Originally published on the CGS blog on May 3, 2007.
As the ins and outs of World Bank President Wolfowitz’s ethical lapses continue to unfold, an interesting climate sideline to the scandal developed when Robert Watson, the bank’s chief scientist, alleged that one of Wolfowitz’s deputies, Juan Jos’ Daboub, tried to eliminate references to climate change in the Clean Energy Investment Framework, a key document that outlines the bank’s strategy for promoting clean energy in developing countries.
Such “tweaking” at the bank is disturbingly reminiscent of the heavy-handed suppression of climate science that has occurred in government agencies such as NOAA under the Bush administration, and it brings home to me the link between national and international action and accountability on climate change.
Tweaking reports is only a small part of the problem. The World Bank increased its support for oil companies over 75% last year. I can’t help wondering whether such blatant increases in funding for fossil fuel projects would have occurred if the U.S. had exerted its leadership to drastically transform the bank’s energy lending towards climate-friendly technologies.
Daboub’s intereference came to light shortly before European Union climate expert Tom van Ierland criticized developing countries for their inaction on climate change. Speaking at a high level climate conference in Bangkok on Tuesday, van Ierland called on developing countries to take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gases, and to stop blaming richer nations for their own failure to act…
Considering the World Bank’s influence in developing country economies, and the influence of the U.S. and the EU in the World Bank, I wonder whether this finger is pointing in the right direction?
