COP21: World Bank chief wants $16bn to help Africa on climate change

The World Bank wants to raise $16bn to help Africa adapt to
climate change.
By boosting the continent's resilience to global warming and
increasing renewable energy it hopes the scheme will
prevent millions of people from sliding into extreme poverty.
The Africa Climate Business Plan will be presented at COP21,
the global climate talks in Paris.
They are aimed at reaching agreement on how to limit global
temperature increases to 2 degrees celsius.
"The thing that we wanted to make sure was that Africa
wasn't forgotten in the midst of these conversations," Dr Jim
Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank told the BBC.
When talks begin, he wants to make sure the conversation is
not just about reducing emissions but also about taking
steps to cope with the consequences of warming.
Droughts
And here's why.
The continent emits just 3% of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions. Yet even the smallest rise in global temperatures
could have far-reaching consequences in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Research by the Bank found that without measures to help
countries prepare for climate change, 43 million people,
mostly in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Angola, and Uganda
could fall into extreme poverty by 2030. This will be due to
droughts, increasing food prices, and stunting children's
growth.
The World Bank is committing a third of the money ($5.7bn)
from the International Development Association (IDA), the
arm of the World Bank Group that supports the poorest
countries.
Road to Paris
Looking ahead to climate negotiations in Paris, the World
Bank chief acknowledged that reaching a deal won't be
simple or easy.
And yet he remained optimistic.
Unlike in 2009, when climate talks in Copenhagen ended in
anger and recriminations this time, Dr Kim insisted, would be
different: "The resolve of leaders is at an entirely different
level to what it was back then.
"There's not a single country in the world that wants to be
the stumbling block to getting to an agreement."
And the tricky question of who will pay for any deal? "We
think that there is a path to get there."
But if previous climate summits are any guide, Dr Kim's
optimism may be sorely tested next week in Paris.