Lower greenhouse emissions to boost economies - WB Prez
13 Dec '07
3 min read
Actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions can both protect the global environment and enable developing countries to grow their economies for the benefit of their people, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick told delegates to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.
Zoellick was speaking at the opening plenary session of the conference that brought together leaders and officials from 190 countries to negotiate a climate change deal for the period post-2012, the year the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement designed to reduce greenhouse gases emissions worldwide. It entered into force in 2005.
The Bank Group President also told delegates that climate change is a development, economic, and investment challenge. It offers an opportunity for economic and social transformation that can lead to an inclusive and sustainable globalization. That is why addressing climate change is a critical pillar of the development agenda.
Zoellick added that the worlds poor in developing countries are the most exposed to climate change, the most affected by it, and the least able to cope with it. He said the discussions at the conference can help fulfill the hopes and aspirations of these communities and help them manage the changes in health conditions, food production, water resources, coastal integrity, and biodiversity.
Outlining a series of actions that the World Bank Group is undertaking to help developing countries mitigate or adapt to global warming, Zoellick said that we believe we can best support the UN negotiating process by helping developing countries integrate climate action both mitigation and adaptation within their own growth strategies, including plans for energy development, forestry, agriculture, and land use.
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