5 Ways the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan Could Go Further

The World Resources Institute critiques the World Bank Group's draft Climate Change Action Plan, asserting it falls short of the urgency required by the Paris Agreement. The briefing recommends that the World Bank Group implement a numeric emissions cap, phase out fossil fuel financing—specifically natural gas—and prioritize climate resilience through better project design and staffing. It further suggests improving climate finance reporting to measure actual impact rather than just financial inputs and providing more technical resources to low- and middle-income countries to help them develop projects that move beyond 'business-as-usual' development.

• The World Bank Group should establish a numeric cap on emissions for individual projects and its overall investment portfolio to align with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
• The World Bank Group needs to phase out fossil fuel financing, including natural gas, which received over $3.5 billion in investment as recently as 2018; such investments should only be exceptions for energy-poor countries lacking renewable alternatives.
• Current climate risk screening often fails to integrate risks into program design, necessitating a shift toward the new Resilience Rating System and increased training for country directors, economists, and task team leaders.
• The Action Plan's climate finance target of 35% focuses on financial inputs (up from 32% in 2018 and 31% in 2019) but fails to measure the actual impact or results in terms of emissions or risk reduction.
• Low-income countries often lack the data and manpower to design projects that meet both development and climate goals, meaning the World Bank Group must provide more resources for data collection, modeling, and project design.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). 5 Ways the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan Could Go Further. https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-world-banks-climate-action-plan-could-go-further

Chicago

World Resources Institute. 5 Ways the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan Could Go Further. 2021. https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-world-banks-climate-action-plan-could-go-further.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=5 Ways the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan Could Go Further |date=10 May 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-world-banks-climate-action-plan-could-go-further |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021ways, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{5 Ways the World Bank’s Climate Action Plan Could Go Further}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-world-banks-climate-action-plan-could-go-further}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }