Heroes of Just Transition
December 7, 2018
On Dec. 5, during the side event ‘Local communities build a post-coal future’ at the COP24 in Katowice, Bankwatch launched its publication ‘Heroes of Just Transition’, featuring seven stories from coal communities around central and eastern Europe, the
Just Transition in four questions
December 3, 2018
At the COP24 in Katowice, Poland is inviting world leaders to endorse the Silesia Declaration on Solidarity and Just Transition. The document emphasizes the importance of decarbonizing economies to protect the climate in a socially responsible way, str
Poland’s Just Transition declaration is a fata morgana
December 1, 2018
Katowice – At the UN climate summit (COP 24) it is hosting, Poland has invited heads of state to adopt a ministerial Solidarity and Just Transition Declaration [1], calling for a fair deal to coal workers and communities affected by the energy transition. But the Polish government has no plans for any such transition – instead it remains keen to keep the country’s reliance on coal for decades to come. The Declaration is therefore nothing more than a mirage.
Just transition in Bulgaria – mission possible for Maritsa Iztok energy complex?
November 23, 2018
Reflecting the European trend for phasing out highly polluting fuels like coal, this preliminary analysis outlines options for a just energy transition in the broad region surrounding the heart of Bulgarian coal energy – Maritsa Iztok energy complex in
Promises for coal jobs in southeastern Europe are dangerously out of touch with reality – new study
June 28, 2018
Prague – Proponents of coal say almost 30,000 jobs will be created or maintained in southeastern Europe if new coal plants are built, while according to new analysis [1] by Bankwatch, over 5,000 jobs will be lost.
The great coal jobs fraud (2018 UPDATE)
June 28, 2018
This study, an update of our November 2016 analysis, examines the claims and finds that in almost all cases, they are exaggerated. In fact, even the current levels of employment cannot be maintained and some companies such as Elektroprivreda Srbije and
Bulgarian authorities, forced to think about Just Transition
June 15, 2018
The closure of the largest underground mine in Bulgaria, Bobov Dol in the southwest of the country, means Bulgarian authorities are finally forced to think about Just Transition.
The European Commission’s platform for coal regions in transition: case studies highlight tilt toward coal companies
June 5, 2018
Without adhering to the partnership principle, the Platform for Coal Regions in Transition risks benefiting coal companies at the expense of local communities, in blatant contradiction to its stated goal. In Poland and Slovakia, lack of transparency an
Silesian coal – a quiet exit
November 27, 2017
In Upper Silesia, Poland’s main coal region, it is difficult to find anyone who still believes that coal has a future. The region needs help in dealing with the environmental fallout from decades of a coal-centred economy and a platform to debate and define its destiny.
Guide: Eight steps for a just transition
November 2, 2017
Just transition is a development model based on locally designed public policies to create the context for a fair income and a decent life for all workers and communities affected by pollution reduction measures. This guide offers some pointers for ini
