Publication: The World Bank and China's Environment 1993-2003
Loading...
Date
2005-04-27
ISSN
Published
2005-04-27
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
China's environmental degradation has developed over centuries, but record recent rates of economic growth have now widened environmental impacts and accelerated many adverse trends. China's urbanization and industrialization have produced rising material standards of living but have ever more costly environmental consequences. The period 1992-2001 coincided with a renewed Bank commitment to the environment, culminating in a new 2001 Bank environmental strategy. For the evaluation period there were four policies against which environmental performance can be judged: mainstreaming the environment; enforcing environmental safeguards; implementing a global agenda; and environmental stewardship. The environment and social sector development sector management unit (SMU) has a small professional staff and manages the few Bank-funded specialized environment projects. The Bank provided intellectual leadership and when economic sector work (ESW) was critical, the stakes were so high that the overall cost-effectiveness of ESW was assured. Rightly the Bank participated enthusiastically and shared knowledge with a pluralistic group of donors allied to Chinese research institutes and non-government organizations (NGOs).
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Varley, Robert C.G.. 2005. The World Bank and China's Environment 1993-2003. Operations Evaluation Department (OED)
working paper series;. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20208 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Integrated Air Pollution Management in China : Developing Particulate Matter Control(Washington, DC, 2012-06)This study is a joint effort of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Chinese experts, and the World Bank to inform the policy-making process in line with the government of China s medium- and long-term objectives. Specifically the study aims to assist MEP, provincial governments, and municipalities by: (1) Proposing a national PM10 compliance plan to help non-compliant cities attain grade II - preferably by 2015 or in certain cases by 2020 at the latest - and already compliant cities to further reduce PM concentrations. The plan would include (a) policies and regulations and associated physical interventions/measures; (b) geographical scope; (c) sequencing of interventions; and (d) feasible environmental investments likely to have high benefit/cost ratios. (2) recommending a PM2.5 monitoring system and related data applications.Publication Turkey Green Growth Policy Paper : Towards a Greener Economy(Washington, DC, 2013-04)The report is organized in seven chapters. Following the introductory chapter, chapter two sets the stage by reviewing the structure of Turkey's economy and its performance, as well as the challenges and opportunities provided by Turkey's current growth path from implementing a 'green agenda' linked to achieving standards set by European Union (EU) Directives and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) principles; this is followed by a review of where Turkey stands compared to developed and emerging economies, in terms of what is broadly understood as a comprehensive approach to green growth. Chapter three uses a narrower, more operational, definition of green growth for the purposes of the analysis undertaken in the policy note. Chapter four presents an assessment of the seven strategic sectors selected for a more focused analysis. It also highlights the greening potential within these sectors. Chapter five reviews the range of policy instruments available in the European Union (EU) and other emerging international experiences, as well as the relevance of these policy options to the objectives of the policy note. Chapter six presents the economy-wide framework and the results of the pilot economic 'impact analysis' of two types of greening scenarios: an urban scenario (linked to production and consumption by firms and households) and a rural scenario focused on agriculture. Finally, chapter seven concludes with an initial set of recommendations.Publication Winds of Change : East Asia's Sustainable Energy Future(World Bank, 2010)This report demonstrates that a "climate-smart" energy strategy is possible for countries in the East Asia region, with support from the international community. In the past three decades, the East Asia region has experienced the fastest economic growth in the world, accompanied by rapid urbanization. As a consequence, energy consumption has more than tripled and is expected to further double over the next two decades. This remarkable growth and rapid urbanization have led to twin energy challenges in the region: improving environmental sustainability and enhancing energy security. The region has many of the world's most polluted cities, resulting from fossil fuel combustion. The region also contains some of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, although their per capita and historical emissions are much below the levels of industrialized countries. Concerns with energy security have grown because of increased risks of price volatility and possible disruptions in supplies for oil and gas. To move the region to a sustainable energy path, the commitment of the respective governments and communities is essential. The governments will need energy-pricing reforms that no longer encourage the use of fossil fuels, and put in place regulations and incentives that improve energy efficiency and support low-carbon technologies. The governments also will need to ramp up research and development for new technologies to leapfrog to the clean energy revolution. The countries cannot move to a sustainable energy path alone. They will need the support of the international community. Substantial concessional financing is essential to motivate energy efficiency and low-carbon technology investments. Transfer of low-carbon technologies and institutional strengthening also will be needed.Publication International Trade and Green Growth(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-10)This paper reviews the challenges and opportunities raised by international trade for developing countries considering a green growth strategy. A key concern is the effect of environmental policies on international competitiveness. For production-generated pollution, there is evidence that stringent environmental policy reduces some indicators of competitiveness, but the effect is small in most sectors. However, tightening up environmental standards is unlikely to reduce international competitiveness when pollution is generated by consumption. And where depletion of natural capital is a threat, effective environmental policy is an important component of a policy aimed at developing long-run international competitiveness. The effects of trade on environmental policy, the interaction between trade and technology transfer, and the interaction between trade and transboundary environmental problems are also reviewed. An emerging issue is the potential use of border taxes to curtail carbon leakage. The paper discusses some of the possible responses by developing countries. Some work has indicated that export taxes or voluntary export restraints applied to carbon-intensive production in non-coalition countries may be preferable to a carbon tariff regime. The paper concludes by suggesting some topics for further research.Publication Power System Planning in India : Incorporating Environmental Externality Costs and Benefits(Washington, DC, 2007-04)This paper has been prepared in accordance with the terms of reference for a study on power system planning in India: incorporating externality costs and benefits. It reviews estimates of the external costs of power in international studies as well as in India and compares the figures available. It also comments on the validity of the external cost estimates available and the use made of them in power system planning and regulation both outside and inside India. The structure is as follows. Section two reviews the external cost estimates of electricity generation in the European Union (EU), and other countries. It also reports some recent work on the external costs associated with transmission. Some comments for the range of estimates are offered. Section three reviews a few studies on external costs for India and compares those with the international estimates. Section four discusses the use made of external cost data in power system planning and regulation both internationally and in India and makes some recommendations for possible reforms in the Indian case. Section five reviews the Indian and international estimates of external costs of hydro and section six does the same for resettlement and rehabilitation (RR) costs. Section seven offers some conclusions.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication IFC Annual Report 2011 : I Am Opportunity(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011)This annual report of the IFC reviews the years accomplishments. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by fi nancing private sector investment, mobilizing capital in international fi nancial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments. We play a catalytic role by demonstrating the profi tability of investments in emerging markets. Established in 1956, IFC is owned by 182 member countries, a group that collectively determines our policies. Our work in more than 100 countries allows companies and fi nancial institutions in emerging markets to create jobs, generate tax revenues, improve corporate governance and environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities. IFC’s vision is that people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022(Washington, DC, 2022-11)The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.