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WB urged to follow Bali roadmap
Indonesian environmental guru Emil Salim has questioned a new World Bank climate change strategy, saying it should back the Bali climate roadmap rather than starting a new fund of its own
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Indonesian environmental guru Emil Salim has questioned a new World Bank climate change strategy, saying it should back the Bali climate roadmap rather than starting a new fund of its own.
He said differences over climate change implementation strategies reflected market and policy contradictions arising when polluting countries were environmental service providers, while the bank itself was too linked to fossil fuel projects.
"The World Bank executive board previously rejected a proposal to move away from funding fossil fuel projects and to push for renewable energy development," said Emil, who is environmental adviser to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Emil said this policy resulted in the main providers of climate change services and products also being the main contributors to increased emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).
He was speaking in a World Bank consultative forum on Wednesday.
The forum invited Indonesian stakeholders to comment on the bank's draft strategy paper on climate change and development.
The paper, to be finalized by bank shareholders in October 2008, is on how the bank should address climate change in the context of international development.
The strategic plan will be proposed for endorsement by the bank board of executive directors in September 2008.
Emil said it would be better if the World Bank would support the Bali roadmap rather then creating a new climate change fund.
"Please support the results of the Bali meeting. Why should you create your own new fund to compete with the agreed adaptation fund? Why doesn't the World Bank simply support the agreed adaptation fund?" he said.
"The bank should also support technology transfer so we (developing nations) can access new technology more easily."
The Kyoto Protocol member countries agreed on the Bali roadmap during the climate change conference in Indonesia last year.
The Bali roadmap urges developed nations to take the lead in reducing their emissions. The conference also adopted measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by conserving forest zones.
World Bank leading environmental specialist Kulsum Ahmed said climate change was not a new issue for the institution.
"The bank started implementing GEF funding for climate change in 1993," she said, referring to the Global Environment Facility, a major lender for climate change projects.
She said the bank also revised its environmental strategy to include a climate change component in 2001.
The Bank's Indonesia country director, Joahim von Amsberg, said the new framework would help Indonesia cope with climate change threats.
"The proposed framework would facilitate developing countries like Indonesia to cope with looming climate change threats -- rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and increased uncertainties -- also facilitating carbon credit opportunities and access to new sources of global financing," he said.
The bank's draft paper put Indonesia as one of the highest risk countries in the world for negative impacts from climate change.
The draft strategic framework highlighted six main components including an innovative carbon credit market mechanism for insurance products, energy efficiency and green goods and services.
The World Bank also plans to leverage private finance to develop financial products for environmentally sustainable energy and help accelerate deployment of climate-friendly technologies.
