Together with civil society organisations from all over the world, the Fair Green and Global (FGG) Alliance aims for socially just, inclusive and environmentally sustainable societies in the Netherlands and the Global South.
What opportunities will the Green Climate Fund (GCF) offer countries like Indonesia and Ghana? What decisions must be made now so that the money from the fund will reach the places it was intended for in the future? Since the UN decided to set up the Green Climate Fund in 2011, Both ENDS and several other NGOs from developing countries have been aiming to influence the way the fund is organized. This week, the ninth board meeting of the GCF will be held in Songdo, South Korea. Just like at earlier board meetings, Both ENDS is represented, this time in the person of Leonie Wezendonk. Along with Titi Soentoro from the Indonesian advocacyorganisation Aksi! and Ken Kinney of the Development Institute in Ghana, she traveled to
Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people live in areas where the soil is depleted; often they are forced to, or the region they have been living in for generations has become increasingly arid over time. The desert is advancing and this is a global problem. Opinions about the causes of land degradation and desertification, but especially about the solutions, are very divided. To discuss this, the biennial global conference on desertification will take place from 2 to 14 September. This is where policymakers, scientists, NGOs, female and male farmers and pastoralist, herders and companies from all over the world come together. Our colleague Nathalie van Haren is present at the conference and explains why.
After nearly two years of discussions, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries have reached an agreement on reducing their support to some coal plants through their export credit agencies (ECAs). The agreement comes a day after the G20 has reiterated its willingness to reduce inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and only 12 days before the start of COP21, the climate change conference. The agreement, which takes effect in 2017, still allows the most efficient “ultra-supercritical” plants, and less efficient plants in the very poorest countries.
The European Investment Bank EIB should get rid of its gas-investments, and the Netherlands can take the lead in this. The Netherlands appears to be relying less and less on gas in its energy policy, and also seems to focus on gas-free investments at the EIB. Now it is important to maintain this position and also convince the other EU countries.
Our new report titled EU ECA fossil fuel phase-out tracker by Both ENDS, Counter Balance and Oil Change International sheds light on the concerning lack of harmony between EU Member States' export credit climate policies.
The report was updated on April 17th, following new responses by Member States on their respective policies.