What is global climate change? How will it affect our lives? Visit these sites to learn about global warming,
greenhouse gas emissions, and the Kyoto protocol. Explore how climate change may affect different
regions around the world, how the World Bank is working to prevent catastrophic climate change, and how
people are striving to increase energy efficiency, conserve renewable energy sources, and increase the
capacity of forests and soils (the so-called carbon sinks) to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The World Bank and Climate Change
Visit this web site to discover what contributes to global climate change, who will be affected by it, and why
there is so much controversy over how to deal with it. Get the regional perspectives by visiting
"Backgrounders" on Africa, East Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean,
the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.
Global Climate Change
This comprehensive site gives a detailed picture of the World Bank's strategy and actions concerning climate
change. Read the summaries of the strategies and programs by using the navigation buttons on the left hand
side of the screen. Although some of the information might be technical, we suggest that you explore some
of these full texts in detail:
Energy
In order to have a full understanding of the global climate change issue it is important to understand energy
production and use. Visit this site for an overview of activities, strategy, and key areas of focus to promote
more efficient and environmentally sustainable energy systems. If you decide to check out the following
links, use the navigation buttons on the left side of the screen to get more in depth information:
Solar Electricity
This site describes the World Bank's work to support to the use of solar energy as an alternative to other forms of energy that produce
carbon dioxide.
Forests and Forestry
Forests and woodlands play an important role in the carbon cycle and in global climatic change.
Visit this site and check out The Forest Sector: A World Bank
Policy Paper, 1991 to learn about the Bank's actions and projects to slow alarming rates of
deforestation, to plant new trees, and preserve biodiversity needed to control the levels of atmospheric
carbon dioxide.
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. News
Read this issue of CGIAR News for a description of
climate change and
how it may affect agriculture around the world.
Explore these pages from World Development Indicators, 1999 to find data
for over 140 of the world's countries on energy use and emissions that contribute to climate change. To view these pages you will
need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it, you may download
it here for free.
Examine this map
to see the global affects of CO2 emissions. To view other maps, select the indicator you are interested in from the list at the left of the screen, and then click on "Refresh Map". To use zoom in/out and other options at the top of the screen, select the feature you want to use and click anywhere on the map.
| Around the World |
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Climate Change and Sub-Saharan Africa: Issues and Opportunities
Climate change is likely to cause serious problems in Africa. Increased intensity of droughts, floods, and
changes to growing seasons may result in changes in soil productivity, water supply, food security, and, in
many cases, biological diversity. Read this article from the newsletter Findings to learn more about
it.
Sequestering Carbon in the Amazon
In the Amazon an average 50,000 square kilometers of forest are burned each year, with each hectare
containing 90 tons of carbon. Visit this web page to read an excerpt from a longer Bank document to learn
about the role of the Amazon rain forest in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
GEF Grant to Help Improve Czech Energy Sector Efficiency
Read about a project designed to help reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses from a district heating system in the Czech Republic.
| Digging Deeper |
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Tackling the Issues
Climate Change is associated with other issues that in their turn either reduce or increase the likelihood of dangerous changes in the
Earth's climate. Explore issues like
Energy,
Pollution,
Sustainable Development, and
Natural Resources.
Stepping Toward Balance: Addressing Global Climate Change
In this speech Joseph Stiglitz, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank, urges a partnership approach among
countries in order to address the threat of global climate change.
Climate Change and Its Likely Impact on Development
In this address given in Kyoto, Japan, World Bank General Manager Caio K. Koch-Weser describes how dealing with climate change is central to poverty reduction and sustainable development and thus to the World Bank's work.
TAC remarks on Global Climate Change
Agriculture accounts for some 20% of the annual accumulation of greenhouse gases, largely through emissions of carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxide. In this speech, Donald Winkelmann, TAC Chairman, discusses the strategies in agriculture to minimize the global climate change threats.
