Coal news and updates

Japan persists with climate cash for coal plants

Japan is continuing to use money earmarked for fighting climate change to fund less emissions intensive coal-fired power plants around the world, The Associated Press reports.

According to the news service, Japan - which owns the technology for higher-efficiency coal-fired power plants - are backing new plants in Kudgi, India and Matarbari, Bangledesh with loans valued at $US630m following revelations in December they had loaned $US1bn for coal plants in Indonesia using climate-cash (monies promised by rich countries under UN guidance to support poor countries limit emissions).

"Japan is of the view that the promotion of high-efficiency coal-fired power plants is one of the realistic, pragmatic and effective approaches to cope with the issue of climate change," Takako Ito, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, told AP.

Japan declared $US16bn in such climate funding at UN talks in Peru last December, but green groups say climate finance should exclude the backing of fossil fuel projects, the news service added.

source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au