WRI Insights

The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies. They are also the two largest producers and consumers of coal, and the [largest emitters](http://insights.wri.org/news/2012/09/chinese-leaders-and-wri-experts-share-knowledge-low-carbon-development) of carbon dioxide. In recent years, however, their paths on coal have started to diverge.

This is part two of a four-part blog series, [“Improving Electricity Governance,”](http://www.wri.org/resources/type/insights-50/tags/8690) which explores the key components involved in effective electricity governance. The series draws on the experiences of WRI’s Electricity Governance Initiative, documented in a new report, “[Shining a Light on Electricity Governance](https://www.wri.org/research/shining-light-electricity-governance).” Read [more posts](https://wri.org/resources/type/insights-50/tags/8690) in this series.

We are in a race for sure, but it is not a race among various national issues. It’s a race to slow the pace of our rapidly changing climate. The planet is [warming faster](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/03/developed-nations-must-reduce-emissions-half-2020-says-new-study) than previously thought, and we cannot afford to wait for national politics to align to make progress in slowing the dangerous rate of warming.

We recently travelled to Santiago, Chile, a sprawling city of six million people just beyond the Andes. Our purpose was to attend the first sub-regional workshop of the Climate Justice Dialogue, a new initiative led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the [Mary Robinson Foundation—Climate Justice (MRFCJ)](http://www.mrfcj.org/). But before we even made it inside the conference center, we were confronted by a poignant, real-life example of climate justice.

Indian cities are urbanizing at an unprecedented scale and pace. Over the next few decades, India’s urban population is expected to increase significantly, from [377 million](http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india/Rural_Urban_2011.pdf) in 2011 to [590 million](http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/urbanization/urban_awakening_in_india) by 2030.

Since the [very first Earth Day](http://earthsky.org/earth/this-date-in-science-why-celebrate-earth-day-on-april-22) more than four decades ago, the environmental movement has tackled a wide range of problems, including air pollution, contaminated water, [deforestation](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/03/5-lessons-sustaining-global-forests), biodiversity loss, and more. But this Earth Day, I propose that there are two fundamental issues the movement must address over the coming decade if it is ever to defuse the tension between development and the environment. In fact, these two issues underlie many, if not most, of the world’s environmental challenges.

WASHINGTON (April 19, 2013)-Fourteen Latin American and Caribbean countries adopted an ambitious Plan of Action to improve access rights in the region, including access to information, public participation, and access to justice.

Having recently left the bustling streets and warm hospitality of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I’m taking a moment to reflect on all that I have learned at CDKN’s workshop on “Climate Finance in East Africa.” Representatives of government departments and research institutes from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda--as well as members of the donor community and international think-tanks--reflected on their experiences and the challenges faced in mobilizing and effectively deploying [climate change finance](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/04/why-climate-finance-so-hard-define).

The World Bank’s [annual spring meetings](http://www.imf.org/external/spring/2013/) take place this week in Washington, D.C. [One big topic](http://www.bicusa.org/ai1ec_event/orientation-session-on-the-imf/comparative-safeguard-policies-at-the-other-ifis/?instance_id=341) on the agenda is how to update the World Bank’s “safeguard” policies. Created in the early 1990s, [these policies](http://go.worldbank.org/WTA1ODE7T0) ensure that the Bank considers the social and environmental effects of proposed projects. For example, the safeguards require those borrowing money to [assess](http://go.worldbank.org/OSARUT0MP0) the project’s environmental impacts and to [compensate households](http://go.worldbank.org/ZDIJXP7TQ0) who are negatively affected. The full suite of safeguards is now [under review](http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/EXTPOLICIES/EXTSAFEPOL/0,,contentMDK:23275156~pagePK:64168445~piPK:64168309~theSitePK:584435,00.html) for the first time. Among other things, the Bank hopes to make its safeguard policies reflect changes in the global economic and political landscape that have occurred in recent decades. #### World Bank Safeguards vs. National Safeguards #### One question on the table is how the World Bank safeguards should interact with national systems already in place in recipient countries. Since the creation of the Bank’s safeguards, many countries have strengthened their own rules and institutions to ensure that large-scale projects are implemented in a manner that protects people and the environment. These include, for instance, laws requiring environmental impact assessments, or government agencies to oversee land use changes. Relying on these domestic systems can potentially improve protection of people and the environment. National laws, for example, allow governments and citizens to work within their own familiar structures, and they’re sometimes more appropriate for local circumstances than Bank policies.

Ministers are gathering in New Delhi [today](http://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/Events/CEM4.aspx) to address an urgent challenge: how to unlock the full potential of clean energy to drive economic growth, expand energy access, and protect the climate. The 4th [Clean Energy Ministerial](http://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/Events/CEM4.aspx) — which brings together energy ministers and other delegates from more than 20 leading economies — is a critical opportunity to inject new life into the global clean energy transition.