World Bank and Global Environmental Fund

Question 1

What is the World Bank’s role in the environment?

Answer 1

Mandate: Reduce poverty and promote economic development.

Environmental Role: Major financier of development projects with environmental impacts.

Reforms:
Created Environment Department (1985)
Introduced Environmental Impact Assessments (1991)
Adopted Environmental and Social Framework (2016)

Focus: Large-scale infrastructure with mixed environmental outcomes.

Question 2

What are the criticisms and failures of the World Bank?

Answer 2

Projects:
Polonoroeste (Brazil, 1980s) – Deforestation, harm to Indigenous communities.
Narmada Dam (India) – Displacement, ecological damage.

Failures:
Inconsistent safeguards.
Delegation of oversight to borrower states.
Green rhetoric vs. continued fossil fuel financing.

Scholars: Clapp & Dauvergne (2005), Elliott (2004), Moore (2023)

Question 3

What are the successes and reforms of the World Bank?

Answer 3

Achievements:
Inspection Panel (1993) improved accountability.
Marrakesh Vision (2023): Links climate and development.

Reputation: Has improved transparency, but reform implementation remains uneven.

Question 4

When was the creation of the GEF and what is it’s structure?

Answer 4

Established: Pilot phase 1991–1994; formalized after Rio (1992).

Joint Management: World Bank, UNEP, UNDP.

Mission: Fund incremental costs of environmental protection in developing countries.

Areas: Climate, biodiversity, international waters, ozone, POPs, land degradation.

Question 5

What are some criticisms and failures of the GEF?

Answer 5

Early Critiques:
Top-down and donor-driven.
Tied to World Bank lending priorities.

Ongoing Issues:
Focused more on mitigation than adaptation.
Local communities often excluded from project design.
Structural drivers of degradation not addressed.

Scholars: Clapp & Dauvergne (2005), Elliott (2004)

Question 6

What are some successes and reforms of the GEF?

Answer 6

Reforms (1994):
Introduced mixed voting system (double-majority).
Strengthened NGO engagement and transparency.

Impact:
Over $21.7B in grants.
$119B in co-financing.
Supported 5,000+ projects globally.

Reputation: More inclusive than early phase, but still criticized for bureaucracy and donor influence.