We are sharing the following leaked World Bank documents with you in the interest of transparency--something the World Bank has decided not to uphold in this instance, despite pledges to the contrary--and in the interest of calling attention to an issue of vital importance to the stability of the global climate. You can access them here.

The World Bank's energy and environment strategy, "Fuel for Thought," is scheduled to go to the Board of Directors on July 20, 1999, together with its proposed "Prototype Carbon Fund" (see related article).  Environmental non-governmental organizations are deeply concerned about the climate implications of both strategies, and are preparing a letter to the Board to this effect. NGOs have maintained a vigilant dialogue with Bank staff, in the interest of seeing both of these strategies reformed to address two critical issues of vital importance to the world's 2 billion poorest whom the World Bank is supposed to serve:

1) That the World Bank focus its energy and environment strategy on providing energy for human needs and sustainable livelihoods; and
2) That the World Bank provide a forward-looking, scientifically sound energy and environment strategy that does everything possible to avoid the "business as usual" scenario of continued fossil fuel consumption and rapid climate change. (See Climate Action Network position statement, in particular flexibility mechanisms and IFI language.)

Both goals are, happily, mutually reinforcing. This is because small-scale, decentralized renewable energy resources coupled with sustainable management of traditional fuels-as the World Bank's own Rural Energy Strategy points out-- could both meet the energy needs of the rural poor and avoid continued reliance on fossil fuels.

However, as these leaked documents and internal documents on the PCF reveal, the World Bank proposes to continue its "business as usual" approach, with minor modifications.

This World Bank financed coal-fired power plant 
in Talcher, India, has serious local, regional and 
global environmental impacts.