NETHERLANDS (Yosefardi) – With three months to go before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21), six banks have become the first to sign the Paris Pledge to avoid financing the coal industry, including coal mining and power, banktrack.org reported.
The banks are ASN Bank from the Netherlands; Banco Fie from Bolivia; Ekobanken from Sweden; New Resource Bank from California; and Ethikbank and Umweltbank from Germany. All have confirmed to BankTrack their commitment to “continue to avoid financing coal mining and coal power, and to support the financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
These banks, which already avoid financing coal mining and power, are the first to respond to the call from more than 100 organizations and over 1100 individuals from around the world, all of whom have given their support to the Paris Pledge campaign since its launch in July.
The Paris Pledge campaign is aimed at ending the multi-billion dollar coal financing of the world’s private banks, and is backed by leaders of the fossil fuel divestment movement including 350.org and its founder Bill McKibben, as well as urgewald, Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace International and Rainforest Action Network.