Climate finance

Environment

News

World Bank’s reliance on private capital to finance green transition in low- and middle-income countries risks falling flat

Despite lofty rhetoric, Bank’s attempts to use scarce concessional finance to build investable project pipelines to secure power sector decarbonisation faces significant hurdles.

4 October 2023

Finance

Analysis

World Bank Group Evolution: Technical fixes or urgently needed reform?

World Bank Evolution Roadmap’s proposed superficial technical patches favouring the ‘logic’ of the market will likely fail to deliver the structural changes needed to support borrowing countries amidst global crises.

19 July 2023 | At Issue

Environment

News

MIGA’s new insurance for voluntary carbon offsets risks propping up junk assets, say campaigners

World Bank’s political insurance arm to provide risk cover to existing offsets if they are affected by governments efforts to better regulate problem-plagued offset schemes.

4 October 2023

IFI governance

News

Marrakech CSO working group launches statement ahead of 2023 Annual Meetings

Marrakech working group calls on the BWIs to cancel the debt, stop imposing austerity and ensure a just energy transition.

19 July 2023

Environment

News

Resilience and Sustainability Trust’s first loans promote climate PPPs, raising concerns they may create fiscal risks

Initial financing for Costa Rica, Barbados, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Jamaica tied to efforts to ‘green’ PPP frameworks.

5 April 2023

Infrastructure

Analysis

World Bank and IMF influence casts shadow over South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership

World Bank’s support for fossil fuel projects, including problem-riddled Medupi coal power station, leaves its reputation in tatters with South African civil society.

8 December 2022

Environment

Commentary

Bridgetown Initiative calls for new Global Climate Mitigation Trust financed via Special Drawing Rights

IMF’s lending instruments fail to provide swift and large-scale funding for climate transition. The Bridgeton Initiative proposes a new trust backed by $500 billion in SDRs for climate and development.

8 December 2022 | Guest comment

Environment

News

World Bank’s update on Paris alignment fizzles at COP27 as countries demand MDBs evolve to face climate emergency

Despite continued public rhetoric about importance of civil society engagement, Bank is yet to commit to holding a public consultation period on its Paris alignment approach.

8 December 2022

Environment

Analysis

World Bank’s failure to disclose details of climate finance accounting opens its claim to be leading green financier to scrutiny

Newly released study by Oxfam finds that the Bank’s claims of climate finance for FY2020 could be off by as much as 40 per cent, or $7 billion, highlighting the urgent need for greater public disclosure.

4 October 2022 | Guest analysis

Environment

News

IMF seeks to ‘unleash’ private climate finance, as experts question ‘de-risking state’ model

In the face of growing calls to ‘de-risk’ green investments for the private sector, academic experts call for developmental allocative green credit regimes, rather than market-led approaches.

4 October 2022