Monday, October 1, 2007

1:87 Scale Containership

The poisonous recipes of economic lobbies

di Caterina Amicucci
articolo pubblicato da "Il Manifesto"

La sicurezza energetica e il cambiamento climatico sono al centro del Forum annuale della Banca Europea per gli Investimenti (BEI), cominciato ieri a Lubiana. Una scelta inevitabile, ma quanto mai controversa per il braccio finanziario dell'Unione. Nonostante la Bei sia vincolata dal suo statuto a agire a sostegno delle politiche europee, essa appare sempre più orientata al cliente, piuttosto che al pubblico interesse e soprattutto fuori da un effettivo controllo politico comunitario. Sembra assai difficile allineare la Banca sugli obiettivi del nuovo accordo raggiunto dal Consiglio Europeo lo scorso marzo, che prevede una riduzione del 20% delle emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2020, as the EIB is now the largest public financial engine of the energy model. Suffice it to say that over the past five years the bank has provided loans to European home to the area of \u200b\u200bfossil fuels for a total of 4 times higher than those handed out to the whole area of \u200b\u200bene RGIE clean. Even heavier than the budget of the transport sector, a major contributor to atmospheric emissions. In this section, the bank invests on average one third of its budget for the construction of new highways, the expansion of airport terminals and even in direct support to the airlines, already largely subsidized by tax breaks on fuel. In the words of President Philippe Myastadt, who opened the Forum's work in Ljubljana, we learn that the bank intends to invest in renewable at least half of the funds for the energy sector. Unfortunately one of the sources is counted for all purposes including nuclear energy. The EIB, in fact, has recently declared its intention to boost investment in the sector as a recipe against climate change, confirming the concern that nuclear power is today the most accredited renewable option, because it can generate more profits in the short term. It is clear that despite the leitmotif of the Forum is the transition to a Low Carbon Economy, the interests of lobby economiche e finanziarie restano al centro degli orientamenti della Banca, che si dimostra abilissima a scegliere dal menù europeo le portate più succulente. È il caso delle biomasse. Secondo l' accordo europeo di marzo i paesi membri dovrebbero raggiungere l'obiettivo di produrre il 10% di biocombustibili. Un settore che rappresenta il business del futuro, i cui effetti sui prezzi degli alimenti primari cominciano già a farsi sentire e che continuerà ad affamare le popolazioni del Sud del mondo, che vedranno ridursi ulteriormente l'accesso alla terra e la possibilità di praticare un'agricoltura di sussistenza. La BEI si dichiara prontissima ad investire in questo senso, così come a contribuire alla lotta al cambiamento climatico incentivando The carbon trading, the disturbing mechanism for buying shares of emissions of greenhouse gases for which the bank has set up a special financial instrument. Meanwhile, outside the 'hotel hosting the meeting, activists arrived in Ljubljana by several European countries are clamoring to immediately reverse course and invest in clean energy. Yesterday, they animate the square with a colorful demonstration depicted on a scale where two plates investments in clean and dirty energy of the EIB. The activists, who promote the international campaign "Public Funds for Public Benefit,", asked passersby to bring the balance statements on a sustainable energy model, collecting hundreds of messages which will be officially handed over at the top of the EIB at the conclusions of the Forum scheduled for this afternoon. The great absence of these days, unwelcome to bankers and entrepreneurs, is the theme of reducing consumption.