pass up the opportunity to devote adequate funds for green projects and initiatives.
8. Welcome to Coal-land
Dear Participant to the 19th UN Climate Summit, welcome to Poland! Let us introduce you to the country hosting the climate conference this year, and provide you with a short overview of the land and its people. This is indeed information you may not find in official Polish government brochures.
9. EU-backed western Balkans priority energy projects conflict with EU goals
A list of 35 regional priority energy projects selected on 24 October in Belgrade by the Energy Community’s Ministerial Council has been greeted with dismay by civil society groups from across the western Balkans.