Mitigating Climate Change at the World Bank

The Bank's activities in the area of mitigation of climate change (i.e., efforts to reduce global atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations) are spread across a wide spectrum of interventions in the energy, urban, transport and forestry sectors. As experience with the projects grows, and as costs of some clean technologies decline, such projects are increasingly being mainstreamed into Bank operations.

The Bank assists its clients in mitigating climate change by supporting operations focused on supply as well as demand side energy efficiency improvements, solid waste management, renewable energy, transport, and forestry. Such operations can also benefit from carbon revenues through the carbon finance program or access GEF co-financing. Measures to reduce energy intensity in some of these areas (i.e., the efficiency with which energy is consumed) can also have local benefits such as on human health and livelihoods, especially for the poor, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.