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.
Protestors address coal lobby meeting at Warsaw climate talks: ‘There is no such thing as clean coal’
November 18, 2013
WARSAW – People from around the world gathered today in front of Poland’s Ministry of Economy in protest of the World Coal Association’s International Coal and Climate Summit organised on the sidelines of the 19th UN climate change conference.
EU budget’s climate potential at risk in eastern Europe – new data
November 18, 2013
Brussels, Belgium – Ahead of anticipated final agreement in the European Parliament this week (Tuesday November 19) on the forthcoming EU budget (for the period 2014-2020), CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe have today published data that shows how eight central and eastern European countries are failing to tap the climate potential of future EU billions.
European banks slammed for backing coal industry
November 14, 2013
‘Banking on Coal – Undermining our Climate’ will be released on Friday during the UN Climate Summit at Warsaw Two Polish private banks – Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and PKO Bank Polski – have been identified to be on the dirty list of banks that are heating up the globe, damaging the environment and hurting local communities, a new report says.
NGO statement on EU funds’ programming half time
November 14, 2013
Based on analysis of Partnership Agreements and experiences of ‘partnership’ in current programming, participants are regrettably forming the view that Member States’ current planning of Regional Development funding for the period 2014 -2020 fails to acknowledge that Europe’s current ecological footprint lays way beyond the planet’s carrying capacity and, as a consequence, that economic and regional development – fostered by the EU funds – has to transform production and consumption patterns to a sustainable level that does not over-exploit natural resources.
Funny business as usual in the Czech Republic – one of the biggest fines in EU funds history handed out to Prague metro project
November 13, 2013
The manipulation of a tender for a metro line extension in Prague – financially supported via EU funds and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has not only resulted in a huge EU funds fine, but also raises questions about the EIB’s ability to identify and avoid mismanagement in the infrastructure projects it finances.
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.
Krakow’s citizens rally against coal to protect their health
November 11, 2013
Coal may still very much be king in the minds of the Polish government but, on the evidence of a ground-breaking 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.
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.
