1. The world still needs to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
2. Providing financing for adaptation is a priority for us.
3. The World Bank works with countries to assess risks from climate and design policies.
4. We are focusing on knowledge products that give better access to data on climate change for policy-makers.

1. Despite commitments so far for cutting emissions, the world still needs to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change

• It is now widely accepted that the world is likely to exceed a commonly held benchmark of a two-degree temperature increase, relative to pre-industrial levels, by the end of the century.  A 3-4 degree centigrade increase could have catastrophic implications for developing countries.
   
• Adaptation is at the centre of the World Bank’s support to developing countries as it is critical to sustaining and furthering development gains in these countries.
   
• It will cost an estimated $70-$100 billion per year through 2050 for developing countries to adapt, according to a World Bank study Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change (EACC).

2. Providing financing for adaptation is a priority for us.

• Programs range from adaptation in arid and semi-arid lands in Kenya, Yemen, and India to dealing with the impact of rapid glacier retreat in the Andes. These programs integrate a menu of financing options available from several sources, such as IDA, IBRD, GEF, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and bi-lateral co-financing.
   
• Finance from the International Development Association (IDA)—our fund for the poorest countries—to climate-affected sectors like agriculture, flood protection, water supply, and health has been increasing every year. Under the current (16th) replenishment, a special theme on ‘achieving climate resilient development’ was included.
   
• The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience­—a dedicated fund of almost $1 billion for adaptation under the Climate Investment Funds, is working with nine country pilots and two regional pilot programs in the Caribbean and South Pacific with the World Bank, and the other Multi-lateral Development Banks. This fund gives priority to highly vulnerable least-developed countries, and provides grants and optional near-zero interest concessional loans for a range of activities, including improving agricultural practices and food security, building climate-resilient housing, and improving weather data monitoring.
   
• We are the world’s largest source of finance for disaster risk reduction and reconstruction. Since 2007, the Bank has lent $9.2 billion through 215 post-disaster recovery projects.
   
• As part of a comprehensive disaster risk management strategy, the World Bank has two instruments on catastrophe risk financing that provide the much-needed financing when a disaster strikes.

3. The World Bank works with countries to assess risks from climate and design policies.

• Countries need support to re-orient their development plans so that climate change is factored into their planning process. For example, in Indonesia, a development policy loan promotes a low-carbon growth path for the economy.
   
• The World Bank is screening all its programs and projects in climate-sensitive sectors like energy, urban and water for climate change concerns.
   
• The World Bank has strengthened operational links between climate adaptation and disaster risk management, working closely with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Disasters are an entry point for dialogue with countries on building resilience to future long-term risks posed by climate change.
   
• There are increasing efforts to ensure synergies between adaptation and mitigation when designing and planning climate actions. Examples include work on climate smart agriculture where the focus is on a triple-win: carbon sequestration, food security and climate resilient livelihoods; or water efficiency measures in urban municipalities which reduce energy consumption and emissions from water pumping and distribution.
   
• Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. Since water is an area that will be most stressed, the World Bank is working on a real-time, comprehensive Hydro-met Monitoring and Forecasting System. For river basins like Niger and Zambezi, there is a need for ongoing work on climate resilience assessments.

4. We are focusing on knowledge products that give better access to data on climate change for policy-makers.

• The Climate Knowledge Portal is a gateway to the most comprehensive source of quality climate information, knowledge and analysis tools on climate change.