Free us from the World Bank; free us from fossil fuels

Kirsty Wright, climate campaigner

Today, WDM campaigners joined other organisations from the UK and around the world for a day of action targeting the World Bank. Actions were done outside World Bank offices from Washington and Paris to South Africa and India. The day was called because of concerns about the Bank’s lending for fossil fuels, which has been increasing even at a time of climate crisis, and in spite of the Bank’s lobbying to become the institution responsible for climate finance.

Despite the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change for the world’s poorest people, over the last five years World Bank funding for coal-fired power stations has soared 40-fold to hit a record high of £2.8 billion in 2010.

About a quarter of the world’s population, over 1.5 billion people across the global south, have no access to electricity. They have no light in the evening, limited access to radio and communications, no modern power for their work and no way to store medicines safely. This lack of energy is keeping people trapped in poverty. However, despite the World Bank’s pro-poor rhetoric in its funding allocations, according to Oil Change International's independent analysis, 0% of World Bank projects were funded specifically to provide energy access to the poor.

You can see photos from today’s global action here

Campaigners from Christain Aid, People & Planet, Jubilee Debt Campaign and the World Development Movement gathered outside the World Bank office in London in the global day of action to campaign against the World Banks role in climate finance

TAKE ACTION!
As part of the global action, we are bringing the 'Free Us from Fossil Fuels' message to the gates of the World Bank on Facebook, Twitter and on the World Bank's own blog. By flooding these virtual World Bank sites with comments, activists can participate in the day of action from anywhere around the globe. See below for ideas of what you can do.

Twitter
We want to flood the with messages telling it to stop financing fossil fuel projects and provide energy access to the poor. Tweet @worldbank using the hashtag #WBDayofAction.

Facebook
We want as many messages as possible to be posted on the World Bank's Facebook page. Click 'like' at the top of the page and you'll be able to leave your messages (you can 'unlike' the World Bank after you have had your say).

The World Bank blog
The World Bank accepts comments on its blog. Click on the 'add a new comment' link at the bottom to leave one.

Don't know what to say?
To give you some inspiration, The Sierra Club has helpfully made some suggestions on what to write.