The World Bank and other multilateral development banks recently have begun
reconsidering their self-imposed restrictions on financing fossil fuel projects. This change is being prompted in part by
the new U.S. administration and is also supported by
developing country experts. Yet, the reality remains that greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from fossil fuels, and specifically the climate change they induce, can severely undermine
multilateral development bank projects and
overall developing country growth prospects.
We humans are acutely aware of risks. From our earliest times, the risks we faced were from hunger, predatory animals, extreme environmental conditions and, as our numbers grew, from other human tribes.