International Public Financing of Coal in a Carbon-Constrained World

The document highlights that Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) have leveraged over $100 billion for coal plants since 1994, far exceeding the $6.4 billion provided for renewables by the Global Environment Facility. It advocates for shifting public finance toward energy efficiency and renewables, calculating the true social and economic costs of carbon, and establishing international agreements for Export Credit Agencies.

• Public international finance for fossil fuels is significantly higher than for renewables and is continuing to rise; specifically, over $100 billion was leveraged for coal plants since 1994, while the United Nations' Global Environment Facility provided $6.4 billion for renewables in the same period.
• Coal-fired power plants funded by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are linked to significant mortality, with an estimated 6,000 to 10,700 annual deaths attributed to 88 such plants.
• The EDF recommends several policy shifts, including the creation of an international database for greenhouse gas-intensive investments by public finance institutions and a common climate policy for OECD member nations' Export Credit Agencies (ECAs).

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2009). International Public Financing of Coal in a Carbon-Constrained World. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/international-public-financing-of-coal-in-a-carbon-constrained-world

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. International Public Financing of Coal in a Carbon-Constrained World. 2009. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/international-public-financing-of-coal-in-a-carbon-constrained-world.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=International Public Financing of Coal in a Carbon-Constrained World |date=2 July 2009 |url=https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/international-public-financing-of-coal-in-a-carbon-constrained-world |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2009international, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{International Public Financing of Coal in a Carbon-Constrained World}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2009}, month = jul, url = {https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/international-public-financing-of-coal-in-a-carbon-constrained-world}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }