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World Bank’s environmental envoy is a grab bag of opinions
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The World Bank’s planned $3.75-billion loan to South Africa to build the world’s fourth-dirtiest coal plant has created controversy around the globe, raising concerns of both environmentalists and lawmakers. But many groups are hoping that the organization’s new climate change envoy, Andrew Steer, will bring more than just cosmetic change.
Steer, the World Bank’s first ambassador for climate change and low-carbon development, has worked for the organization since the 1980s and was the chief author of its first World Development Report on the environment, the New York Times reports.
His appointment comes at a time when the World Bank has been facing increasing heat for how it allocates its energy funds. In 2009, approximately 24 percent of its total energy lending portfolio was spent on fossil fuels – its lowest rate ever. Steer, however, realizes that the organization needs tangible change.
"We’ve had enough piloting. We need to be good at something more than that. It’s not good enough to simply be able to say there’s a great little program in 19 villages," Steer told the paper. "I think we can move to a lower carbon emissions growth strategy."
Yet when asked what he thought of the South African plant, Steer deflected and said that it was not his job to state his personal opinions. Any plan to include environmental and social costs of carbon emissions in new project assessments will also be for the World Bank’s shareholders to decide.
Later, however, Steer was not hesitant to express his opinion that poor countries have the right to pollute. "If you’re an African country currently emitting 1 ton per person, it’s not fair to keep them down there. It’s just basic fairness to allow and even expect those countries whose citizens are emitting well below what could be a long-term emission to emit more," he said.
Recently, the U.S. Treasury called on the World Bank to "materially raise the bar for coal projects" and create criteria detailing how a plant will significantly increase power supplies for the poor. It also urged the organization to begin examining alternative energy projects.
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