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                   G  R  E  N  P  E  A  C  E

                   P r e s s   R e l e a s e
                                    14.10.94
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World Bank gives more excuses for inaction on ozone

blames parties to Montreal protocol

Madrid, 2 October 1994 (GP) In a rhetorical reaction to the Greenpeace report "Money To Burn: The World Bank, Chemical Companies, and Ozone Destruction", the World Bank today completely evaded Greenpeace's substantive critiques. The Greenpeace report was released on Thursday in Madrid at the 50th Anniversary meeting of the World Bank, and in Nairobi at the Sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

"The Bank's response to the report is totally misleading and underscores the Bank's lack of understanding" said Steve Kretzmann, author of the report. "As usual, the Bank is more concerned with cleaning up their image than our planet".

There are two major thrusts to the Bank's defense of itself. First, it claims that although it controls the vast majority of the funds to the Montreal Protocol (60% as of July -- 80% for the two years prior) it does not control the Multilateral Fund of the Protocol. This is a misleading line of argument, because it ignores the fact that while the Executive Committee of the Fund does exercise oversight of the Bank, their hands are tied by the options given to them by the Bank. In fact, the Greenpeace report quotes extensively from previous Executive Committee criticism of the Bank's performance.

The accusation that the Bank is too slow to implement its projects originally came from the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund itself. ExComm members noted that every other implementing agency was performing the job more effectively than the Bank.

Second, the Bank asserts that it is "actively promoting" CFC phase out, and that it is using environmentally friendly technologies. The Bank misses the point of the Greenpeace report which is that is seeking to replace CFC technology with chemicals that still destroy the ozone layer or are significant greenhouse gases. The Bank has not refuted Greenpeace's assertion that 75% of its grants to the foam sector support chemicals that still destroy the ozone layer.

"The Bank had better stop blaming other people and start doing something about its poor performance. The Parties to the Montreal Protocol are currently reviewing the performance of the Fund with a particular eye towards the Bank's role in the Fund's failure to date."

For information: Palacio NGO Room 599 3759 or Greenpeace Spain, Madrid 549 9827 or Hotel Trafalgar Madrid 445 6200 Rm 55 or 54.

Joey, 14 Nov 94