Fossil fuels are fast losing their social license. It is becoming increasingly evident that countries’ continued reliance on dirty hydrocarbons escalates the climate crisis, worsens air pollution and enables war.
Long touted as a ‘bridge fuel,’ fossil gas now needs to be recognised by policymakers for the hurdle to the energy transition that it is, and multilateral development banks should urgently end support for gas projects and gas-dependent companies.
The energy transition has to be just and fast, with citizens, municipalities and workers as critical participants in the process. We are working to ensure no more public money is spent on coal, and public finance is used to accelerate this transition.
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We provide updates in English from the Balkans and other coal regions.
IN FOCUS
Fossil gas
Fossil gas is the new coal. Although often labelled ‘natural,’ fossil gas is a major driver of the climate crisis. There is no more room for new investments in fossil gas projects if we are to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis and set a path towards decarbonisation.
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District heating
District heating and individual heating are still dominated by fossil fuels and inefficient burning of wood without regard to sustainability criteria, in combination with a low degree of energy efficiency. This has to change, since heating plays a crucial role in the transition into a clean and zero-carbon economy.
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Just transition
No one should be left behind when we reconstruct our world into one driven by clean energy. Working on just transition brings all actors who believe in fair regional redevelopment to the same table: unions, industry, public administration, governments, civil society and others sharing this goal.
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Documentary: Turning the Tide
Our documentary exposes, for the first time, the extent of financial support four of the world’s leading multilateral development banks (MDBs) – the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – have been providing to the global fossil fuels industry over the past 13 years.
Our analysis shows that since 2008, the oil, coal and gas business has been enjoying no less than EUR 81.5 billion in support from these government-owned financial institutions in the form of loans, grants, credit lines and guarantees.
Coal projects
Kolubara lignite mine, Serbia
ARCHIVED: Linked to a slew of controversies, the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia will receive loans from European public banks. Corruption allegations, pollution at local level, irregularities in resettlement of local populations and not to forget a climate damaging approach to energy investments should be reason enough to find alternatives to lignite mining.
Sostanj lignite thermal power plant unit 6, Slovenia
Slovenia has built a new 600 MW unit at the Šoštanj lignite power plant (TEŠ6) which has turned out to be a financial disaster, as well as locking the country into a carbon-intensive future with tens of millions of annual losses for the next four decades.
Latest news
Urgent call for central and eastern European countries to raise their NECP climate ambitions
Press release | 27 June, 2024With the deadline (30 June) for EU Member States to submit their national energy and climate plans (NECPs) fast approaching, concerns are growing that CEE countries are not showing the ambition needed to meet their 2030 climate and energy targets.
Read moreEU climate fund bankrolling dirty energy expansion
Press release | 25 June, 2024As global temperatures continue to soar and climate disasters hit the most vulnerable, the EU’s little-known Modernisation Fund is propping up unsustainable energy infrastructure.
Read moreAmid a growing climate mess, a dash for Black Sea fossil gas
Blog entry | 27 May, 2024Plans to drill for fossil gas off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria are being advanced by a subsidiary of Austrian energy giant OMV, threatening to slow down Europe’s energy transition.
Read moreRelated publications
Hooked on gas: Report on the status of national energy and climate plans in central and eastern Europe
Report | 20 June, 2024 | Download PDFThis publication highlights the need for gas phase-out pathways and identifies shortcomings in the current draft NECPs of eight central and eastern European Member States.
Delays in Almaty CHP-2 gas project open new opportunities for a rethink
Briefing | 29 May, 2024 | Download PDFSupported by the EBRD, the conversion of Almaty’s coal heat and power plant CHP-2 to gas has been seriously delayed. This opens an opportunity for a rethink: Why is the EBRD continuing to support this project instead of funding a clean and potentially cheaper type of heating?
Open Letter on the Implementation of the RED in the European Union
Letter | 29 April, 2024 | Download PDFIn this letter, we urge the European Commission and Member States to explicitly exclude waste incineration from the scope of ‘waste heat’ targets in the RED, prioritize waste prevention and establish ambitious recycling target and invest in innovative technologies for clean energy generation and resource recovery.