Integration of short-lived climate pollutants in World Bank activities : a report prepared at the request of the G8

As a development institution focused on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the World Bank is working in many countries that suffer from a lack of basic services such as waste management, transportation, and access to modern energy. Addressing these development challenges often has an impact on the emission of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) among them methane and tropospheric ozone, black carbon (BC), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). While the development benefits are the primary focus of the World Bank's support to these projects, they also provide an opportunity to realize climate benefits as well as air quality, health, and agricultural co-benefits, by reducing SLCP emissions. This review of the World Bank’s portfolio highlights the efficacy of integrating SLCP mitigation in development projects. Over the six-year period of the review (FY2007-2012), 7.7 percent of IBRD/IDA commitments (approximately US$18 billion) were on SLCP-relevant activities in energy, transport, roads, agriculture, forestry, and urban waste and wastewater. Going forward, the goal will be to transform as much of the SLCP-relevant activities as possible into SLCP-reducing activities