Victories piling up: 130 more hectares of forest saved from lignite mining in Romania
March 12, 2015
Bucharest – A Romanian court has accepted a petition filed by Bankwatch Romania and Greenpeace Romania, and cancelled the environmental permit which allowed cutting down 130 hectares of forests – equivalent to approximately 260 football pitches – to make way for the expansion of the Pinoasa lignite open pit.
Czech coal mining communities are under threat
March 12, 2015
A debate over coal mining limits in the Czech Republic shows that mining communities in EU countries are facing similar struggles as in other parts of the world. It also illustrates how “securing energy supply” has become a catch-all argument even when the energy demand in no way justifies it.
Dam Spill Threats at a Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan
February 17, 2015
In light of the Mount Polley tailings dam spill in British Columbia, Canada, environmental activists in Kyrgyzstan are ringing alarm bells over a possible scenario of a similar outburst at Petrov Lake near the Kumtor gold mine project. At Mount Polley, the tailings dam at a copper and gold mine burst in August last year, spilling 25 million cubic meters of toxic waste into nearby lakes. The British Columbia provincial government appointed a commission to probe into the disaster.
Bankwatch stops cutting of another 22 hectares of forest for coal mining in Romania
February 6, 2015
In a file launched by Bankwatch in 2014, a Romanian court annulled [ro] 27 deforestation permits last week, preventing 22 hectares of forest in the country’s south-west to be cut for the expansion of an open-pit coal mine.
New arrests should dampen Serbia’s appetite for coal
February 4, 2015
Corruption cases continue to haunt Serbia’s coal sector as a new round of arrests last week has shown. They also illustrate how the dependence on coal creates vulnerabilities for Serbia’s energy sector and potentially its financiers, in particular in the aftermath of last year’s floods.
Guest post: Resettlement process for Kosovo Power Project does not comply with international standards
February 3, 2015
A report being presented today analyses the process with which 7000 are to be resettled for the Kosovo lignite mine and concludes that the World Bank-financed process does not comply with the bank’s own standards and is plagued by a slew of other weaknesses.
UPDATE 7: Juncker on the investment offensive … against Europeans, the economy and the environment
January 22, 2015
Labelled the €1.3 trillion investment offensive, more than 2000 projects have been identified by the European Commission’s new Task Force on Investment (made up of representatives of the EC, EIB and member states) for fast-tracked financing from President Juncker’s recently announced €315 billion stimulus plan.
Guest post: Mongolian herders file complaint with EBRD about Mongolian iron ore company
January 21, 2015
Herders from the Gobi Altai mountains in western Mongolia have filed a complaint with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The complaint addresses the company Altain Khuder, which at its Tayan Nuur iron ore mine has allegedly caused significant environmental pollution and the displacement of herders in the Mongolian Gobi Altai mountains.
Dust, displacement, intimidation – Mongolian herders are under pressure by iron ore mine
December 9, 2014
Herders in the Mongolian Gobi Altai mountains are facing pollution and displacement by an iron ore mine. The mining company Altain Khuder responds to criticism with intimidation. The financier, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is not doing enough to protect herders’ rights.
When the dust settles – Impacts of the Tayan Nuur iron ore mine on nomadic herders’ lives in Mongolia
December 9, 2014
This report from a fact-finding mission to the Gobi Altai mountains in Mongolia describes the impacts the Tayan Nuur iron ore mine has on local nomadic herders, including displacement, dust pollution resulting in diminished livestock, and more. While the mining company Altain Khuder responds to criticism with intimidation, the company’s financier, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is not doing enough to protect herders’ rights.
