News Feeds | ecology.iww.org (2024)

North American Windpower - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 07:21

Nova Clean Energy has acquired HyFuels, a 1 GW portfolio of mid-to-late-stage wind and solar development projects as well as an earlier stage green ammonia project located on the Texas Gulf Coast.

HyFuels, spread over approximately 25,000 acres, has its power supply split evenly between wind and solar. The first phase of the project is expected to reach Full Notice to Proceed next year and commercial operations in 2026.

Nova has entered into a long-term development services agreement with BNB Renewable Energy, from whom Nova acquired HyFuels.

“The Texas grid is going to continue to need a variety of power sources to serve its fast-growing demand,” says Ben Pratt, president of Nova. “Wind paired with solar provides a generation profile that industrial as well as utility customers increasingly want to see. We are excited to work with BNB on this important portfolio.”

The post Nova Acquires 1 GW Wind, Solar Development Asset Portfolio from BNB appeared first on North American Windpower.

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Mountain Association for Community and Economic Development - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 07:08

By Andrea Muñoz

I love it when people tell me that I am a “people person.” This expression is defined as someone who enjoys being with or talking to other people. I don’t think we have an expression like this in Spanish. Indeed, if you used a translation tool it would be “Persona del Pueblo”, which more describes someone who is humble or someonerepresentative of the autochthon, or indigenous, cultures. For me, “people person” makes me think about a combination of loving people and someone that truly belongs where they are.

Andrea (left) with some of her fellow community members at the People Ready kick-off in Spring 2024.

As a “people person,” when I first read about the People Ready Communities project, I was intrigued. An initiative of the Brushy Fork Institute, the concept of People Ready Communities is to add a ‘people’ layer toeconomic development in communities that have been struggling to flourish after historical industries closed down. It prioritizes people – and belonging – in how we attract new industries, businesses and individuals to settle in our communities, because, after all, the process of choosing to locate in a place has many factors, including the human one. Does the community have a workforce aligned with my field? Does the community have the infrastructure; housing, schools, places to visit, access to grocery stores, etc.? Does the community welcome me?

I moved to Whitley County, Kentucky in 2012, and to the United States in 2005. For anyone that moves to a new community, it can be a challenging process. Adapting to an unfamiliar environment is hard, even when you love the new place and you want to be successful. One of the most important things that can ever happen is to find a sense of belonging in your new community.

I joined the People Ready leadership program with other members of my Whitley County community this spring 2024. Our initial workshop was held in Berea in March, where the Whitley County cohort and two other counties, Knox and Letcher County cohorts, came together. We gathered to think about how our communities can improve the local economy by getting ready for new companies that want to bring investment (capital and human) and be able to answer “yes”: we are a People Ready Community.

It was very insightful to discover that most of the people that were participating in this leadership program had the same values even though we come from diverse backgrounds and diverse cultures. We all want to have that sense of belonging. We had so many things we could relate to, and at the end of the day, there were more similarities than differences. We just needed it to have a conversation about it.

Becoming a People Ready Community means that we will become more welcoming: that people that come to our communities feel safe, that they want to come back or even live here, that they belong, and that we belong. I am looking forward to working with my Whitley County team and learning from the other cohorts over the next few months as we each work on our mini projects to support our People Ready visions.

Learn more about this initiative by the Brushy Fork Institute at Berea College: https://www.berea.edu/brushy-fork-institute/people-ready-communities

About the Author:

Andrea joined the Mountain Association in 2024. Originally from Santiago, Chile, she immigrated to New York City in 2005 where she found a new career as a community educator with Cornell University Cooperative Extension in Jamaica Queens. In this position, she worked in a melting pot of cultures and brought this experience with her when she moved to Eastern Kentucky with her family in 2012. Prior to coming to the Mountain Association, Andrea worked for Kentucky State University in sustainable agriculture and nutrition education. She also has gained extensive experience as a Spanish-English interpreter throughout her career.

In her position as Outreach Specialist at the Mountain Association, Andrea focuses on getting the word out about Mountain Association’s programs and other resources. She cares deeply about Eastern Kentucky communities and the culture and sense of belonging here. She also loves to travel, meet new people and learn about their stories. In her free time, Andrea enjoys photographing nature, painting with watercolors and listening to Latin music.

Categories: B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

Delaware Riverkeeper Network - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:53

File: 20240415 - FIMFO FOIA Complaint.pdfOngoing Issues:Camp FIMFO

Categories: G2. Local Greens

Native Organizing - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:51

For Immediate Release: April 15, 2024

Rapid City, SD –In light of the severe health conditions and medical needs of longtime Indigenous political prisoner Leonard Peltier,NDN CollectiveandNative Organizers Allianceare asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to free Peltier through compassionate release.

“At the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit, Attorney General Merrick Garland stood in front of hundreds of Tribal leaders and committed to make Native American civil rights a priority to the Biden administration,”said Nick Tilsen, President and CEO of NDN Collective.“Supporting the compassionate release of Leonard Peltier after nearly five decades of imprisonment would be a clear signal that he intends to make good on that promise.

“Peltier’s civil rights were violated repeatedly throughout his prosecution and imprisonment. His continued incarceration should be considered cruel and unusual punishment,”continued Tilsen.“Will Attorney General Garland be known for being humane and releasing Leonard Peltier, or for letting him die behind bars on his watch? One of these choices will absolutely be a part of Garland’s legacy. Given the recognition of the many prosecutorial and constitutional violations from every level of those involved in his prosecution, the only morally and legally sound action is to release Leonard Peltier now. Every single moment matters.”

“We are asking the Department of Justice to support the compassionate release of Leonard Peltier,”said Judith LeBlanc, Executive Director ofNative Organizers Alliance.“As the longest-serving political prisoner in the United States, Leonard has become a symbol of resilience. At a time when democratic values are being questioned, the DOJ should take action as he nears the end of his life and allow him to return to his family and his ancestral homeland. We implore the DOJ to grant Peltier compassionate release.”

NDN Collective has been actively organizing for the release of Leonard Peltier for years, includingleading a caravanfrom Rapid City, SD to Washington, DC last year where they rallied outside the White House.

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NDN Collectiveis an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.

To Request an Interview Contact:

press@ndncollective.org

Press release originally published here: https://ndncollective.org/indigenous-leaders-call-for-compassionate-release-of-leonard-peltier/

The post Indigenous Leaders Call for Compassionate Release of Leonard Peltier appeared first on Native Organizers Alliance.

Categories: E1. Indigenous

Climate Change News - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:37

Lidy Nacpil is coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD).

Many countries in the Global South are burdened with huge public debts. These rising debts are a drain on public resources that are urgently needed for sustainable development programmes, and further pressure Southern governments to prioritise debt service over climate actions.

Global South countries allocate more funds for debt service – 65% in lower- income countries and 14%in lower-middle-income countries – than their combined budgetary spending for education, health and social protection.

Included among the public debts of Global South countries are those from projects tainted with fraud and whose negative impacts on people, economies and the planet far outweigh the benefits, if any.Furthermore, many debts arose from projects that did not involve democratic consultations nor the free, prior and informed consent of affected communities including indigenous peoples. Prime examples of these debts are those arising from or related to fossil fuel projects. These debts should be seen and treated as illegitimate.

World Bank climate funding greens African hotels while fishermen sink

For several decades, international financial institutions and public finance institutions have lent hundreds of billions of dollars to Southern governments to support fossil-fuel energy projects. Many of the loans extended by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and other public finance institutions such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), remain part of the current outstanding public debts.

There is already a clear consensus among governments and many public financial institutions that fossil fuel energy – from its extraction, production and consumption – is the main driver of climate change.

This is evidenced by outcomes from the Conference of Parties (COPs) summits of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, calling for the phase-out or transition away from fossil fuels, as well as outcomes from G7 and G20 summits committing to the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies. Individual governments including China and Korea, have announced decisions to stop their financing of overseas coal projects. Further evidence is in the decisions made by public financial institutions to stop or phase out financing of coal and fossil fuels.

These decisions, commitments and policy shifts should be taken as acknowledgement of their co-responsibility in the promotion of fossil fuels and the harms fossil fuel projects have caused to people, communities, the environment and climate systems.

Owning up to their co-responsibility for fossil fuel projects and their impacts, and consistent with their avowed commitments to combat climate change, governments and public financial institutions, including international financial institutions, should cancel all outstanding public debts that arose from fossil fuel projects. These outstanding debts may be transformed into grants for renewable energy systems.

UN climate chief calls for “quantum leap in climate finance”

The same can be said for private banks,financial and investment institutions and corporations that have lent money to governments for fossil fuel projects. Many have also recognised fossil fuels as the main drivers of climate change and have shifted their policies towards reducing or phasing down their lending and investments in coal and fossil fuels.

From April 17 to 19, the IMF and the World Bank (IMF-WB)will hold their Spring Meetings in Washington D.C. These meetings take place amidst an ever-worsening debt crisis, most harshly felt by 3.3 billion people living under governments that spend more on interest payments than education or health.

Bankruptcy risk from climate spending

A new report released on the eve of the meetings found that developing countries will pay a record $400 billion to service external debt this year. It said climate spending could bankrupt developing countries due to huge debt costs and called for debt forgiveness for those most at risk. The report from the Debt Relief for Green and Inclusive Recovery Project (DRGR) warned 47 developing nations would reach external debt insolvency thresholds in the next five years if they invested the necessary amounts to meet the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement goals.

Spring Meetings can jump-start financial reform for food and climate

It is deplorable that the IMF-WB continues to push loans as the solution to multiple crises facing developing countries, including loans for climate action. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when financial resources were most urgently needed, they supported and promoted the debt relief schemes of the G20 and Paris Club for the mere postponement of debt payments. These have all but proven flawed and futile. The suspended payments fall due in 2025 – by which time debt accumulation will have sped up even more. Private and commercial lenders, who now hold over 60% of sovereign debt, remain free to refuse participation in debt reduction.

Total public debt, domestic and external, reached $92 trillion in 2022, increasing five-fold since 2000. Southern governments account for almost one-third of the total debt and are accumulating debt much faster than their richer counterparts. The number of countries with public debt levels exceeding 60% of GDP continues to rise, from 22 in 2011 to 59 in 2022. The long-term public external debts alone of low- and middle-income countries, excluding China, amount to a staggering $3.3 trillion.

The consequences of World Bank projects, coupled with IMF neoliberal, policies have been devastating for vulnerable communities in the Global South. Large-scale infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank have led to displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods and destruction of ecosystems, and in the process, deepened inequality and impoverishment. Its fossil fuel subsidies and project loans impacted communities already struggling to survive economic hardships and environmental degradation. It also continues to subsidise the fossil fuel industry through direct and indirect financing, estimated at $885 million in 2022 and at least $194 million in 2023.

The World Bank and the IMF, now in their eighth decade of committing to fight poverty, have yet to account for loans that are clearly illegitimate and must be canceled outright, nor for harsh loan conditionalities that have deepened inequality and impoverishment.

The post Fossil fuel debts are illegitimate and must be cancelled appeared first on Climate Home News.

Categories: H. Green News

Pittsburgh Green New Deal - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:29

เกมสล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนระบบออโต้ ไม่จำกัดทุน ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น

เกมสล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนระบบออโต้ ไม่จำกัดทุน ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น 1688upx เว็บสล็อตออนไลน์ถูกกฎหมาย ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ ที่มีความมั่นคงทางด้านการเงิน มีความปลอดภัยสูง อีกทั้งยังมีการบริการความสนุกของเกมสล็อตออนไลน์แบบครบวงจร มีเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ให้เลือกเล่นแบบไม่อั้น หลากหลายความสนุก หลากหลายค่ายเกม การันตีความสนุกสุดคุ้ม เกมคุณภาพดี โบนัสแตกง่าย จ่ายเงินรางวัลไม่อั้น

เพลิดเพลินไปพร้อมกับเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ ลิขสิทธิ์แท้ จากค่ายเกมโดยตรง ได้มากกว่า 3000+ เกม ชนะรางวัลง่าย จ่ายเงินรางวัลสุดคุ้ม เล่นเกมได้อย่างอิสระ โดยไม่จำกัดทุนในการร่วมสนุก พร้อมทั้งยังมีการอัพเดทเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ใหม่ๆ มาบริการให้ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน ได้ร่วมลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลสุดคุ้มไปใช้ได้ก่อนใครอย่างสม่ำเสมออีกด้วย นอกจากนี้ ยังมีระบบการฝากถอนที่ทันสมัย เข้าใช้งานง่ายมากยิ่งขึ้น

กับระบบการฝากถอนเงินออโต้ ที่มีความมั่นคง สะดวก รวดเร็วทันใจมากยิ่งขึ้น ให้อิสระในการฝากถอนเงินในการเล่นเกมของผู้เล่นทุกท่านอย่างเต็มที่ สามารถถอนเงินรางวัล จากการเล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ไปใช้ได้จริงอย่างแน่นอน เล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้เงินง่าย บริการครบวงจร ถอนเงินได้จริง 1688upx ไม่ผิดหวัง เว็บตรง มั่นคง ปลอดภัย เข้าใช้งานง่าย

เว็บไซต์คุณภาพดีการันตีความสนุก เกมสล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนระบบออโต้ ไม่จำกัดทุน ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น

เล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ได้อย่างมั่นใจ เข้าใช้งานง่าย ถอนเงินรางวัลได้แบบไม่อั้น มีการบริการที่หลากหลายแบบครบวงจร กับเว็บไซต์ 1688upx เว็บสล็อตออนไลน์ ถูกกฎหมาย มีใบเซอร์รับรองการเปิดใช้งาน เว็บตรง ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ ที่มีความมั่นคง และมีความปลอดภัย มีเงินสำรองจ่ายรางวัล ให้กับผู้เล่นทุกท่านแบบไม่อั้น

คัดสรรเกมสล็อตออนไลน์คุณภาพดี ลิขสิทธิ์แท้ ได้เงินง่าย มากบริการ ให้ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน ได้ร่วมสนุก ร่วมลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลสุดคุ้มกันอย่างเพลิดเพลิน มากกว่า 3000+ เกมเลยทีเดียว โดยการลงเดิมพัน เล่นเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ กับเว็บไซต์ 1688upx ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน สามารถเลือกเบทเดิมพัน ปรับเบทเดิมพันในการเล่นเกมได้ด้วยตนเองได้อย่างอิสระ โดยไม่จำกัดทุนในการร่วมลงเดิมพัน

โดยการลงเดิมพัน จะมีเบทเดิมพัน เริ่มต้นเพียงแค่ 1 บาทเท่านั้น แม้จะมีทุนน้อย หรือมีทุนในการเล่นที่จำกัด ก็สามารถเข้ามาร่วมสนุก ร่วมลงเดิมพัน รับเงินรางวัลกันได้อย่างจุใจ และนอกจากนี้ ในปัจจุบัน เว็บไซต์ของเรา ยังมีการบริการ พัฒนาระบบการฝากถอน ให้เป็นระบบการฝากถอนเงินออโต้ ที่มีความมั่นคง สะดวก รวดเร็วทันใจมากิ่งขึ้นอีกด้วย กับระบบการฝากถอนเงินออโต้

ที่ผู้เล่นสามารถทำรายการฝากถอนได้ง่ายๆด้วยตนเอง ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น พร้อมทั้งยังมีการรองรับการฝากถอนผ่านทรูวอเลท และธนาคารชั้นนำทั่วโลกอีกด้วย สะดวกต่อการเข้าใช้งาน ไม่ว่าใครก็สามารถเข้ามาร่วมสนุก รับเงินรางวัลได้ไม่อั้น

แจกเครดิตฟรีสุดคุ้มกับเว็บไซต์1688upx

พิเศาสุดคุ้ม กดรับโปรโมชั่นสุดพิเศษได้อย่างจุใจ กับเว็บไซต์ 1688upx ที่พร้อมจพมอบความสุข ความสนุกสุดคุ้ม ให้กับผู้เล่นทุกท่านแบบไม่อั้น รับเครดิตฟรีสุดพิเศษได้มากมาย เพียงแค่ท่านสมัครเข้ามาร่วมสนุก เป็นสมาชิกกับเว็บไซต์ของเราในวันนี้ รับโปรโมชั่นแจกเครดิตฟรีได้ทันที นอกจากนี้ ยังมีโบนัสคืนยอดเสียทุกเดือน สะสมเงินจากยอดเล่นเสีย เรียกได้ว่าคุ้มค่าสุดๆ สมัครเลยวันนี้ โอกาสดีๆของทุกท่านมาถึงแล้ว

โปรโมชั่นแจกเครดิตฟรี

• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 10 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 100 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 20 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 100 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 50 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 100 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 70 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 100 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 100 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 200 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 150 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 300 บาท
• สมาชิกใหม่ รับโปรโมชั่น ฝากเงิน 300 บาท รับเครดิตฟรีทันที 500 บาท
• โบนัสคืนยอดเสีย 10%
• โบนัสวันเกิด 10%

นอกจากโปรโมชั่นแจกเครดิตฟรีสุดคุ้มแล้ว และโบนัสต่างๆ ที่จะมอบให้กับผู้เล่นทุกท่านแล้ว เว็บไซต์ 1688upx ของเรา ยังมีกิจกรรมต่างๆ ให้ผู้เล่นทุกท่าน ได้ร่วมสนุก ร่วมรับรางวัลสุดพิเศษได้มากมายแบบไม่อั้นอีกด้วย ร่วมสนุกได้อย่างเพลิดเพลิน รับรางวัลได้อย่างมั่นใจ กับเว็บไซต์ที่ดีที่สุด 1688upx

Credit สล็อตเว็บตรง

อ่านบทความน่าสนใจเพิ่มเติม

The post เกมสล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนระบบออโต้ ไม่จำกัดทุน ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น appeared first on climateworkers.org.

Categories: B3. EcoSocialism

Yale Environment 360 - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:13

More than 80 years after the iconic Xerces Blue butterfly vanished from San Francisco, researchers have analyzed century-old specimens to track down its closest living relative, the Silvery Blue. Last week, they released a handful of Silvery Blues on the western edge of the city, where Xerces Blues once thrived.

Read more on E360 →

Categories: H. Green News

Utility Dive - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:04

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Utility Dive - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:03

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Anthropocene Magazine - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:00

Climate change is already increasing food prices and overall inflation, and these effects are likely to accelerate in the future, according to a new study.

The findings add heft to a growing collection of research on the effects of climate change on the economy. In this area, climate-related inflation has been relatively under-studied—a key oversight “because rising or unstable prices threaten economic and human welfare as well as political stability,” researchers from the European Central Bank and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research write in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

The analysis rests on more than 27,000 month-by-month data points on prices of food and other consumer goods since 1996 gathered from 121 nations around the world. The researchers combined this information with data on temperature and other climate factors, controlling for a suite of variables to identify likely causal links between changes in weather and higher food prices.

In 2022, for example, a severe summer heat wave in Europe reduced food supplies and triggered an increase of two-thirds of a percentage point in food prices and one-third of a percentage point of overall inflation.

Of the various climate factors analyzed, increases in average monthly temperature have the strongest effect on food prices, the researchers found. But increases in the day-to-day variability of temperatures from day to day and floods also contribute to boosting food prices.

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The researchers then used data from climate models to forecast the effect of future climate change on food prices and overall inflation. Several previous studies have used historical weather data to identify the impacts of changing climate parameters on inflation. But this is the first to run the tape forward and calculate implications for the future.

Climate change could cause food prices to increase by 1.5 to 1.8 percentage points annually by the middle of the next decade, the researchers report. The lower number reflects a best-case (that is, lowest greenhouse gas emissions) scenario, and the higher number a worst-case (highest emissions) scenario. Overall inflation is projected to increase 0.8-0.9 percentage points annually by 2035 due to climate change.

Shorter term, more irregular price shocks are also likely to come from increased frequency and intensity of extreme heat. The level of average warming projected for 2035 could result in heat waves with effects on prices 30-50% greater than those of the 2022 European heat wave, they calculated.

Climate-related inflation is projected to occur all over the world. It is likely to be most pronounced in regions that are already hot—including many countries of the Global South that have contributed relatively little to historical emissions and have less climate resilience. But climate inflation is likely to pack a wallop even in the Global North, the researchers found.

Looking further into the future, low-emission and high-emission scenarios diverge, underscoring the importance of climate action to hold climate inflation in check. By 2060, inflation due to climate change is projected to raise food prices by 2.2-4.3 percentage points annually, depending on the emissions scenario, and boost overall inflation by 1.1 to 2.2 percentage points yearly.

“Our results suggest that climate change is likely to alter inflation seasonality, increase inflation volatility, inflation heterogeneity and place persistent pressures on inflation levels,” the researchers write.

Source: Kotz M.et al.“Global warming and heat extremes to enhance inflationary pressures.”Communications Earth & Environment2024.

Image: ©Anthropocene Magazine

Categories: B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

Western Environmental Law Center - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:00

American Rivers today named the Rivers of New Mexico #1 on its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that left virtually all of the state’s streams and wetlands vulnerable to pollution and harmful development.

The May 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA dramatically reduced federal clean water protections for streams and wetlands nationwide–arguably harming New Mexico the most of all the states. This federal action opens the door to devastating pollution and habitat damage, with potential harmful downstream impacts to the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan, and Pecos rivers.

“Protecting New Mexico’s most precious resource–our rivers, streams, and wetlands–is at a crossroad,” said Tannis Fox, senior attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center. “With the Supreme Court’s dismantling of Clean Water Act protections, it is now up to states to fully protect their waters. Thank you to American Rivers for recognizing the heightened threat we face here in New Mexico. We hope this helps further galvanize public, legislative, and executive support for the state to fill the regulatory gap left in the wake of Sackett.”

“People depend on this water. We have depended on this water for hundreds of years. This is our tradition, this is our culture. We don’t want to be a people that loses its traditions because we haven’t taken the right steps to protect our rivers,” said Vicente Fernandez, acequia mayordomo and community leader. “Our acequia has been a vital part of our community. It provides water for irrigation and watering of animals, so the importance of this river is great. Without this river, we would not be able to survive. It is very important to our culture and our traditional way of life.”

“Santa Fe’s drinking water depends on strong protections for small streams that feed into the Santa Fe River and the Rio Grande. The Sackett decision has stripped away those protections and our residents are now at risk,” said Anna Hansen, Santa Fe County Commission.

The state’s commitment and proven record of protecting its clean water and remarkable natural resources is more important now than ever. The Sackett court decision scaled back national Clean Water Act safeguards to include protections only for “relatively permanent” streams, and wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to those streams. This means that streams that only run during the rainy season or for periods of the year after snowmelt– which is very typical in New Mexico – fall outside the Clean Water Act protections. And, in New Mexico, the majority of wetlands have an intermittent surface connection to streams or a groundwater connection, and therefore New Mexico wetlands–which provide important ecological services–are at grave risk.

In addition, because New Mexico doesn’t have a state surface water permitting program in place yet to ensure its rivers are appropriately protected, clean water advocates in New Mexico have called on the State of New Mexico to develop, fund, and implement a state surface water permitting program to protect at-risk rivers, streams and wetlands that lost federal protections due to the Supreme Court ruling.

“Anyone who lives here knows the importance of protecting our waterways. And our waterways don’t always have water in them, and we know that they only flow some times throughout the year. But that doesn’t mean they are any less deserving of protection,” said Beata Tsosie-Peña, Breath of My Heart Birthplace. “The Southwest is really vulnerable to losing these kinds of protections. Because our watersheds are so precious, any kind of impact to our waterways, whether they are a river system or a pathway into that river system, have to stay protected if we want our communities to stay healthy.”

New Mexico’s rivers and streams are the lifeblood of the state’s economy, environment, cultural history, and quality of life. In addition to sustaining life for plants and animals, rivers and streams provide a source of clean drinking water for a majority of New Mexico’s population. Clean water from rivers and streams is essential for New Mexico’s acequias, or community ditches, which are integral to New Mexico’s traditions and economy. A large portion of the state’s multi-billion-dollar recreation economy–which includes rafting, fishing, boating, and hunting–is dependent on healthy rivers and clean water.

“My father started our family’s fly fishing business over 40 years ago. Our success as a family and a business is directly tied to clean water,” said Nick Streit, owner, Taos Fly Shop and The Reel Life. “I take people fishing, and for people to have fun they need to catch fish, and fish need clean water and healthy streams. Waste treatment plants, old mining claims, all of these things can devastate a stream if left unchecked.”

“The Supreme Court ruling flies in the face of established science and ignores the value that small streams and wetlands have to their broader watersheds, communities, and economies, particularly in places with dry climates like New Mexico,” said Matt Rice, Southwest regional director for American Rivers. “The State of New Mexico needs strong public support to ensure we’re able to safeguard these streams and rivers for today’s communities and future generations.”

The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers(r) report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.

“The Rivers of New Mexico are vital lifelines and symbols of resilience and interconnectedness that must be protected to ensure a sustainable water future for both wildlife and communities,” Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM) said. “As the Rivers of New Mexico are the #1 most endangered in the U.S., this isn’t just a local issue but a national call to action for sustainable water management and environmental stewardship. After the Sackett v. EPA decision left over 90% of New Mexico’s waters unprotected, we must create a statewide program that protects these vital lifelines.”

Several New Mexico rivers have been listed in past reports for issues ranging from outdated water management plans to mining and pollution. Most recently, these include the Rio Gallinas (2023), Pecos River (2021), and the Gila River (2019 and 2014).

American Rivers reviews nominations for America’s Most Endangered Rivers® from local groups and individuals across the country, and selects rivers based on three criteria:

1) The river’s significance to people and wildlife

2) The magnitude of the threat to the river and communities, especially in light of climate change and environmental injustice

3) A decision in the next 12 months that the public can influence

America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2024

#1: Rivers of New Mexico

Threat: Loss of federal clean water protections

#2: Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers (MS)

Threat: Yazoo Pumps project threatens wetlands

#3: Duck River (TN)

Threat: Excessive water use

#4: Santa Cruz River (AZ, Mexico)

Threat: Water scarcity, climate change

#5 Little Pee Dee River (NC, SC)

Threat: Harmful development, highway construction

#6 Farmington River (CT, MA)

Threat: Hydro dam

#7: Trinity River (CA)

Threat: Outdated water management

#8: Kobuk River (AK)

Threat: Road construction, mining

#9 Tijuana River (CA, Mexico)

Threat: Pollution

#10: Blackwater River (WV)

Threat: Highway development

Contacts:

Tannis Fox, Western Environmental Law Center, 505-660-7642, fox@westernlaw.org

Matt Rice, American Rivers, 803-422-5244

Rachel Conn, Amigos Bravos, 575-770-8327

Tricia Snyder, New Mexico Wild, 575-636-0625

Beata Tsosie-Peña, Breath of My Heart Birthplace, 505-927-1847

Kayleigh Warren, Tewa Women United, 505-927-4376

Dan Roper, Trout Unlimited, 541-841-0946

Vicente Fernandez, Acequia Mayordomo, 575-779-8569

Elle Benson, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, 575-915-6620

The post Most Endangered Rivers Report for 2024 names rivers of New Mexico #1 appeared first on Western Environmental Law Center.

Categories: G1. Progressive Green

Utility Dive - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 06:00

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Utility Dive - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 05:01

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Survival International - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 03:28

Categories: E1. Indigenous

Rocky Mountain Institute - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 03:00

Indonesia, a country of 270 million people but with a land mass only one-fifth the size of the United States, is one of the top 10 greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters in the world. In 2023, over 60 percent of its electricity came from coal-fired power plants but at the same time Indonesia has significant renewable energy (RE) potential with an estimated 3,600 gigawatts (GW) of untapped RE potential. Although, the country’s GHG per capita emission is far lower compared to top 10 emitters, with rising population and energy demand, the need to switch to clean energy is crucial.

Fortunately, Indonesia is rising to the challenge, and its journey toward decarbonization serves as a compelling case study, offering valuable insights into the complexities and challenges of transitioning away from coal. At the forefront of this endeavor is the Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan (CIPP), a groundbreaking initiative that sets forth Indonesia’s investment and policy priorities to achieve ambitious emissions reduction targets such as peaking on-grid power generations emissions at 250 MtCO2 by 2030 and near zero by 2050 under the Just Energy Transition Partnership. The CIPP represents a milestone in Indonesia’s decarbonization efforts, marking a strategic shift toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

Comprised of technical, financial, policy, and just transition sections, the CIPP distinctly addresses the country’s transition through each of those lenses. By delineating clear priorities and pathways, the plan provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of transition planning. However, it comes along with a series of challenges.

Challenges of Coal to Clean

A critical aspect of Indonesia’s energy transition lies in its grid dynamics, particularly in regions like Java-Bali, where overcapacity and locked-in coal contracts pose challenges to integrating increasing amounts of carbon-free electricity because it creates an inflexible and under-utilized grid. For example, the reserve margin — the difference between the available generating capacity and the peak demand for electricity — in this region in 2022 was 76 percent, more than double that of international standards. To increase the share of renewables in the system while maintaining a reliable and affordable electricity supply, the Indonesian grid needs to operate with more flexibility and efficiency.

Furthermore, the lack of transparency surrounding coal contracts complicates efforts to reduce coal capacity and operate existing plants more flexibly. Decision makers understand that the current coal plant compensation scheme heavily disincentivizes a flexible plant operation, due to the take-or-pay clauses in contracts. Negotiations with independent power producers are crucial .for mitigating the financial burden that the take-or-pay scheme imposes on PLN — the Indonesian state-owned utility and grid operator — obliging PLN to pay for the agreed-upon availability factor regardless of the actual generation. In addition, regulated technical parameters and hurdles, such as the minimum operating load for coal plants defined by PLN and grid stability concerns as the share of variable renewable energy increases over time, further exacerbate the transition process.

Coupled with regulatory barriers, financial considerations loom large in Indonesia’s decarbonization journey, particularly for PLN. Operating within strict financial constraints, PLN faces daunting challenges in financing the transition away from coal. Ensuring the long-term financial health of PLN is paramount to the success of decarbonization efforts, necessitating careful planning and strategic decision-making.

Rethinking Analytical Approaches

The reality is that these issues are interdependent and must be evaluated as a whole, as shown in RMI’s analysis. Further iterations of the CIPP and detailed implementation plans will seek to address these dependencies by answering questions like: What financial mechanisms will alleviate PLN’s financing constraints while lowering the cost of solving technical barriers to clean energy integration? How can policy and regulation play a role in ensuring grid stability and improvement of PLN’s bottom line during the transition, by incentivizing flexible operation of coal plants?

These challenges are not unique to Indonesia but are shared by many countries grappling with coal phaseout, such as South Africa, The Philippines, and Colombia. The interplay between technical, financial, policy, and just transition factors underscores the need for integrated analysis and optimization to develop strategies that are attractive and feasible to all stakeholders. It can do this by balancing economic viability, environmental imperatives, and support to impacted communities.

Embracing an Integrated Analysis

Traditional analytical approaches used in investment planning thus far are not well suited to inform the relationships between financing strategies, techno-economic considerations, and policy options. Generally, analyses performed for investment planning come in two opposite “flavors” that lead to siloing. On one end of the spectrum, there are system-wide high level national studies; and on the other there are detailed plant-level analyses. While each of these has their merits and appropriate uses, they fail to capture the holistic picture necessary for crafting actionable strategies, like those needed to create feasible and attractive investment plans, if they do not consider techno-economic, operational, and financial issues in tandem.

However, system-wide studies often only outline overarching goals and targets, and are either too complex for or lack the specificity needed for practical implementation, especially regarding financing the managed phase-out of coal plants. Conversely, plant-level analyses offer detailed insights on a viable managed phase-out strategy for one plant and its financials, but often overlook its broader implications on the grid and overall decarbonization efforts. There is no one-size-fits-all solution in decarbonizing a grid, and this typical fragmentation results in a gap between theoretical planning and real-world execution, hindering the execution of successful decarbonization strategies.

Enter the “middle of the road” approach — a portfolio-driven strategy that looks at the transition from coal to clean energy sources with a holistic perspective. This approach involves analyzing the aggregate impact of a portfolio of transitioned coal plants, rather than focusing solely on individual plants or on the entire system. The key with this approach is adjusting the boundaries of the analysis. By defining the right scope, stakeholders can more easily incorporate complex considerations of policy, finance, and operations into their decisions. This will lead to a more accurate depiction of the transition landscape than plant-level modeling and a set of more actionable insights than system-level modeling.

Application on the Indonesian Context

So how can Indonesia and other geographies benefit from a “middle of the road” integrated analysis? Transition planning and decision-making is, in essence, an optimization problem. Regulatory frameworks, financial mechanisms, operational conditions, and policy landscapes all play into the constraints of this optimization problem, and if not considered holistically, can lead to suboptimal, undesirable, or infeasible outcomes. Complicated system-wide models make this task difficult to achieve and implementing them only at plant-level analyses is insufficient.

Let’s take a piece-by-piece approach to how this integrated approach can be utilized.

• First, techno-economic considerations come into play. Options like repurposing and flexible operation retrofits or renewable energy can be considered to provide the most cost-effective pathway for the portfolio as a whole, with the aggregate impact to system costs being a key output metric.
• Secondly, grid operations would need to be satisfied for the system as a whole. This could be envisioned in the form of a grid dispatch model that optimizes the system cost while maintaining resource adequacy. For instance, if very expensive resources like diesel are needed to maintain reliability under a certain decision, then that decision is probably not optimal even if it is the cheapest for a single coal plant.
• Thirdly and equally important, the impact to corporate financials of the utility or plant owner will determine the financial feasibility of a pathway. For example, in Indonesia, PLN requires very cautious financial management to stay healthy, so any decision-making process must be carefully crafted to ensure that the solution is financially viable.
• Finally, policy sensitivities that could influence the techno-economic or financial results must be considered, informed by the specific context. For example:
  • Interaction of policies that could affect capital expenditure, power purchase agreement prices, financing needs, or costs of capital
  • Effect of changing the fossil fuel subsidies to energy end uses or to low-income electricity customers (e.g., in Indonesia it could mean establishing an unsubsidized coal price)
  • Modernizing the regulation of the utility’s revenue formulas (to improve cost recovery or incentivize clean energy)

Paving the Way Forward

To advance toward an energy future that keeps the lights on, lowers emissions and costs, maintains a reliable grid, and is feasible and attractive to implement, investment planning must go beyond techno-economics and consider the variety of factors that could affect the outcome of a coal-to-clean transition. By considering techno-economic, operational, financial, and policy factors in tandem, stakeholders can develop robust and implementable strategies for transitioning from coal to clean energy sources.

As Indonesia continues to refine its CIPP and other geographies embark on similar journeys, the importance of integrated analysis cannot be overstated. It is through such holistic approaches that we can pave the way toward a sustainable and resilient energy future. RMI’s work in integrating the effects of finance in techno-economic and operational aspects of transition planning, as well as its developed tools in analyzing coal phase-out and clean energy development could support further iterations of Indonesia’s CIPP and provide continuous assistance to utilities in other emerging markets as they navigate the complexities of an optimal coal-to-clean transition plan.

The post Why an Integrated Approach Is Needed for the Transition from Coal to Clean appeared first on RMI.

Categories:

Resilience - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 02:54

Categories: B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

Resilience - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 02:19

Categories: B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

Ecologist - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 02:02

Categories: H. Green News

Audubon Society - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 01:07

Categories: G3. Big Green

Climate Change News - Tue, 04/16/2024 - 01:00

The spotless white-sand beach of Le Lamantin luxury resort in Saly, about 90 kilometres south of Senegal’s capital Dakar, is lined with neat rows of sun loungers and parasols. Here, holidaymakers enjoy jet-skiing, catamaran-sailing and spa therapy, unaware that their hotel is benefiting from international climate finance channelled through the World Bank Group.

Just a few kilometres further south, however, local fishermen in Mbour, the country’s second-largest fishing port, are struggling. The beaches where they keep their boats are being progressively eaten away by rising seas that also threaten their homes.

The stark contrast between the neighbouring coastal areas highlights how global funding for climate projects – largely taxpayers’ money from rich countries – often fails to help those shouldering the burden of warming impacts, especially when it is being used to mobilise more private investment for green aims.

“They prioritise Saly because the hotels are wealthy,” said Saliou Diouf, a retired fisherman who lost his house in Mbour to encroaching waves. “The World Bank should help the most vulnerable.”

Map showing the location of the neighbouring communities of Saly and Mbour on Senegal’s coast (Graphic: Fanis Kollias)

Le Lamantin is one of a dozen upscale hotels in sub-Saharan Africa acquired by Mauritius-based Kasada Hospitality Fund LP – whose investors are Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and multinational hotel giant Accor – which it is revamping in accordance with EDGE, a green building certification created by the World Bank.

Kasada was granted over $190 million in guarantees by the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and loans of up to $160 million by its private-sector lender, the International Finance Corporation, to help it snap up hotels across Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Namibia and Senegal, and spruce them up as Accor brands like Mövenpick.

The Mövenpick Resort Lamantin Saly, where a standard hotel room costs about £220 a night (Photo: Jack Thompson)

MIGA, the little-known insurance arm of the World Bank Group, has counted its backing for the hotels as part of its climate efforts for the past three years, according to annual sustainability reports.

The five-star resort in the West African nation of Senegal, where rooms cost at least £220 a night ($270), is being refurbished to consume at least 20% less energy and water than other comparable buildings by its owner Kasada, which expects it to obtain EDGE certification this year.

Teresa Anderson, global lead on climate justice for ActionAid International, told Climate Home it is “shocking that what little funds there are for climate action are benefiting luxury hotels”.

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Una publicación compartida de Mövenpick Resort Lamantin Saly (@movenpicklamantinsaly)

“Climate finance must be used to help those most vulnerable – not to help the world’s wealthiest add a climate hashtag to their Instagram posts by the pool,” she said.

MIGA told Climate Home its support for Kasada is primarily aimed at developing Senegal’s tourism sector and creating jobs, adding that refurbishing hotels can also have beneficial climate impacts and play an important role in decarbonising the hospitality industry.

Mbour, just a few miles from the pristine beaches of Saly, is the second-largest fishing hub in Senegal with 11,000 fishers. (Photo: Jack Thompson)

‘The money is missing’

In nearby Mbour, however, the fishing community feels left behind.

“I was born here, I grew up here – when I was a child, the sea only came up to the last pole,” Diouf told Climate Home, pointing to the remnants of a Portuguese-built pontoon used to moor colonial ships in the 1800s.

In just one generation, he said, the sea has gobbled up more than 100 metres of beach in Mbour, forcing 30 families to abandon their houses and threatening hundreds more. A quarter of the Senegalese coastline – home to 60% of the population – is at high risk of erosion.

Mbour’s fast-disappearing shore is a crisis for its 11,000 fishers as big swells destroy their boats, crammed into the remaining patch of sand.

But in Saly, it’s a different story. Here, between 2017 and 2022, under a separate project, the World Bank invested $74 million in beach protection, building 19 stone walls, groynes and breakwaters to reclaim 8-9 kilometres of hotel-lined beachfront, popular with tourists.

The World Bank Group said the project helped preserve around 15,000 direct and indirect jobs by saving tourism infrastructure, while also protecting two fishing villages in Saly.

Satellite data shows the changing coastline in Saly (north), where protective infrastructure was developed, and Mbour (south), which has none. (Photo: Modified Copernicus Sentinel data [2024]/Sentinel Hub)

Kasada told Climate Home, meanwhile, that Le Lamantin hotel has so far created about 50 direct jobs of different types for people living near Saly, with MIGA also pointing to indirect employment stimulated by the resort such as agriculture, handicrafts and transport.

The World Bank Group (WBG) said its units work together to avoid trade-offs. “It’s not to either support hotels and the tourism sector as a driver of development, or to enhance the resilience of local communities – the WBG does both,” it said in a written response to Climate Home.

But fishermen in Mbour – which was outside the scope of the Saly coastal protection infrastructure project – are not benefiting from that approach, and even say the works in Saly have exacerbated erosion in their area. The Mbour artisanal fisheries council has devised a climate adaptation strategy to address the problem.

One of its coordinators, Moustapha Senghor, said seawalls and breakwaters are needed, but there are no funds for what would amount to “a colossal investment”. “We know exactly what we need to do, but the money is missing,” he said.

Sea level rise is threatening beach-side homes and swallowing coconut trees that protect the coastline in Mbour, Senegal. (Photo: Jack Thompson)

Private-sector trillions

Governments and climate justice activists are putting pressure on the World Bank to significantly step up its role in funding climate projects, especially to help the most vulnerable countries and communities.

For the past three years, a group of countries led by Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called for reforms so that the bank can better address climate change.

At the same time, wealthy nations have been reluctant to inject more capital into its coffers, while attempts at tinkering with the balance sheet to squeeze out more climate cash only go so far.

For World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, the real solution lies in greater private-sector involvement, using scarce public money as a lever to help mobilise huge dollar sums for climate and development goals this decade.

“We know that governments and multilateral institutions and philanthropies all working together will still fall short of providing the trillions that we will require annually for climate, for fragility, for inequality in the world. We therefore need the private sector,” Banga told media ahead of this week’s annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

MIGA’s guarantees can be a key driver of climate investments in developing countries. (Graphic: Fanis Kollias)

Following suggestions from a group of CEOs convened by Banga, the World Bank Group announced in February a major overhaul of its guarantee business to enable “improved access and faster execution”. The goal is to triple issuances, including those from MIGA, to $20 billion by 2030, with a significant proportion of that expected to support green projects.

MIGA – as a provider of guarantees aimed at encouraging private capital into developing countries – may not be the obvious choice to help low-income communities like Mbour’s fishers.

But, in its 2023 sustainability report, the agency wrote: “because the poorest are the most vulnerable to climate change, MIGA is working to mobilize more private finance to scale up climate adaptation, resilience and preparedness”.

Last year, less than one percent of MIGA’s total guarantees directly supported climate adaptation measures, according to its annual report.

The guarantees generally act as a form of political risk insurance, making an investment less risky and giving companies access to cheaper loans as a result.

MIGA’s 2023 sustainability report showcases the Kasada-owned hotels as an example of its efforts to “rapidly ramp up” private capital for climate action, with the agency providing its highest volume of climate finance last year.

Struggle to fund adaptation

But some experts argue the World Bank Group should be targeting its efforts more closely on communities who are struggling to survive as global warming exacerbates extreme weather and rising seas.

Vijaya Ramachandran, a director at the Breakthrough Institute, a California-based environmental research centre, said projects like the Kasada-backed hotels are “not where the dollars are best spent from a climate perspective”.

Ramachandran, a former World Bank economist, co-authored a study last year analysing the climate portfolio of the bank’s public-sector lending arms, which exclude MIGA. It found a lack of clarity over what constitutes a climate project and showed that hundreds of projects had been tagged as climate finance despite having little to do with emissions-reduction efforts or adaptation.

Ramachandran told Climate Home that, in the case of MIGA’s backing for the African hotels, Kasada “should just be doing the energy saving itself as part of its own efforts to address climate change”.

Holidaymakers enjoy a spacious, ocean-side pool at the five-star Le Lamantin resort in Saly, Senegal. (Photo: Jack Thompson)

Olivier Granet and David Damiba, managing partners of Kasada Capital Management, told Climate Home the hotel investment fund had always planned to be “a leader in energy and water efficiency in its properties”.

But, they added, the financial and technical support of MIGA and the IFC had helped them implement their strategy “further and more easily”, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight Kasada-owned hotels have already been certified under EDGE and the rest are expected to achieve the standard this year, they noted.

Ramachandran said making hotels energy-efficient is a good thing – “but from a public finance perspective, for poorer African countries the focus should be on adaptation and making them more resilient”.

Around the world, measures to help people adjust to the devastating impacts of climate change, from fiercer floods and drought to sea-level rise, have been chronically underfunded.

Developing countries need an estimated $387 billion a year to carry out their current adaptation plans, but in 2021 they received only $24.6 billion in international adaptation finance, according to the latest figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

MIGA to miss climate target?

Once regarded by campaigners as the “World Bank’s dirtiest wing” for its support of fossil fuels, MIGA has come under mounting pressure to shift its subsidies in a greener direction, in line with broader institutional goals.

In response, the agency has committed to throw more of its financial weight behind projects that aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions or alleviate the impacts of climate change.

In 2020, it revealed a plan to dedicate at least 35% of its guarantees to climate projects on average from fiscal year 2021 through 2025, embracing a target set by the wider World Bank Group.

MIGA conceded at the time this would be “a challenge” – and it now looks likely to fall short of the goal. In 2023, climate finance represented 28% of its guaranteed investments.

According to the agency’s 2023 sustainability report, 31 out of 40 projects it supported with guarantees last year had a climate mitigation or adaptation component, but it did not disclose what percentage of each was counted as climate finance.

Meanwhile, over the last three years, MIGA has backed three gas-fired power plants in Mozambique and Bangladesh, while it is also planning to support an additional one in Togo.

In monetary terms, MIGA’s annual provision of climate guarantees has risen from just over $1 billion in 2019 to $1.5 billion in 2023, pushing up the total size of its climate portfolio to $8.4 billion. But the headline numbers only paint a partial picture, clouded by a lack of transparency in the data.

MIGA’s portfolio of climate investments has grown in the past six years. (Photo: MIGA Climate Change)

In response to Climate Home’s request for a full list of MIGA’s climate projects, the agency said it could not disclose the information for confidentiality reasons.

“Our clients are private-sector investors or financiers, and we do not have agreement to release disaggregated information about their investments and financing,” a MIGA spokesperson said.

The only clues about the make-up of MIGA’s climate portfolio come in its glossy annual sustainability reports, which highlight a handful of initiatives.

Climate Home News reviewed these reports from the last three available years – 2021, 2022 and 2023 – and tracked highlighted projects, which are framed as positive examples of climate finance.

Motorways and elite universities

They show that support for renewable energy made up a quarter of MIGA’s climate guarantees in 2023.

But its track record of climate investments raises questions about the agency’s criteria for designating projects as climate finance and how it allocates those resources to help people most in need, experts said.

Karen Mathiasen, a former director of the multilateral development bank office in the US Treasury, said MIGA should not be using its resources to expand investment in things like luxury hotels and then counting them as climate finance.

“There is a real problem in the World Bank Group with greenwashing,” added Mathiasen, who is now a project director with the Center for Global Development.

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MIGA said it calculates the climate co-benefits from its projects using the same methodologies as other multilateral development banks, and applies them consistently according to a “rigorous internal consultation and review process”.

Large infrastructure projects feature heavily in MIGA’s climate portfolio.

For example, a group of international banks, including JP Morgan, Banco Santander and Credit Agricole, have received a total of €1.4 billion in guarantees to bankroll the construction of a new motorway in Serbia, in an area prone to severe flooding.

The 112-km dual-carriageway, in the West Morava river valley, is implementing measures to reduce flood risk, including river regulation – and so was counted as climate finance.

In 2022, MIGA’s largest climate guarantee – worth €570 million ($615 million) – helped finance the construction of a new campus in Morocco’s capital Rabat for the Mohammed VI Polytechnic, a private university owned by mining and fertiliser company OCP Group and frequented by the country’s elite.

According to MIGA, the project would seek to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green-building certification “for key facilities”, and include hydraulic structures to enhance the climate resilience of the campus.

Similarly, support for a new hospital in Gaziantep, Turkey, was tagged as 100% climate finance because it features energy efficiency measures and flood drainage works.

In 2023, just under half of MIGA’s climate guarantees went towards “greening” the financial sector in mainly middle-income countries like Argentina, Colombia, Hungary, Algeria and Botswana.

These guarantees are intended to help local banks free up more capital and boost loans to climate projects, although in some cases they are only expected to do so on a “best effort basis” involving no strict obligation, according to MIGA’s annual reports.

MIGA said this clause is included for regulatory reasons and requires banks to “take all necessary actions to provide climate loan commitments” as far as is “commercially reasonable”.

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Call for clarity

Ramachandran of the Breakthrough Institute said MIGA should demonstrate the outcomes of its climate finance projects “in terms of reduced emissions or of improved resilience, (and) what the overarching strategy is to make sure the money is best spent”.

“Instead the focus is simply on dollar amounts,” she added – a criticism rejected by the World Bank Group.

MIGA said it supports projects in all sectors that contribute to development and enables the inclusion of emissions-cutting and climate adaptation measures in their design and operation.

Former U.S. official Mathiasen believes MIGA could be a powerful engine to mobilise more private money for climate action, but said it needs a cultural change to focus more on results rather than numerical targets which give staff an incentive to “pump up the numbers”.

“A little bit of an add-on – that is not a climate project. There needs to be clear, transparent criteria of what constitutes a climate project,” she said.

(Reporting by Jack Thompson in Senegal and Matteo Civillini in London; additional reporting by Sebastian Rodriguez; editing by Megan Rowling, Sebastian Rodriguez and Joe Lo; graphics by Fanis Kollias)

This article was amended on April 17 to clarify that the Qatar Investment Authority and Accor are investors in the Kasada Hospitality Fund. It is run by Kasada Capital Management.

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