SA civil society groups push back on FutureCoal's 'misleading' pro-coal letter to global financial leaders

Motheo Khoaripe (in for Stephen Grootes) is joined by Tracey Davies, Executive director of Just Share.

Amidst increasing warnings about the accelerating impact of global warming and the world's delay in reducing carbon emissions, an international coal lobbying body has written a pro-coal open letter to global financial leaders.

The chairman-elect of FutureCoal, South Africa's Mike Teke, urges the targeted leaders in banking, investment, and insurance, to be 'informed, and united' in ensuring that the vital resource of coal 'continues to serve the global community responsibly and effectively'.

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Teke says the organisation's Fund Fair. Fund Equal. campaign builds on an earlier call by CEO Michelle Manook to evaluate thermal coal on the same basis as metallurgical coal.

'There is no practical reason nor credible justification to exclude responsibly stewarded coalfrom funding' he writes, inviting the financial leaders to arrange a meeting with FutureCoal representatives.

There is very little, if any evidence to back up the claims in this missive, says Just Share's Tracey Davis.

In contrast, the response from local civil society organisations, helmed by Just Share, references multiple studies and hard evidence to back up every single thing they say, Davis emphasizes.

"What we're witnessing now is a massive fightback by the fossil fuel industry against all the international agreements, particularly the global agreement in 2015 to reduce carbon emissions so that we can limit the impact of climate change."

Tracey Davis, Executive Director - Just Share

"But FutureCoal as a global coal lobbying organisation says on both its website and this recent correspondence, that coal can be sustainable, that 99% of emissions from coal activities can be reduced and that coal can be green and contribute to a sustainable energy system."

Tracey Davis, Executive Director - Just Share

The local signatories to the response led by Just Share include Fossil Free South Africa, Centre for Environmental Rights and The Green Connection.

The signatories from further afield number the African Climate Alliance, BankTrack and Earthjustice among them.

To hear more from Davies, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article