31 de mayo de 2010 | Entrevistas | Anti-neoliberalismo | Justicia climática y energía
Dirty energy
World Bank urged to stop fossil fuel drive
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Nearly 30 people from several social organizations, including Friends of the Earth Europe, carried out an action last Thursday outside the World Bank’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to demand the bank to stop funding fossil fuel-based energy projects. The activists especially rejected the 3.75 billion-dollar loan that the bank granted to a South African state-owned corporation Eskom, for the construction of one of the world’s largest coal plants.
The demonstration, where Friends of the Earth France participated, was held moments before the World Bank began its public consultation on its energy strategy, attended by social movements and organizations, bankers, European Union authorities and industry representatives.
David Heller told Real World Radio: “It’s clear that the World Bank has one set of very nice words to use in public when it makes this kind of statement, and it has another set of priorities that it uses when it decided where money should actually go”.
The World Bank has an important portfolio of loans for investment in electricity generation projects through the use of fossil fuels, especially coal. From 2007 to 2009 the bank increased its investments in fossil fuels in 22 per cent, according to the Bank Information Center. Since 2007, the bank has granted 6.6 billion dollars for energy development with coal in several parts of the world.
In April the World Bank approved a 3.75 billion-dollar loan to Eskom for the construction of Medupi coal fired plant in the South African town of Lephalale, Limpopo province. Over 165 civil society groups and several governments have rejected the loan.
According to environmental organizations Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and GroundWork – Friends of the Earth South Africa, the plant will emit nearly 30 million tons of CO2, at times when the humanity needs to drastically reduce its polluting emissions that cause the climate crisis.
Heller called the attention on the role the World Bank is trying to play in the international climate debate. He said: “The World Bank at the moment is trying to position itself as a central player in that debate. So that means it’s trying to control the funding which goes to adaptation and mitigation projects internationally”
He explained that this is just a facade of the bank, that it will continue its historical role as an international financial institution with a black environmental record marked by its shareholders and government’s decisions.
Heller regretted that there is not a drive for local, renewable energy projects, while he said they will continue pressuring the World Bank and exposing its polluting financial projects to the population.
