Ditch Public Financing of Fossil Fuels

(Common Dreams, Portland, 6 July 2020) In an open letter to Emmanuel Macron and Rémy Rioux Common Dreams notes that France is embarking on an important diplomatic effort this November, bringing together 450 global development banks that control $2 trillion in public money. The objective? For public funders to declare that their contribution to the economic recovery from COVID-19 will support climate, sustainable development, and biodiversity goals. However, vague commitments to goals already agreed by governments worldwide will not be sufficient to make the “Finance in Common Summit” a success. The world needs concrete action. G20 governments provide over $77 billion in public finance for fossil fuel projects each year. For example, Canada, the ​second-largest financier​ of fossil fuels in the G20 (per capita, it’s the highest), has given government-backed EDC a major role in the COVID-19 response through two major financing programs that ​specifically prioritise the fossil fuel industry, without clarity on a financial ceiling for these programs. And while the UK government is allegedly working on a policy to exclude oil and gas from ECA financing, the Prime Minister’s office last week agreed to put UKEF money into an LNG terminal in Mozambique, spearheaded by France’s Total. This clearly undermines the UK’s efforts to position itself as a climate leader in the lead up to COP26.