Developing Countries Act on Climate Change

May 27, 2010
FEATURING

Despite the global financial crisis and the resulting economic downturn, the past year has witnessed unprecedented demand from developing countries for World Bank Group support in their efforts to address development and climate change as interlinked challenges, according to a new World Bank report. Developing countries are asking for a broad range of assistance, including help with climate-resilient development, adaptation mechanisms, clean technology, and energy efficiency and renewable energy financing. Released this month, the Progress Report on the Strategic Framework for Development and Climate Change documents the Bank Group’s growing response to these demands.

madeleine nawar:
Hi,

I am curious to know how much is being done to raise awareness among the world bank member states especially in those critical areas where the impact of climate change is potentially the greatest. And what if any measure are being taken in those areas to minimize and better yet to mitigate negative impacts.

Thanks,
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Welcome everyone. I’m now online and ready to start. I’d like to thank everyone who sent questions. Let’s begin.

Hi Madeleine. Thanks for the question. Yes, we have done a lot of work to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. This includes the World Development Report on Climate Change, released in September 2009 and the Global Study of the Economics of Adaptation. We’ve also expanded our portfolio of projects and activities that help vulnerable countries and communities manage the impacts of climate change, ranging from natural resource management in Africa to glacier melting in Latin America.
Oluwadamilola:
Is it possible for the worldbank to have a climate change awarness conference for the youth in West Africa?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
It is great that you brought up the issue of raising awareness for youth as they are a critical voice in climate change discussions. Yes, the World Bank has supported outreach and awareness efforts for youth. It’s a good suggestion to expand to West Africa.
fatma khalil:
I`m ajournalist at an egyptian newspaper,iwould be happy to ask you questions about my country egypt
1- How can the world bank help egypt to rescue from the climate changing?
2-how much is the aids that the world bank gave it to egypt?
3- Whats your opinion about some people are saying that the world bank is making some presure on the countries which give it aids or money?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Thanks for your question Fatma. The World Bank Group’s program of support in Egypt is quite large. Current commitments exceed $3 billion. One example of helping Egypt to deal with climate change impacts is a study on adaptation to climate change in Alexandria. Egypt is also one of the first countries which was endorsed for support of $300 million from the Clean Technology Fund. The Fund supports national programs which are a part of country economic development strategies. You can read more about the Clean Technology Fund at www.cif.org.
dekkiche:
why developing countries have to participated actively in climate change when they are not the respionsible in such change?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Indeed, developing countries are not part of the problem but they can be part of the solution. Many developing countries initiated actions on climate change adaptation and mitigation for the following reasons. Quite a few development programs motivated by national and local economic goals are also good for climate, such as energy efficiency or sustainable water resource management. A lot of countries have energy efficiency programs which are not driven by climate change considerations, but by concerns about energy security. Furthermore, over the last years, significant effort was made in mobilizing additional financing for climate action albeit resources are still below what is needed. Finally, many countries are concerned about the impacts of a changing climate and would like to start building capacity and strengthen policies and institutions to successfully deal with this challenge. This is why form July 2008 through December 2009, the Bank provided $6 billion in support of such actions.
Anupam:
These other questionners are right on target. One, World Bank needs to communicate the local risk to policy makers and stake holders in local languages (only a small fraction seaks English in developing countries). Two, WB needs to communicate what can be done to mitigate risk at the local level. Saying they need to reduce GHG emissions will not work. They are smart enough to find out that they are not causing the problem, even though they may be contributing to it. They know that even if they stopped emitting all GHG the problem is not going away. So World Bank needs an honest communication approach. Three, there is a need to communicate the "local" effects of local pollution, in addition to the Global ones like Climate Change. If you have a research study that can show that there are net economic gains locally from reducing pollution, not withstanding the global effects, this may work well. Why does my local language newspaper almost never resports anything about the World Bank, even tough it does a lot of beneficial work? Communicate! Communicate! Researchers need to learn this word--"Communicate".
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Dear Anupam, you are right on target. I absolutely agree with what you’re saying. We are working to improve our communication and reach out to local stakeholders. For example, one of the web-based tools that we are developing with UNDP is the Climate Finance Knowledge Platform, which will be available in several languages. This tool would give comprehensive guidance on accessing and using the full range of sources of climate change. We would welcome further suggestions on increasing accessibility of our materials.
Matelita RAGOGO:
I have only gone through your progress report on the strategic framework for development and climate change - the word 'gender' is used once and even then, it was in reference a publication and not as part of the bank's strategic plan. Gender is painfully absent and it seems that, with all due respect and acknolwedgement to all you have achieved so far, gender perspectives are only mentioned or explored by organisations like yours when politically correct and/or convenient, etc. My question is: when will your organisations begin to take gender seriously enough to have it one of your overarching principles for instance. Yes we will all be affected by climate change but studies have shown that without doubt, gender norms influence these impacts; they inform our responses; that emna nd women experience cliamte change differently. Do you not agree that without such a proactive stance, you (your organisation) are complicit in perpetuating the mentality that women will take on the burden of implementation without complaint because 'it is for their own good'? If programmes that policy-makers are to be effective, do you not think it is critical that gender perspectives are incorporated from the beginning; that a proactive stance like that would ensure women are consulted? "Clean technology", "resilient development", adaptation mechanisms" all sound technical and you can claim that this is where you are coming from and that gender is a social issue - please be honest and ask yourselves: Really? Is not gender an underlying factor that should be considered regardless of the sector or field one is working in? At the end of the day, implementation is the key to any claims of effectiveness, never mind success and when you speak of implementation in developing countries, you speak mainly of women, no?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Your point is well-taken, Matelita, gender dimensions could have been more emphasized in the report. We are undertaking several pieces of work looking at various aspects of gender-climate change linkages. In particular, we are developing guidelines for integrating gender concerns in climate change-related operations. We’ll make sure to better reflect this issue in upcoming reports.
Moussa Na Abou:
Why is the WB so unpopular when it comes to the management of climate funds at international/UNFCCC level?

What is the motivating factor for the WB to address climate change in developing countries? Profit generation, societal responsibility (polluter pays principle) or aid?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
My understanding, based on discussions with developing country stakeholders, is they have two main concerns: one is World Bank Group governance, which is dominated by developed countries. The other concern is based on perceptions that the Bank only provides loans, while climate finance should be available as grants. In this context, I would like to share our experience with the Climate Investment Funds which were established in July 2008 and have mobilized $6.3 billion in pledges from developed countries (www.cif.org). The governance for these funds is a balanced and equitable representation from developed and developing countries. While the Clean Technology Fund provides concessional loans, other programs targeting low-income countries, such as the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience and the Scaling Up Renewable Energy program, provide grants.
Dr. Michael Dorsey:
When will the World Bank follow the advice of its own extractive industries review and stop financing fossil fuel projects, that drive climate change? Relatedly what is the plan to downsize fossil fuel funding and augment renewable energy project funding?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Hi Michael. I agree that increasing support for renewable energy is very important. In fiscal year 2009, we had record high financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, totaling $3.3 billion. IFC alone increased renewable energy commitments five-fold from the previous year. Our financing for these types of projects continues to rise. However, International Energy Agency projections show that fossil fuels will remain an important part of the energy mix in both developed and developing countries for some time. As World Bank Group President Bob Zoellick said, we cannot deprive energy-starved poor countries from an energy source that rich countries continue to use. The best way to address your concern would be to advocate for imposing a strong price on carbon in developed countries, which will facilitate investments in research, development and deployment of cleaner energy technologies, and for making these technologies affordable and available to developing countries.
Khadija:
l'effet du changement climatique sur les catastrophe naturelle est ce qu'il est le même pour les pays développés et les pays pauvres?
Are the effects of climate change on natural disasters the same in developed countries and poor countries?
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
Your question, Khadija, gets to core of “climate injustice.” Unfortunately, many poor countries, which did not contribute to the climate change problem, are among the most vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, storms, cyclones and sea-level rise. That is why one of our top priorities is to provide adequate assistance to poor countries for climate risk management, disaster prevention and adaptation.
Megan Rowling:
Hi Kseniya,
I am a journalist based in London, working for Reuters AlertNet.
What do you think is the best way to ramp up support for poorer nations to put their climate change adaptation plans into action, given that there is a major shortage of funds?
And how would you respond to scepticism on the part of many developing countries about the World Bank's role in delivering climate financing and the argument the money should be channelled instead via a mechanism under the UNFCCC?
Thanks.
Kseniya Lvovsky, Climate Change Team Manager:
I think that the best way to support adaptation plans in developing countries in the near future is to ensure that fast-track financing promised in Copenhagen is indeed balanced between adaptation and mitigation. At the moment, we are concerned that most pledges made so far address mitigation rather than adaptation. Increasing access by developing countries to financing for adaptation that complements development assistance for achieving the Millennium Development Goals is a top priority for the World Bank Group for the next few years. For the second part of your question, please see my response to Moussa Na Abou earlier in this chat, which I think gets to the core of your question.

We’re now out of time. Thanks very much for all your questions and apologies to those whose questions I was not able to get to.