Environment

The objective of this panel discussion is to explore the blue economy—how it is defined, what it encompasses, and what/where is driving the demand. 

Methane’s short term potency poses a serious climate challenge and methane emissions are on the rise. In this high-level event the World Bank Group, other MDBs and private investors showcased current efforts and plans to expand their focus on methane emissions over the next few years.

In this time of strained resources and overlapping crises, how can countries get the financing they need to tackle climate change? The event Investing in People and Planet explored this question in three conversations -- on the potential of carbon markets to mobilize finance; what it will take to bring private sector finance into low-carbon transitions; and the financing needed to achieve net zero.

Joins us to discuss how nature loss is an economic and development issue, and how it is linked to climate change, as well as pathways to undertake both nature and climate-smart development in the future, including through expanding our economic toolkit beyond GDP to account for the wealth provided by nature.

South Asia is at the epicenter of ambient air pollution—pollution people are exposed to outside their households. According to the latest World Air Quality Report, 2020, of the top 40 most polluted cities in the world, 37 are in South Asia. Air pollution in the region is a health hazard and represents the third-highest risk for premature death, as compared to the ninth highest cause in Western Europe. Overall, it contributes to around 11 percent of all deaths, and approximately 40 million disability-adjusted life years in South Asia. Air pollution, however, is not a localized phenomenon. It is transported across borders, and its effects spread to places far away from the source. This requires a country-wide, inter-state, and a regional response. Join our sixth #OneSouthAsia Conversation, which will focus on the ways regional cooperation can help achieve a shared vision of healthier and cleaner air in South Asia. This builds on our previous Spring Meetings event on Air Quality Management in South Asia in ...

The mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram span 2,400 kilometers across six nations and contain 60,000 km² of ice – storing more water than anywhere besides the Arctic and Antarctic. Climate change and air pollution are speeding up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of 750 million people who rely on the water from these glaciers and snows. Melting glaciers and loss of seasonal snow pose significant risks not just to the people who live at their foot but to the stability of water resources in the South Asia region more broadly. The impacts will only get worse unless greater efforts are made to curb black carbon deposits from factories, fires, and vehicles that are accelerating melting. Our expert panel will discuss challenges and solutions to address glacier melt, improve water and energy security, and air quality, and thus create a better future for millions of South Asians. Opening Remarks: Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, ...

South Asia is the third largest contributor to global plastic waste. It generates 334 million metric tons of solid waste every year. Nearly 70-80% of this waste ends up in the ocean 12% is plastic. On current trends, if no action is taken, the amount of mismanaged waste (including plastic) across South Asia is projected to double to 661 million tons by 2050, adversely affecting the region’s ocean ecosystems, livelihoods, human health, and sustainable development more broadly. COVID-19 has further exacerbated plastic pollution, with increased demand for single-use plastic and pressure on solid waste management systems. With no single solution to this, South Asia needs a collective response to plastic pollution which is both national and transboundary in nature. The region’s two transboundary river systems—the Indus River System, which connects Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna River System, which connecting Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh—are among the top five most polluting rivers in the world. The rivers act like ...

Record-breaking wildfires, droughts, floods and hurricanes have taken lives, damaged homes, hospitals and businesses. Meanwhile, COVID-19 took a heavy health and economic toll and pushed millions into extreme poverty. How can we change course?

Marine plastics has become a global development challenge as the growing amount of mismanaged plastic waste pollutes oceans, coastlines, rivers, and other inland waterways while affecting the livelihoods of coastal communities. The sudden increase in single-use plastics during the COVID-19 pandemic has created an additional stress on countries working to tackle the challenge. The East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region is a key player in the marine plastics crisis with a groundswell of public support for urgent action against plastic pollution to protect communities, ecosystems, and economies. Join government officials, private sector leaders, and civil society representatives from across the region to discuss effective ways to accelerate policies, investments, and innovations to address marine plastics in East Asia. Register to receive updates on the virtual event.  

The event addressed how a sustainable recovery can restore ecosystems, reverse biodiversity loss, create better food systems and jobs. “We are a country that has no choice but to go sustainable and all our policies are taking into consideration sustainability,” said Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Celso Correia.

Scientist and author of the most comprehensive global assessment on biodiversity, Sir Robert Watson, kicked off the event illustrating what science was telling us – one million species are at the risk of extinction, and 90% of the land is significantly altered threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. ``Protecting biodiversity is more than an environmental issue. It is a development and economic issue but also a moral issue,’’ he said to a full house. Two lightening speakers showcased innovative approaches to reversing the trend on biodiversity. Helen Crowley, head of sustainable sourcing innovation at fashion group Kering said: ``Fashion might be late to the issue of sustainability but we are here now.’’ Kering is one of the 32 fashion companies to join the fashion pact with the G7. Emiliano Ezcura, the VP of National Parks in Argentina, asked, ``If you're a finance minister, how can you not care about nature?’’. He spoke of innovative approaches involving creating rural corridors with ...

Healthy oceans are vital to the prosperity of Pacific communities and the global ecosystem, yet are facing an unprecedented crisis with issues of over-fishing, marine pollution and coastal erosion exacerbated by climate change. This inaugural Future Pasifika panel will bring together some of the most passionate voices in our Pacific community – thought leaders, activists, businesspeople and youth leaders – to tackle this critical issue. Cohosted by the University of the South Pacific (USP), the World Bank and its sister organization the International Finance Corporation, Future Pasifika is filmed in front of a live audience at the USP Laucala Bay Campus in Suva, Fiji, and livestreamed across the university’s Pacific campuses.

‘Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse – and rethink’ how you’re using plastic   Naturalist Sir David Attenborough laid out in dramatic, visual terms the challenges facing our ocean, then joining World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva for a fireside chat.  “We wouldn’t dream of managing a bank in the way we manage our oceans. Dangerously eroding our capital and losing a far higher, guaranteed return of interest,” said the iconic broadcaster. Sir David encouraged policymakers to agree on targets that will stabilize the loss of nature, including in our oceans. “This is one of the crucial places in the world where these sorts of decisions can be made,” he told the packed room. The event focused on the need to address marine pollution and Ms. Georgieva urged the audience to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse – and rethink” how they are using plastics. Lightning speakers followed the fireside chat. Plastic Bank founder David Katz shared how his company is seeking to make plastic waste ...

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay!   As part of our Spring Meetings 2018 Interview Series, we will be live with Andy Pharoah, Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Mars, Inc., who will talk about how Mars has set a high bar among global food processing and distribution brands for environmental sustainability and for setting ambitious social targets across its supply chain.   

Pollution is one of the biggest development challenges facing us today. In 2015, more than 9 million premature deaths were caused by pollution, according to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. Learn more from the Commissioners of the Lancet’s new report and join an engaging conversation on what is being done to address the health effects of pollution, including by the World Bank. Visit Our Partners:  

On Friday, October 13th, 12:00 pm, find out why partnerships are crucial to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tune in for the live interview with Jeremy Oppenheim, Program Director, Business and Sustainable Development Commission, and Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer of Aviva Investors, during the World Bank/IMF 2017 Annual Meetings and leave your questions in the comments below.

At a time when other regions are looking inward, this event will highlight the way in which Latin America, and particularly Argentina and Pacific Alliance countries, are taking steps to better integrate with the rest of the world, to boost growth and tackle their development challenges. The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative comprised by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, some of the most dynamic economies in LAC. It seeks to be a new generation agreement, with a strong outward-looking focus and a platform for common approaches to issues such as poverty reduction, competitiveness, protecting the environment and cultural promotion.

To deliver on the Paris Agreement on climate change reached in December 2015, the world needs action and investment on an unprecedented scale.  Getting there requires innovation – in technology, policy, entrepreneurship and financing. Breakthroughs are happening on all these fronts, driven by the private sector, international organizations, civil society and forward-looking governments. The World Bank Group and Responding to Climate Change Limited (RTCC) are proud to host ‘Innovating to Meet the Climate Challenge,’ a half-day event looking at emerging innovations and the new opportunities they bring.

Why are so many governments, communities and businesses turning their attention to forests? From meeting climate goals and coping with extreme weather, to boosting livelihoods and greening supply chains, forests are becoming an essential part of the development solution. Join us for a spirited discussion about exciting initiatives benefiting forests and the people who depend on them. Related Links: Why investing in forests is money—and time—well spent For forests, a change in attitude in favor of indigenous communities Protecting Forests in Mexico Reaps Rewards World Bank: Forests Forests Slow Climate Change and Increase Resilience Five forest figures for the International Day of Forests Empower Forest Communities Brazil: Its Forest Capital and a Promising Future in the Production of Food, Fiber, and Energy

The world must move quickly to fulfill the promise of the climate change agreement reached in Paris four months ago and accelerate low-carbon growth, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said on the opening day of the Spring Meetings. More than 190 countries came together last December to pledge to do their part to halt global warming. The result was an unprecedented agreement to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times, with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5° C. With the formal signing of the Paris Agreement just a week away, it’s time to seize the moment and make the financial argument for a shift to renewables, Kim said. “This is an absolutely critical issue. We have to move now, because the real losers will be every single one of our children and grandchildren,” said Kim. He spoke at a livestreamed event, Turning the Paris Agreement into Action, with Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine ...

Evidence-based policies that promote secure access to land (including for women), and strengthening poor farmers’ ability to tackle climate change and improve productivity are urgently needed. Yet, in many cases, translating far-reaching legal changes into country strategies and progress on the ground has been a challenge. Panelists will discuss ways to better integrate land and climate-smart agriculture into countries’ development strategies and explore how these can help to build capacity to mainstream these issues in national policy dialogue, projects and private sector strategies.

2015 is a landmark year that will define the global development agenda for the next 15 years. Join us for a high-energy mix of advocacy voices and musical performances in support of ambitious global action to end poverty and protect our planet. Featured voices include: Jim Yong Kim, President World Bank Group Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations Michael Elliott, CEO, The ONE Campaign Justin Forsyth, CEO, Save the Children UK Julie Gichuru, Journalist and Anchor, Citizen TV (Emcee) And many other special guests to be announced

Thousands of gas flares at oil production sites around the globe wastefully burn billions of cubic meters of natural gas annually, causing millions of tons of CO2 to be emitted to the atmosphere. Flaring of gas contributes to climate change and impacts the environment through emission of CO2, black carbon, and other pollutants. It also wastes a valuable energy resource that could be used to advance the sustainable development of producing countries. The World Bank, along with numerous governments, industry, and development partners, is launching a global Initiative aimed at accelerating the elimination of routine flaring at oil production sites around the world.

What will it take to double the current share of renewables in the global energy mix? Ed Crooks, Energy Editor of the Financial Times, will moderate a discussion on what governments, business and development partners need to do to shift the needle on renewables while balancing environmental and equity issues. Topics will include: How do we scale up renewables faster? What contribution should hydro make and can it be done right?  How is the private sector catalyzing investment in renewables?

Join a discussion on channeling revenues from extractive industries—oil, gas and mining—to end poverty through diversified growth and development. If managed well, revenue from resources such as oil and gas in Tanzania and Mozambique, iron ore in Guinea, copper in Mongolia, gas and gold in Latin America, oil, gas, bauxite and gold in Central Asia, can contribute to sustainable development. When poorly handled they can present long-term challenges for governments, communities and the environment. How can governments capture and channel natural resource revenues into smart investments? How can they unlock this wealth to make it work for the poor? What can we learn from past experience?