The Fossil Free Politics campaign and Counter Balance have written to the European Investment Bank (EIB) to ask them to cancel their attendance at the Go Next Zero Energy business summit on 20-22 September 2022. The summit is sponsored by Gas Infrastructure Europe - a fossil gas lobby - and Cedigaz, and will be attended by Total Energies, Shell, Saudi Aramco and Gazprom subsidiary Nis Gazprom among many others.
The fossil fuel industry has used its immense resources and influence to delay, sabotage and weaken effective climate policies for decades - just like the tobacco industry did to public health policies before it. Like the tobacco industry, the fossil fuel industry sponsors public events to greenwash its destructive business model and gain access to decision makers.
The letter highlights how the EIB’s participation in the summit runs counter to its commitment to transform into the ‘EU Climate Bank’ and to embrace the fight against climate change as a top priority.