Media– Web, July-August 2013

But environmentalists are not the only ones making the link. In Wall Street and the City, there is similar talk that the worst fears of environmentalists are coming to pass. As shortages of natural resources push up prices, a looming resource crunch is manifested in market meltdown.”

 World Bank says "stars are aligned" for large infrastructure | BrettonWoods Project (26 June 2013)

“The World Bank, in conjunction with the G20, is reinvigorating its infrastructure focus, paying particular attention to leveraging resources from the private sector and investing in fragile and conflict affected states. It announced a return to big hydropower projects, despite continued concerns about projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala and Uganda.”

 The heavy price of Greek gold | The Ecologist (26 July 2013)

“Critics claim that the economic crisis is being used as an excuse to press forward with controversial projects across Greece, from hotel developments in protected areas through to planned deep sea drilling in sensitive marine habitats.

They point to a Europe-wide trend of weakening environmental laws from governments who are desperate to attract external investors and kick-start sluggish economies through get-rich-quick development projects.

"What we are seeing in Greece is actually a small part of a much bigger picture. What's happening right now in Spain, in Portugal in Italy ... [shows that] there's a real environmental rollback taking place", says Demetres Karavellas, CEO of the environmental group WWF Greece.”

 Italian Mafia goes green | Al Jazeera (29 July 2013)

“Italy's organised crime groups (OCG), the Mafia so often glorified in TV and film, are taking advantage of the surging popularity in environmental investment, and using it to their benefit.

This concept, combined with the ongoing economic crisis, explains the recent trend towards infiltration in the legal economy," the report says.

This is not a view shared by Professor Ruggiero, however.

“I would say, rather, that the financial crisis itself is an example, a gigantic one actually, of white-collar crime and of the crimes of the powerful," he said.

“The debate around green energy, in my view, re-proposes the old dilemma between 'shallow' and 'deep' ecology. Are the very firms that are destroying the planet going to save it?"

 EU progressing towards green economy but long-term focus needed says EEA | edieEnergy (25 July 2013)

“The global economic crisis, soaring commodity prices and growing awareness of humanity's impact on the environment have pushed the 'green economy' concept into mainstream policy debate, says the European Environment Agency.

According to a new report by the EEA, this increased awareness has enabled EU policy makers to successfully agree a wide range of 'green' policies.

However, the report, 'Towards a green economy in Europe', highlights how implementing these policies is creating a barrier to future progress.”

 EU urges G20 to phase out fossil fuel subsidies | Business Green Plus (24 July 2013)

“Published yesterday, the report showed EU investment in renewable energy has been falling as a result of austerity measures designed to tackle the financial crisis. The bloc was responsible for 45 per cent of global clean energy investment in 2007, but its share of the market fell to 33 per cent in 2012.”

 Patchwork of subsidies causes confusion | European Voice.com (11 July 2013)

“As the economic crisis has dragged on, governments across Europe have slashed subsidy programmes for renewable energy, particularly those for solar power. Feed-in tariffs, which set a higher payment for energy bought from renewable sources and fed into the grid, saw sudden cuts in 2011. Some policy changes even retroactively changed subsidies that solar companies had been promised. 

Unpredictability scares off investors. The Commission plans to come forward by the end of the year with guidance for member states as to how they should devise these feed-in tariff schemes, while still complying with EU rules on state aid. But the Commission will not go so far as to establish uniform EU rules for subsidies to renewable energy.” 

For more information, please contact Theodota Nantsou, Head of Policy, WWF Greece, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +30 6940527556