Umweltschützer prangern neun EU-Länder an
26 January 2016 | Tages Anzeiger
Mehrere mittel- und osteuropäische Länder ziehen fossile Brennstoffe klimafreundlicheren Lösungen vor. Und laut Umweltschützern drücke die EU beide Augen zu. Neun mittel- und osteuropäische Länder vernachlässigen nach Angaben von Umweltschützern Investitionen in den Klimaschutz. Diese Länder geben demnach fossilen Brennstoffen den Vorzug vor klimafreundlicheren Lösungen.
Countries ‘misspent’ EU billions on fossil fuels — report
26 January 2016 | Politico
Central and Eastern European countries “misspent” billions worth of EU public funds on fossil fuels instead of on renewables and energy efficiency, NGOs CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe said in a report released Tuesday. Examining the spending plans for current 2014-2020 EU budget cycle for Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, the two NGOs found that of the €178 billion in regional development and cohesion funds aimed at CEE countries, only 7 percent will be spent on greener forms of energy.
Dundee denies chemical poison claims
19 January 2016 | Namibian Sun
Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) says the international environment watchdog CEE Bankwatch is making false and misleading claims about exposure to arsenic as alleged by the town’s people. DPM argues that Bankwatch’s claims are not supported by the regular health surveys conducted in Tsumeb under the supervision of the Namibian government and independent medical specialists. Bankwatch said in a statement issued on December 22, 2015 that information available to it “shows that arsenic levels have been way above safe limits defined by health institutions.”
Power-hungry China stubbornly holds on to coal-fired power
12 January 2016 | Asian Power
China is awfully torn between coal power reduction and further growing its exports. When the OECD agreed to restrict subsidies for coal-fired power plants’ exports, both investors and the press had a field day. It was a big step in curbing the growth of global coal-fired power generation and it could have been a phenomenal day for the power industry–except that China, the biggest elephant in the room, was missing when the coal power reduction pact was made.
Hidroelektrane u nacionalnim parkovima i zaštićenim područjima: Zločin prema prirodi u ime profita
8 January 2016 | Oslobođenje
Međunarodne razvojne banke finansiraju veliki broj hidroelektrana u nacionalnim parkovima, mjestima koja pripadaju svjetskoj baštini i zaštićenim zonama širom Balkana. Prema izvještaju organizacije Bankwatch, od 1.640 planiranih i tekućih projekata u BiH, Makedoniji i Albaniji, pola će biti izgrađeno u nacionalnim parkovima, mjestima koja pripadaju svjetskoj baštini i koja je Evropska unija zaštitila u okviru projekta Natura 2000.
Report indicates hundreds of hydro projects under construction in southeast Europe
6 January 2016 | HydroWorld
In southeast Europe, there are 1,355 greenfield hydropower plants either being planned or having entered operation since 2005, according to a recently released report. Of these, 200 are in operation and 113 are under construction. The report indicates 823 projects are actively planned and another 171 are regarded as potential.
