World Environment Day 2005

World Environment Day, June 5^th, was established in 1972 by the United Nations to give a human face to environmental issues and promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes about the environment. The focus for 2005 is on the urban environment with the theme of “greening cities.”

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2005—As the number of people living in urban areas surpasses those residing in rural areas, urban development trends in developing countries pose additional risks with respect to human health and the environment.  A major share of the burden of disease in cities is due to waste-water-borne illnesses, dirty water, environmental degradation due to wastewater discharges and poor air quality from the burning of fossil fuels.

“Leadership in urban areas is fundamental for protection of the environment and human health.  The issue is not so much technical or financial – the real solution is a solid commitment to good environmental management,” said Warren Evans, Director Environment Department, the World Bank.

According to the World Bank, one million people die annually from urban air pollution and one child dies every 15 seconds from a diarrheal disease; it is often the urban poor who suffer the most.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution in urban areas worldwide, in terms of concentrations of particulate matter (PM), causes about three percent of mortality attributable to cardiopulmonary disease in adults, about five percent of mortality attributable to cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung, and about one percent of mortality attributable to acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. This amounts to about 1.4 percent of the global total and 6.4 million years of life lost (YLL) (0.7 percent of the global total).    

Air Pollution on the Rise

The costs of air pollution include reduced visibility and damage to vegetation and buildings, but by far the greatest toll is on human health making of millions people vulnerable in the developing world.

Major sources of air pollution in cities include combustion processes, including the burning of fossil fuels for steam and power generation, heating and household cooking, agricultural field burning, diesel-fueled engine combustion, and from industry. In most countries in Asia and Latin America, coal and oil remain the main source of energy.

As incomes rise in developing countries, so does the demand for automobiles which increases the level of pollutants.  Rapidly expanding motorization and industrialization result in increasing emissions of harmful pollutants (especially fine particulates).  Better fuel and auto standards and innovative technologies are major drivers for cleaner burning automobiles.

Change in Climate is Heating Up Urban Areas

As the planet’s temperature rises, climate variability increases and the world suffers from an increase in extreme weather events – such as floods, droughts and hurricanes.    As urban areas, which typically already have warmer temperatures than rural areas, heat up they may feel the effect of climate change through extreme heat waves.

During the last half of the 20th century, the number of   extreme weather events per decade went up 5.5 times – from 13 in the 1950s to 72 in the 1990s, and the average annual damage costs from them have increased 12 times – from less than US$5 billion per year to nearly US$60 billion per year. 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): 

·         Urban areas could be severely affected by climate change and could also experience other significant environmental problems which could be exacerbated under higher temperature/increased precipitation regimes, including water and energy resources and infrastructure, waste treatment, and transportation. 

·         Urban flooding could also be a problem anywhere that storm drains, water supply, and waste management systems have inadequate capacity.

·         Squatter and other informal urban settlements with high population density, poor shelter, little or no access to resources such as safe water and public health services, and low adaptive capacity are highly vulnerable.

Better Service Delivery through Community Driven Development (CDD)

The last five years, the Bank has championed a new modality of service delivery based on participation which gives control of decisions and resources of communities in planning for the delivery of their basic infrastructure services, such as water supply, sewerage, and solid waste collection in both urban and rural areas.

“The Bank's experience with urban upgrading in Brazil and elsewhere shows the key role of local communities throughout the planning, works execution, operation and maintenance and post-works follow-up, both for maximizing lasting results of the basic services provided and for building community empowerment,” said Steen Jorgensen, Director, Social Development Department, the World Bank.

Without community engagement and ongoing social outreach, basic service delivery often fails. Using CDD approaches, new social and community roles are developed and municipalities are rewarded with a license to operate. With basic service improvements, community investment in other areas is catalyzed, especially in improvements in housing. Social capital impacts are patent: a resident rejoices at no longer being called a “favelada” – a slum dweller, but rather takes pride in being recognized as a constituent of a formal city, with an address.

The World Bank and the Environment

Protecting the environment is a key pillar of the Bank’s mission of alleviating poverty and sustaining the quality of development. It has been working over the last decade to mitigate the health risks that come from poor management of environmental resources and inadequate access to water and sanitation services and solid waste management. The Bank is also the world’s largest single international funding source for biodiversity projects.   

As of December 2004, US$1.2 billion of new projects with Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) components have already been approved.  In Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 (July 2003/June 2004), this number was US$1.3 billion, which was 6.5 percent of total Bank lending in FY04 – an increase from FY02 (4.7 percent) and FY03 (6.0 percent).  Lending for projects with major water components increased from US$2.5b in FY03 to US$3.3b in FY04.