Anti-Gas Activists Kick Off World Bank Meetings with Call to End Fossil Finance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 21, 2024
Contact:
Denise Robbins, denise@glasgowactions.com, 608-320-6582
Dara Snead, dsnead@climatenetwork.org, , +44 7356160136
Washington, DC—As the World Bank kicks off its Annual Meetings, activists dressed in hazmat suits holding placards gathered at the entrance to the World Bank building demanding the Bank end its billions of dollars annual investments into coal, gas and oil projects. Activists from across the globe are calling on the Bank to end its fossil fuel investments and shift finance to clean, green energy.
Sophie Richmond, Big Shift Global Lead said, "The World Bank claims it wants to ‘end poverty on a livable planet’ yet is continuing to finance destructive fossil fuels, the very cause of the climate crisis demonstrates how far off course the Bank is in securing a livable planet. The World Bank must shift all of its funding into a just and equitable transition to renewable energy."
Fiza Qureshi of Big Shift Global said, "The Bank continues to finance new fossil gas expansion despite science telling us there can be no new fossil fuels and recent research illustrating that gas is as destructive as coal. Gas is bad economics and bad for our health. The Bank’s continued funding of fossil gas fails communities across the world."
Omar Elmawiof Africa Climate Movement Building Space stated: "The World Bank must prioritize people's interests over the interests of fossil fuel companies. Financing coal, oil, and gas contradicts its mission to combat poverty and promote a sustainable planet. It's time for the bank to place the well-being of people and the planet above the greed and profits of fossil fuel industries."
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The world will be watching, as these World Bank meetings will be essential for a successful UN climate conference later this year, which is being dubbed the “finance COP.” Other actions throughout the week include:
Wednesday, 3:00PM ET: Noise Demonstration Outside Finance Minister Meeting. As the "Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action" meets inside the IMF, activists will hold an ear-piercing noise demonstration on the street calling for more climate finance now, making their demands impossible to ignore. Location: 19th and H street NW. More info: www.glasgowactions.com/noise-finance
Friday, 12:00 PM noon ET: World Bank Action Day. Dozens of organizations will rally and march outside the World Bank, beginning at Edward Murrow Park, calling for just, clean energy for a livable planet. Learn more: https://worldbankactionday.org/
More photos from today’s event are below:
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