22 July 2011
World Bank Hosts High-Level Event on Low Emissions Development
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The High-Level Dialogue on Low Emissions Development Policy Implementation gathered 70 senior policy makers and opinion leaders from around the world to discuss the directions of climate change policy and challenges in the years to come.

Participants underscored the linkages between climate change and poverty, and stressed the need for a shift towards a green economy.

World Bank13 July 2011: The World Bank invited senior policy makers and opinion leaders from around the world to a High-Level Dialogue on Low Emissions Development Policy Implementation. During the day-long event, speakers identified poverty and climate change are the two defining challenges of this century, warning against the risk of reversing any gains on poverty if climate change is not addressed.

Nicholas Stern, Professor of Economics from the London School of Economics, highlighted the need for a new industrial revolution to address the impacts of climate change. The World Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Andrew Steer also emphasized the interlinkages between fighting climate change and poverty reduction. Kandeh Yumkella, Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Chairman of UN-Energy, underscored that the new industrial revolution is moving in the direction of green technologies, green energy, and cleaner technologies in various production processes. Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, and Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Coordinator of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), highlighted the role of green growth in development. World Bank President Robert Zoellick pointed to energy efficiency as a win-win solution for all parties.

The meeting, held on 13 July 2011, in Washington DC, US, was also supported by the Climate Works Foundation, Climate Advisers, the Clean Energy Ministerial and UN-Energy, and was co-sponsored by the Governments of France, Mexico and South Africa. It brought together close to 70 senior policy makers and opinion leaders from around the world. [World Bank Website]

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