Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the World Bank's energy portfolio still fails to reap the double dividend of renewable energy technologies that would tackle both energy poverty and climate change. Nigerian economic policies shaped by World Bank and IMF recommendations, policy agreements and conditionality have so far lead to a dysfunctional electricity privatisation process, a heavy and as yet unfulfilled reliance on reform of the gas sector, and the failure to make any widespread practical pr
Energy
Environment
News
Venezuela v. Exxon back to ICSID?
Venezuela has asked Exxon Mobil to go back to the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, and drop lawsuits filed in other courts in London and New York.
Infrastructure
News
Rural electrification: "financial viability" over welfare
A recent evaluation by the World Bank's Internal Evaluation Group on the welfare impact of rural electrification finds that only seven per cent of dedicated World Bank rural electrification projects have an explicit poverty reduction objective.
Accountability
News
Parliamentary committee scolds DFID for its World Bank infatuation
The UK's International Development Committee has sharply reprimanded the Department for International Development for its decision to hand over a fifty per cent increase in funding for the World Bank without sufficient analysis of whether or not this is good value for money.
Environment
Background
Highlights of BWI-UK network meeting with Caroline Sergeant, 7 February 2008
Highlights of NGO meeting with alternative executive director to the World Bank, Caroline Sergeant
Environment
Analysis
Is the Bank's carbon markets approach an effective way to address climate change?
The World Bank's involvement in the carbon market is under hot debate: Janet Redman from the Institute for Policy Studies opposes its approach while Jon Sohn, from Climate Change Capital argues that there is a role for the Bank to play.
Environment
News
World Bank and power
Calls for the Bank to end its lending for fossil fuels have increased in the aftermath of the 13th conference of the parties of the UN framework convention on climate change in Bali but the Bank has continued to push oil, gas and coal operations.
Accountability
News
Public campaigns to reform IDA
In Europe, Asia and the United States, civil society has campaigned for reform of the World Bank through the replenishment process of the International Development Association.
Environment
News
Climate contradictions: World Bank sets up shop in Bali
The key role that the World Bank is preparing to play in December's international climate change conference in Bali sits uncomfortably with its continued commitment to fossil fuel funding and failure to make a meaningful shift in its energy lending
Infrastructure
Background
Climate change and clean energy challenges and opportunities in addressing Africa's growing energy n
Highlights of a meeting at the World Bank-IMF annual meetings 2007.
