In 2013, the World Bank, US President Barack Obama, and others have made key moves towards ending coal financing. However, the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which ranks as the top financier of coal projects across the globe, has no budged. .
Three Japanese NGOs (JACSES, FoE Japan, and Kiko Network) call on organizations, both domestic and international, to join them in helping end JBIC’s financing of one of the world’s largest coal projects in Batang, Indonesia. If built, the Batang coal-fired power plant will be the biggest in Asia and will cost approximately 3.9 billion USD.
This project has been plagued with controversy and opposition. In addition to their concerns about the large amounts of CO2 that could potentially be emitted by this power plant, locals in the Batang area are concerned as this project can also have devastating effects on their coast; mercury emissions can contaminate their waters and therefore put their stable livelihoods at risk.
We urge you to help us end this project and others like it by telling JBIC that their coal financing must stop now!
Read our petition letter.
Contact us and add your organization.
Deadline for sign-ons : 30 January 2014
Related links:
Huffington Post: Too Much Public Funding is Going Into Coal Projects in Key Countries: Preliminary Findings Show, November 21st, 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jake-schmidt/too-much-public-funding-i_b_4314333.html
Greenpeace Indonesia: Batang Coal-fired Power Plant Will Destroy Health and Livelihoods, April 3rd, 2013
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/id/press/releases/Batang-Coal-fired-Power-Plant-Will-destroy-health-and-livelihoods/
Photo source:
http://searepa.com/2013/05/02/batang-anti-coal-campaign/