World Bank boosts green credentials by appointing clean tech czar

The World Bank announced yesterday that it has appointed an influential Californian professor as its first clean tech "czar" as it attempts to meet growing demand for financing from low-carbon projects in developing countries.

Daniel M Kammen, the professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, will take up the position as the organisation's first chief technical specialist for renewable energy and energy efficiency from 4 October, and will be tasked with shaping the bank's clean tech policy.

Inger Andersen, World Bank vice president for sustainable development, said that the appointment had been made in response to "unprecedented" demand for loans to renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects.
"More than ever, our clients and countries are looking for solutions as they put in place economic growth and poverty reduction policies for their citizens today, while taking into account the needs of the planet tomorrow," he said. " The supply and use of clean energy is a prime element in responding to both concerns."

Kammen is an influential figure in the field of clean energy and has worked as an advisor to both the Californian and the US federal government on renewable energy policy.

He said the World Bank was in a position to make "incredible contributions" to efforts to improve environmental responsibility and could play a key role in providing more "low-cost, high-quality clean energy worldwide".

The appointment is the latest in a series of measures designed to bolster the bank's green credentials and increase the amount of money it lends to low-carbon projects.

Kammen will work alongside World Bank veteran Andrew Steer, who was appointed earlier this summer as special envoy on climate change and has been tasked with overseeing $6bn in projects funded through the organisation's Climate Investment Funds.

The Bank is likely to play an increasingly influential role in funding low-carbon projects in emerging and developing economies as industrialised nations attempt to increase funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

However, the organisation remains a controversial source of funding for clean-tech projects, with some countries criticising the financing terms it imposes on developing nations and others accusing it of continuing to fund carbon-intensive projects at the same time as financing green initiatives.
Most notably, the US, the Netherlands and the UK all abstained from a recent vote approving a $3.75bn loan for a planned coal-fired plant in South Africa on environmental grounds.

View the original article here