Bankwatch joins NGO boycott of COP19
November 21, 2013
Today, Bankwatch joined other organisations walking out of Warsaw Climate Conference. Under the Polish government’s leadership the talks have utterly failed to address the urgency of the situation. Targets have been unambitious, the interests of the fossil fuel industry have been allowed to dominate the discussions, and there is no new financing on the table for climate mitigation and adaptation. This conference has lost credibility in the fight against climate change.
United Kingdom’s retreat from coal increases pressure on EBRD
November 21, 2013
With the United Kingdom, another major shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is divesting from coal overseas. What does this mean for the upcoming decision on the EBRD’s energy strategy?
Guest post: “Coughing for Coal” outside the coal industry summit at UN Climate Talks
November 19, 2013
Monday morning in Warsaw, climate activists staged a public action in front of the Polish Ministry of Economy – the venue for the greenwashing Coal and Climate Summit – to voice their outrage and reiterate a simple reality: there is no such thing as clean coal.
Bankwatch Mail 57
November 11, 2013
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.
Welcome to Coal-land
November 11, 2013
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.
Shackled to coal: EBRD set to buck positive global investment trends
November 11, 2013
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.
Your lungs and voices are cordially invited …
November 11, 2013
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.
What your doctor can tell you about the climate – and what COP delegates need to hear
November 11, 2013
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.
Cough4Coal: New campaign video sets the scene for climate negotiations in Poland
November 4, 2013
A promotional video for an upcoming climate protest in Warsaw draws attention to the negative influence that coal has on our health and that coal businesses will have on the global climate negotiations.