December 6, 2007 - Representatives from 190 nations are meeting in Bali, Indonesia from December 3 – 14 to address challenges linked to global climate change. The meeting marks the start of negotiations leading to what the United Nations hopes will be a renewal and extension of the Kyoto Protocol. A delegation from the World Bank, led by President Robert B. Zoellick, will join the conference.
On the eve of the global gathering, the World Bank’s lead climate change specialist for Africa and a member of the Bali delegation Aziz Bouzaher discussed the impact of climate change on Africa, and Bank actions to help client countries adapt to and mitigate it.
How is the World Bank's Africa Region responding to climate change?
AB: The Africa region is responding swiftly, as is the entire institution, to the emerging needs linked to climate change. Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change because of a number of things: the high dependence on natural resources, the low availability of infrastructure, the extent of poverty and the low level of institutional capacity to respond. The region is also predicted to be hardest hit in terms of catastrophic natural disasters. So we are developing a robust strategy and will be consulting with our clients and partners along the way. That strategy is to mainstream climate change into our operations and develop capacity to respond quickly – and effectively – to client needs.
We have a framework with four pillars: The core pillar is adaptation. If the climate changes, you have to adapt. This pillar covers agriculture, energy, health, land management, forestry, biodiversity and fisheries, disaster preparedness, and coastal areas. The second pillar is building institutional knowledge and strengthening country capacity so that institutions are better able to deal with climate change. Third is to take advantage of mitigation opportunities, in other words to reduce emissions. The fourth and final pillar is to mobilize financing (including from the International Development Association, the World Bank Group’s concessional lending arm) and piloting new, innovative market-based carbon instruments to help our countries gain access to new funding sources.
Is this strategy part of the Region's larger ongoing work?
Frequent extreme weather events
AB: A lot of the response to climate change is already built into current Bank policies and programs. For example, in Madagascar which is prone to cyclones, we are working on developing disaster preparedness. We are building the capacity and the tools and policies for the country to be better prepared. In some of our work on agriculture and water management, we are dealing with issues of drought and of the predicted high variability in water resources due to climate variability. In the energy sector, we have decidedly moved toward more clean energy. Our work on biofuels is contributing to the reduction of emissions.
We also have analytical work going on at the regional level. For instance, we are incorporating climate change into water resources management at the river-basin level. The Niger, Zambezi, Nile, and Congo basins provide water for drinking, irrigation, hydropower, and environmental services. We are collecting information on the impact of climate change in these basins, and are building on this work to give us a view in other key areas of Africa.
Basically, we are intensifying the work already being done to deal with variability and long-term change in the climate. We are also looking anew at our pipeline of projects systematically to ensure that we start a more robust incorporation of climate change issues.
Why should Africa be concerned about climate change?
AB: Climate change is a core development issue for Africa. There are millions of poor people who will be impacted. The potential cost of inaction could be significant and could undermine much of the progress that has been achieved, pushing even more people below the poverty line.
What are the implications of climate change for African economies?
AB: Africa has recorded solid economic growth. According to the Bank’s 2007 African Development Indicators, o ver the past decade, Africa has recorded an average growth rate of 5.4 percent. It's important that this growth and its positive impact on livelihoods is sustained and made resilient to climate risk.
How are governments making policy changes to combat climate change?
AB: A lot of countries are developing their own adaptation strategies. They are developing National Adaptation Action Plans (NAPAs). The recommendations in these NAPAs will begin to find their way into Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and national development plans. This also will be reflected into the Bank’s new generation of Country Assistance Strategies.
Is the region receiving the resources it needs to help cut emissions?
The plan is to help the region get access to innovative forms of carbon financing, including payment for environmental services and new areas such as avoiding deforestation and reducing land degradation. By reducing deforestation and land degradation you actually cut emissions, but at the same time you provide funding for adaptation and livelihoods. This is a better, and more sustainable, model for development as a whole.
What is the importance of the Bank's participation in the Bali conference?
The Bank hopes the Bali meeting will chart the way forward on the issue of climate change. The predictions are that Africa will bear the brunt of climate change. We are committed to using all available instruments – financial, technical, and policy-oriented – to help client countries adapt to climate change and achieve low-carbon pathways to sustainable development
Is climate change solely an environmental problem?
Climate change is a core development issue. It's not another environmental or an add-on issue. A lot of good development is good for dealing with climate change. Providing access to water and sanitation, supporting livelihoods, sustainable management of resources, all of this is good development. At the same time we recognize that Africa is one of the most vulnerable areas of the world -- and is the least emitter -- so adaptation becomes the core of the region's climate change strategy.
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