The World Bank - Working for a world free of poverty

Views menu

Syndicate content
Making development work for all

About us

About us

East Asia & Pacific is facing some great development challenges today: urbanization, protection of the environment, the need to find renewable energy sources and many others. This site wants to create a conversation around those important issues. More »

emissions

Interactive climate change map shows what a warmer world could look like

Submitted by James I Davison on Mon, 2009-11-02 17:21

As next month’s climate change conference in Copenhagen draws closer, we are undoubtedly going to see the amount of online discourse on the topic continue to increase. The latest example comes from the British government, which last week released an interactive map showing the possible impact of a global temperature rise of 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit). An article in the Guardian says the UK’s Met Office Hadley Centre produced the map based on a recent study that indicates, "such a 4C rise could come as soon as 2060 without urgent and serious action to reduce emissions." The newspaper also quotes the government’s chief scientist as saying that such a temperature shift would be “disastrous.”

Indeed, after exploring the map for just a few minutes, you see how devastating the consequences of a warmer planet might be. By zooming in and clicking and dragging with your mouse, you can navigate the map to see what could happen to different parts of the globe. Be sure to click on some of the plus signs, which give you a brief overview of an issue and the option to click to learn more and view sources of the research. The map, its creators say, displays the latest in peer-reviewed climate change research.

Looking around East Asia, you’ll see that some of the impacts listed include decrease in rice yield, extreme temperatures in population centers of eastern China, and flooding caused by rising sea levels.
 

Click on the map to interact. View full screen map here.

(Hat tip: From Poverty to Power blog.)

Climate Change won't go away – so get the basics right now

Submitted by Florian Kitt on Thu, 2009-10-15 09:24

Editor's note: This post is part of Blog Action Day on climate change. For more information, visit blogactionday.org.

Apologies for having been out of touch since Carbon Expo. I needed a break, and summer in Croatia proved one can have a life beyond international development and carbon finance. Climate change, however, very much stayed on my mind with reports of wildfires in the United States and Greece. Clearly, one cannot escape all-encompassing global change, in particular when negotiations have now started in earnest on a post-2012 treaty to reduce carbon emissions and provide financing for developing countries.

Some still think that climate change is just a buzz topic and will quietly disappear from global attention. Let me assure you that many people in East Asian and Pacific countries would disagree. They are hit by natural disasters, which in recent years not only steadily increased in frequency, but also in intensity.

Live online chat with carbon finance expert on July 14

Submitted by James I Davison on Thu, 2009-07-09 15:50

Carbon finance, and recently reported growth in the carbon market, is seen by many as having the potential to lower global emissions and combat climate change. Among other efforts in this area, the World Bank is working to help the carbon market with two new facilities to reduce deforestation – a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions – and support long-term clean technology investments in developing countries.

Joëlle Chassard, manager of the World Bank’s Carbon Finance Unit, will be answering questions on carbon finance in a live online chat on Tuesday, July 14 at 10 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (14:00 GMT). You can also submit your questions now by going here.

The U.S. role in cap and trade: too little too late, or better than nothing?

Submitted by Tim Brown on Tue, 2009-06-09 08:08

Together with hundreds of Carbon Expo-nents a couple of weeks ago, I was drawn to the panel discussion on the US House Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill. This was my first trip to Barcelona, and not all the carbon sessions could compete with the sunshine, attractions and food. But this one held my interest. As an American who has lived in Indonesia for 13 years, I was happy to get this insider view from an impressive panel of industry, NGO, and executive and legislative branch representatives. The bill, in short, offers incentives to key industries, gradually lowers the loose early cap to a credible goal by 2050, and creates a huge new offset market – a billion tons a year. If the bill became law, the existing Certified Emissions Reduction (CER) market would have trouble meeting this level of demand.

Following China’s lead transforming transportation

Submitted by Deborah Gordon on Sun, 2009-06-07 12:37

In just fifteen years, two billion motor vehicles are projected to inhabit the world’s roads, doubling today’s population. Most of this growth will occur in Asia, with China leading the way. In order to fuel and accommodate these vehicles, large new energy and urban infrastructure investments will be made, locking in escalating greenhouse gas emissions and resource demands through the rest of the century.

The burning questions are: Will tomorrow’s autos in China and elsewhere be as carbon-laden and resource intensive as they are in the US today? And will the cities of India, China, and others follow the sprawled pattern of the US? Or will a new transportation reality emerge in China and throughout the developing world?

Put in these terms, it is imperative that China be a leader in transforming transportation – vehicles, fuels, and mobility. Today’s petroleum-fueled internal combustion engine technology, developed over 100 years ago, must be vastly improved and eventually replaced by 21st century innovations. And infrastructure and land use managers need to resist the forces of sprawl and invest in collective mobility services. Both of these goals are realistic propositions well worth pursuing.

Amid soccer celebrations, first MBA on carbon finance hints at a solid future for green businesses

Submitted by Florian Kitt on Thu, 2009-05-28 13:30

Display at Carbon Expo in Barcelona.

It was my best intention to write my blog posts in a somewhat chronological way, but events, as they often do, just surpassed me. FC Barcelona’s convincing and clear 2-0 win against Manchester United in the Champions League final yesterday completely overshadowed Carbon Expo this morning. Some participants clearly showed signs of having joined the many street parties that lasted until the early morning and the game dominated discussions on the morning of the expo’s second day. Join me in a quick O le le, Oh la la, Barca!!

But back to business. Yesterday the Carbon Expo truly started only in the afternoon and after the plenary sessions. Carbon Expo truly is a marketplace where participants are looking for financing, projects, and jobs. Discussions become very specific, and companies and intermediaries show great interest in the World Bank’s expertise and knowledge on developing countries. Networking is a must and that includes going from stand to stand to grab information and presents, talk to possible business partners or join one of the multiple “have a drink, a bite, and talk to us” receptions.

Carbon Expo: A marketplace to finance environmental change

Submitted by Florian Kitt on Thu, 2009-05-21 17:04

Carbon finance sounds boring and technical and not much fun. However, it actually does a lot of good and can help fund critical environmental preservation projects as well as introduce clean and renewable technologies in both developed and developing countries. I am not a carbon specialist but at present involved in organizing the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Region's participation in next week's Carbon Expo, a global trade fair for CO₂ market participants. Doesn't really sound like a lot fun? Indeed, it's a lot of work.

Video: Getting commuters onto bikes in the Philippines

Submitted by James I Davison on Mon, 2009-05-11 15:48

A couple weeks ago, blogger Chris Pablo wrote here about a project designed to get more people in the Philippines riding bicycles by creating and designating separate bike paths in Marikina City, a medium-sized city at the eastern edge of Metro Manila.

Chris writes:

The project, which started in 2001, seems to have achieved its demonstration effect. From a survey done in 2006, the share of bike trips to all trips in the city increased to 9.5%, from 4% in 1999. Bicycle ownership also grew.

The short World Bank-produced video below gives another look at the successful project:

Facing traffic and pollution, Philippines city invests in bicycles

Submitted by Chris Pablo on Thu, 2009-04-30 13:54

During the Martial Law years in the Philippines (1970s to early 1980s), there was a story widely shared (discreetly) about a popular TV variety show host who was made to ride the bicycle all day in a military camp. According to accounts, he apparently displeased the rulers at the time for making a quip about the government's running slogan that goes, "sa ika-uunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan."Loosely translated, it means, "for the country to progress, discipline is what is needed."

What the TV host jokingly proclaimed was – "sa ika-uunlad ng bayan, bisikleta ang kailangan" ("what the country needs for progress is the bicycle"). True or not, the story fascinates me to this day. First, because some people just can't take a good joke. More importantly, because I thought the TV host must be a real visionary! He may have foreseen the traffic and pollution conditions some 15 years in the future and the need for cheaper alternatives for mobility.

Bicycle-sharing programs starting to appear in Asian cities

Submitted by James I Davison on Wed, 2009-03-25 16:25

When I think about the biggest frustrations that typically come with living in, or simply visiting, a big city, bad traffic probably tops my list. For me, few things are more maddening than being stuck in a slowly moving (or worse, stand-still) line of cars. This is why it's not too surprising that bicycle-sharing programs have become quite popular here in Washington, D.C., and in several North American and European cities.

Now in Asia, these programs, which provide people with free or affordable access to bikes, are apparently starting to take off in popularity. The Springwise entrepreneurial blog points us to ambitious new bike-sharing organizations in the Taiwanese cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung City, as well as similar programs in Changwon, Korea and Hangzhou, China.

Cities and communities love and often support bike-sharing programs because they help reduce traffic congestion, noise and pollution. And the rentals are usually cheap, giving another option for transportation to more people. I suppose bicycle congestion still has a potential of being an annoyance, but at least they don't smell of exhaust and can't honk at you.

Image credit: mywayaround at Flickr under a Creative Commons license.