Sustainable Economic Systems

Sustainable Economic Systems

We aim to create a more environmentally sustainable and socially just world by transforming financial and economic systems. We work to redirect tax policies and public spending to make polluters pay for the costs of their pollution, and to drive the transition to a cleaner, low-carbon economy. At home and abroad, we advocate for policies that minimize environmental and social harm and fund a brighter future. In the United States, we strengthen regulations to encourage sustainability in financial markets and fight trade policies that allow companies to run roughshod over the environment and human rights. We also work with allies around the world to alter lending practices at financial institutions such as the World Bank, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and Wall Street banks that fund polluting activities and harm communities in developing countries.
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Latest News See All
U.S. Misses the Mark on Fossil Fuel Finance Agreement

Today at the conclusion of the OECD Export Credit Group negotiations, participating nations failed to reach an agreement on fossil fuel finance, despite scientists’ repeated calls for urgent climate action.

Global NGOs File Complaint with UN Program Over Support for “Corporate Greenwashing” Initiative

COLOMBIA – Today, a global group of NGOs and rights holders -- including Rainforest Action Network, Third World Network, the Forests & Finance coalition, Indigenous Environmental Network, WECAN, Bank Track, Global Forest Coalition, Friends of the Earth International and other NGOs -- have filed a complaint with…

EXIM Finances $690 million for Malaysia Petrochemicals as US Scrambles to Prove Climate Chops for COP29

The US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) voted to approve a massive financing deal for a petrochemical project in Malaysia, compromising US’ climate pledges in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in November.

Impact Stories See All
Fighting for Corporate Accountability
Fighting for Corporate Accountability

It is critical that investors — and the general public — understands how companies’ activities may be contributing to climate change, what the climate financial risk of their business is, and whether they have plans for transitioning to a low-carbon economy. 

Cutting Fossil Fuel Financing
Cutting Fossil Fuel Financing

Fossil fuel financing from those signers is falling drastically, and most signatories have either eliminated or considerably reduced fossil fuel financing.

Loosening Big Oil’s Stranglehold on Wall Street
Loosening Big Oil’s Stranglehold on Wall Street

Raymond exemplifies the fossil fuel industry’s decades of climate denial. His retreat under pressure from the climate movement in a historic win, showing that fossil oligarchs’ and climate deniers’ stranglehold on Wall Street is waning.

Latest Blog Posts See All
Why is the World Bank Group financing profitable polluters like Standard Bank and Eni?
Why is the World Bank Group financing profitable polluters like Standard Bank and Eni?

The World Bank Group (WBG) plays a massive role in directing global economic development, and has the potential to support climate mitigation and adaptation by strategically using public funds. Unfortunately, it continues to invest in profitable, polluting companies under the guise of green development. Over the past year, the…

How Institutions like the World Bank Group Finance Fossil Fuels 
How Institutions like the World Bank Group Finance Fossil Fuels 

The World Bank Group's mission is to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet. 

A Risky Bet: The IMF’s Role in Mozambique’s LNG Development
A Risky Bet: The IMF’s Role in Mozambique’s LNG Development

Serious financial, social, environmental, and climate risks aside, the development of LNG in Mozambique has also been tangled up in a corruption scandal of international scale, and a devastating militarized conflict impacting over a million people.

Resources See All
  • UKEF letter on Mozambique
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  • Red Lines for a Green Future: Exploring Exclusionary Approaches to Protecting Biodiversity and People
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  • Financing for Biodiverse Futures? Key Considerations for Financial Institutions to Stop and Reverse Biodiversity Loss
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