Is the World Bank really green?

The bank invests billions in fossil fuels, including through various opaque channels. If that doesn't change, his public soul-searching will mean little.

The World Bank is said to be going through a moment of cathartic introspection regarding its mission, financial model and leadership. 78 years after its founding, the powerful global institution has come under pressure for reform and criticism from its government shareholders - including the US and Germany - for its failure to address global crises such as the mounting debt crisis, rising poverty and climate change. At the same time, it faces growing calls from the likes of the Barbados-led Bridgetown Initiative to adopt innovative ways to provide more funding to deal with an "unprecedented combination of crises". In response, the World Bank issued a roadmap last December to review its mission and financial framework. In February this year, its president David Malpass announced, amid accusations of climate denial, that he would step down early in June 2023. These shifts have raised hopes that the international financial institution is undergoing a major soul-searching and will soon re-emerge, finally primed and ready to spur action on climate change. But a closer look at the many opaque ways the bank is pumping billions into the fossil fuel industry suggests the kind of change needed is much deeper and more complex than currently suggested. (Heike Mainhardt, African Arguments)