Steel giant ArcelorMittal
August 3, 2011
ArcelorMittal is the largest steel company in the world, producing approximately 8 per cent of the world’s steel output. But the cost of its success has largely been paid by the people living and working near the company’s plants, because of the ArcelorMittal’s frequent disregard for the environment and fair labour practices.
Kolubara lignite mine, Serbia
August 1, 2011
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.
Saaremaa bridge, Estonia
May 9, 2011
Saaremaa is the biggest Estonian island (40,000 inhabitants) and an important recreation destination with some 250,000 visitors per year. Famous for its picturesque landscapes, the island’s vulnerable ecosystems are in danger of being sacrificed for an expensive bridge construction.
R1 Prague motorway, Czech Republic
May 9, 2011
Prague motorway’s ringroad R1 is a crucial part of the Czech Republic’s Trans-European Network (TEN-T). However, some of the road sections being planned for construction are failing to fulfil TEN-T project criteria and their cost-effectiveness is highly questionable.
Sostanj lignite thermal power plant unit 6, Slovenia
March 31, 2011
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.
D8 Motorway, Czech Republic
February 18, 2011
The D8 motorway is part of the Berlin – Prague – Budapest – Sofia – Istanbul European multi-modal transport corridor IV. The controversial history of its construction started fifteen years ago when the Czech government reapproved a motorway scheme that was conceived in 1963.
Sakhalin II Oil and Gas Extraction, Russia
February 18, 2011
Since 1994, Shell has been spearheading an oil and gas extraction project in Sakhalin Island, a far eastern Russian territory. This development will affect the world’s last 100 or so western pacific grey whales; it will destroy the marine environment; and it will threaten the livelihood of tens of thousands of fishermen.
Zagreb municipal solid waste incinerator, Croatia
February 18, 2011
Zagreb City Council is planning to build a 385 000 tonnes-per-year waste-to-energy plant, for which the official cost estimate is EUR 161 400 000. The plant would burn municipal waste and sewage sludge. Croatian environmental NGO Green Action, along with local residents’ groups, believes that the incinerator plans are premature and dangerous.
Corridor Vc motorway, Bosnia and Herzegovina
February 18, 2011
The pan-European Corridor Vc is planned to run for 330 km through Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serious concerns about environmental impacts, land expropriation, and threats to cultural heritage have been raised along the motorway route, mostly between Sarajevo and the southern border with Croatia.
ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Kazakhstan
February 18, 2011
While fatal accidents at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau mines continue, the company has so far not provided sufficient information to allow an assessment whether an EBRD funded project to improve health and safety conditions is being implemented successfully.
