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.
Protests target European bank as it champions coal from the side lines of Warsaw climate conference
November 18, 2013
Warsaw – Actions are being organised today in several European capitals to protest the attendance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at the International Coal and Climate Summit, organised by the World Coal Association in parallel to the United Nation’s climate conference in Poland.
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.
Clean coal? There is no such thing
November 17, 2013
Air pollution levels in Beijing and other major Chinese cities have been making headlines, when millions of people were confined to their homes for several days to avoid the most drastic impacts on their health. For the longest time now the world believed that China would forever continue to build its infamous ’one new coal-fired power station per week’. China, however, is starting to rethink its course on coal: In September 2013 the Chinese government announced a cap on coal consumption in three economically important provinces.
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.
