World Bank [to 25 January 2014]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Region/Global actions and announcements

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Remarks at Davos Press Conference
MR. KIM:  [In progress]–in the recent disagreement. And we all have to remember, there’s a number of organizations in the European Union have an extremely diverse set of views on this particular issue.  So, his ability to bring the Union together, I think, is a very important signal for all of us.A year ago, I said at this meeting that we needed a plan for tackling climate change, a plan fit for the challenge that we face.  A year later, we’ve seen great leadership on climate from countries and companies, but emissions are still rising and the poor are still suffering. We don’t have a plan yet and the bits we do have are not equal to the size and challenge. The UN Secretary-General has called for a leadership summit and we all should be very grateful to him for having done so.  This gives us the opportunity to organize our collective leadership. This is the year to take action on climate change.  There are no more excuses. If we fail, our children and grandchildren…
Date: January 23, 2014

World Bank Group President: This Is the Year of Climate Action
In corporate boardrooms and the offices of CEOs, climate change is a real and present danger. It threatens to disrupt the water supplies and supply chains of companies as diverse as Coca-Cola and ExxonMobil. Rising sea levels and more intense storms put their infrastructure at risk, and the costs will only get worse. CEOs know this. They also know there is opportunity in how they respond. But while there are stand-out leaders, many others are holding back until they have more certainty about what governments will do. This week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim called on government leaders to break out of the small steps of business as usual and provide that structure. First, by putting a price on carbon and by having financial regulators require companies and financial institutions to assess their exposure to climate-related risks and disclose it. Kim also called for doubling the market for green bonds, which support climate adaptation…
Date: January 23, 2014

World Bank Open Knowledge Repository Introduces Mobile-Friendly Design
In keeping up with the rapid growth in mobile usage worldwide, the World Bank just relaunched the Open Knowledge Repository (OKR)—its open access portal to its publications and research—on an upgraded platform specifically optimized for mobile use. The relaunched OKR website, at openknowledge.worldbank.org, features a “responsive web design” that automatically adapts to the screen size of any device—whether desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. “Knowing that nearly half of OKR users are in developing countries where mobile devices are increasingly being used to access the internet, relaunching the OKR with responsive design was a no-brainer,” said Carlos Rossel, World Bank Publisher. “Now, when users access the OKR from their smartphones or tablets, they will have a greatly improved user experience. ”The benefits of this change will ultimately extend well beyond users of the OKR.
Date: January 23, 2014

Water Shortages Slow Energy Production Worldwide
New Thirsty Energy initiative to help countries mitigate impact of water scarcity on energy security ABU DHABI, January 20, 2014 –The World Bank is launching a new initiative at the World Future Energy Summit and International Water Summit in Abu Dhabi that will help developing countries better plan and manage scaling-up energy capacity to meet rising demand, in tandem with water resource management. Producing energy requires a lot of water. Yet, the availability of and access to water is negatively impacting energy production around the world. Last year alone, water shortages shut down thermal power plants in India, decreased energy production in power plants in the United States and threatened hydropower generation in many countries, including Sri Lanka, China and Brazil. The problem is expected only to get worse. By 2035, the world’s energy consumption will increase by 35 percent, which in turn will increase water consumption by 85 percent…
January 20, 2014