December, 20 2020, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Communications Contact: Aisha Dukule, adukule@foe.org, 202-893-3502
Expert Contact: Kate DeAngelis, Kdeangelis@foe.org
WASHINGTON
52 non-governmental organizations sent aletter establishing criteria for the Biden Administration to select candidates at export and development finance agencies. The signatories to the letter include Friends of the Earth U.S., Greenpeace USA, Rainforest Action Network, and the Center for Biological Diversity.
The U.S. can and must provide international leadership through its overseas financing agencies, including the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). The letter demands that the U.S. emulate the United Kingdom's recent announcement that it will end its support for overseas fossil fuel projects.
"It is time for the United States to stop fueling the climate crisis by pouring billions into dirty, dangerous projects around the world," said Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager at Friends of the Earth U.S. "President-elect Biden should only consider candidates who have committed to ending support for overseas fossil fuel financing to lead these finance agencies. Without strong climate leadership both at home and abroad, a just and equitable future will not be possible."
The letter outlines what should be disqualifying factors for candidates, including connections to Wall Street, a record of government support for fossil fuel projects, and policy positions at odds with the public good.
The letter urges President-elect Biden to "set a new course in foreign policy, including one that creates environmentally and economically sustainable jobs at home and abroad, and protects the climate, local environments and communities globally."
View full the letter here:
Friends of the Earth fights for a more healthy and just world. Together we speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature.
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