Credibility questions World Bank President Dog at climate summit

David Malpass faces continued criticism from those who question his commitment to climate action as well as his track record of the bank.

SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt — World Bank President David Malpass has arrived at the United Nations climate summit on a mission to prove that he and his institution are fully committed to efforts to curb global warming and help the poor in nations hit by increasingly severe droughts, fires and storms.

"We are tackling the climate crisis with action and impact," he said in a speech to finance ministers around the world. globe Wednesday morning. "We want to significantly increase the number and size of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

But shortly after this speech, Mr. Malpass was on the defensive.

After making the remarks at the World Bank pavilion inside the sprawling conference center hosting the summit, known as the COP27, Mr Malpass was confronted by a journalist from The Guardian who repeatedly asked: "Are you a climate denier?"

Mr. Malpass turned heel. "You know I'm not," he said, before being escorted away by World Bank staff.

Three years after being appointed head of the World Bank by President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Malpass performs a high-flying act.

He is the face of an institution that provides billions of dollars a year to finance projects aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change and helping poor countries adapt to a warmer planet. Yet he's been dogged by questions about his own views on the science of climate change, as well as accusations that the World Bank isn't doing enough.

"I don't have any personal problem with him as an individual," said former Vice President Al Gore, who has been a vocal critic of Mr. Malpass and called him a "holocaust denier". climate,” in an interview ahead of the summit.

But, Mr. Gore added, “his approach falls far short of meeting the needs of the world.”

Scientists and policy pundits have been saying for years that the World Bank is not moving fast enough to tackle climate change under Mr. Malpass's leadership. high interest rates for developing countries, insufficient climate funds and continued funding for pit fuel projects islands as evidence that the bank lacks a cohesive climate strategy.

Then, in a live interview with The New York Times in September, Mr. Malpass denied to say whether he accepted the scientific consensus that burning oil, gas and coal was rapidly warming the planet.

"I'm not a scientist", he said at the time, repeating an argument often used by climate change deniers.

ImageDemonstrators outside the World Bank headquarters in Washington in October, calling for the ousting of Mr. Malpass.Credit...Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Many prominent voices in the climate movement have called for his resignation, and some of the bank's major shareholders have expressed concerns about his resignation. the adership.

"We do not agree with President Malpass's comments," said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, in september. "We expect the World Bank to be a global leader in climate ambition and mobilization."

Mr. Malpass kept his job. But in the weeks that followed, two independent reports raised questions about the World Bank's climate strategy.