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Success: 391 hectares of Romanian forest saved in 2015
January 11, 2016
 | by Alexandru Mustata

With one more positive court decision just before the end of the year, Bankwatch Romania had a lot to celebrate in 2015.

deforestation, Oltenia Energy Complex, ruling, success
Energy & climate, Other harmful projects
Health reports confirmed widespread over-exposure to toxic arsenic at Tsumeb smelter in Namibia
December 22, 2015
 | by Genady Kondarev

Following Bankwatch’s revelations about toxic pollutants at the Tsumeb smelter in Namibia, the smelter’s owner, Canadian mining company Dundee Precious Metals (DPM), contested our findings in Namibian news reports. Without substantiating its claims with facts, however, and in light of the results of local health surveys the company’s reassurances ring hollow and meaningless.

arsenic, Chelopech, copper, Dundee Precious Metals, hazardous waste, pollution, smelter, toxics, Tsumeb
Social & economic impacts, Other harmful projects, Development
9 reasons why the EU's bank is no climate leader
December 8, 2015
 | by Anna Roggenbuck

The European Investment Bank's track record stands in stark contrast to its pose as a hero in the fight against climate change.

climate action, climate talks, COP21, EU bank, fossil fuels
EIB
Energy & climate
Šefčovič's underwhelming outlook for the Energy Union's role in the energy transition
December 1, 2015
 | by Sven Haertig-Tokarz

On 20 November 2015, following the presentation of the first State of the Energy Union, Vice-President Šefčovič hosted a Twitter Chat. Also several Bankwatchers joined the discussion. Here are some points we found noteworthy.

energy efficiency, Energy Union, fossil fuels, gas, Maroš Šefčovič, renewables, storify
EU Funds, EIB
Energy & climate, Resource efficiency
Bern Convention Committee to decide fate of Balkan lynx and Boskov Most hydropower plant in Macedonia
November 30, 2015
 | by Ana Colovic

The critically endangered population of the Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) may be getting a new lease on life this week after being threatened by planned hydropower constructions in its core area of reproduction.

Balkan lynx, Bern Convention, biodiversity, Boskov Most, hydropower
EBRD
Other harmful projects
Exporting toxic pollution from Europe to Namibia
November 19, 2015
 | by Genady Kondarev

The case of the Tsumeb smelter in Namibia demonstrates how European pollution is exported to the Global South with indirect help of public development money.

arsenic, Chelopech, copper, highlight, pollution, smelter, toxics, Tsumeb
EBRD
Social & economic impacts, Development
The EBRD: Fueling the future, or stuck in the past?
November 19, 2015
 | by Klara Sikorova

A closer look at the projects that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has financed in the energy sector in Middle East and North African countries reveals that, despite the bank's rhetoric about promoting sustainable energy, its balance sheet has fossil fuels all over it.

energy, ENP-energy, fossil fuels, MENA, neighbourhood policy
EBRD
Energy & climate, Social & economic impacts
Poland and the Energy Union: Legitimising Europe's flagship climate laggard?
November 9, 2015
 | by Julia Krzyszkowska

It’s no secret that Poland is not the biggest proponent of ambitious European climate and energy policies. Rather than give Poland the extra nudge it needs to transform its increasingly obsolete energy system, the Energy Union risks sustaining – and legitimising – the Polish addiction to fossil fuels.

CCS, coal, Donald Tusk, Energy Union, gas, Maroš Šefčovič, Poland
Energy & climate
[Campaign update] MEP Rebecca Harms criticises Ukrainian nuclear operator for its lawsuit against activists
October 21, 2015
 | by Iryna Holovko

Nuclear safety activists in Ukraine who face defamation charges by the state nuclear operator Energoatom received support from Rebecca Harms, a member of the European Parliament, recently.

Energoatom, lawsuit, NECU, nuclear, Rebecca Harms, safety, South Ukraine
EBRD
Energy & climate
Up in smoke: the billions for Europe's auto industry from the EU's house bank
October 21, 2015
 | by Anna Roggenbuck

In the wake of last month’s Volkswagen (VW) emissions scandal, a Politico story, based on a Bankwatch analysis, revealed that the car manufacturer enjoyed generous public financial support from the European Investment Bank (EIB). But the full picture is even more disturbing.

crisis response, dieselgate, EIB, NOx, pollution, subsidies, VW, transport
EIB
Transport

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