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.
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.
New report – How Turkey’s coal boom threatens local economies on the Black Sea
November 11, 2013
With coal power expansion booming in Turkey, a new Bankwatch report based on a recent field trip finds that the environmental impacts of coal power plants are inadequately assessed, while Turkey’s viable, clean alternatives to coal are neither being analysed or discussed seriously by senior policy- and decision-makers.
Your lungs and voices are cordially invited …
November 11, 2013
Climate change is still, for a lot of people, an abstract, complex issue. It remains difficult to mobilise people against the coal industry as they are not always able to make the connection between fossil fuels, climate change and health problems such as asthma. The Cough4Coal campaign, to be formally launched during COP 19 in Warsaw, aims to invigorate and inform the debate on how we should plan for future sustainable and healthy energy provision.
What your doctor can tell you about the climate – and what COP delegates need to hear
November 11, 2013
If a doctor could prescribe a healthy planet, drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would be on the top of the list. In fact, such a prescription was developed by leading health advocacy organisations and handed over to delegates at the UNFCCC’s COP 15 in Copenhagen. The surprising thing about this prescription is that instead of costing money it actually results in considerable savings.
Enel drops coal power plant project in Romania
November 11, 2013
After a five year planning and permitting process, and citing economic reasons, Italian energy giant Enel announced last month that it will not now be moving forward with a coal-fired power plant project in Romania. The company had been working on the project – a proposed 800 MW facility to have been sited in Galati, at an estimated cost of EUR 1 billion – since before the outbreak of the economic crisis, since when progress has been slow.
EU-backed western Balkans priority energy projects conflict with EU goals
November 11, 2013
A list of 35 regional priority energy projects selected on 24 October in Belgrade by the Energy Community’s Ministerial Council has been greeted with dismay by civil society groups from across the western Balkans.
Cough4Coal: New campaign video sets the scene for climate negotiations in Poland
November 4, 2013
A promotional video for an upcoming climate protest in Warsaw draws attention to the negative influence that coal has on our health and that coal businesses will have on the global climate negotiations.
