US declines to back world bank climate statement signed by 19 directors

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🗞️ Driving the news: The United States has declined to endorse a climate statement issued by 19 of the World Bank’s 25 executive directors, highlighting growing divisions over the institution’s climate mandate
• The statement reaffirms support for aligning the Bank’s financing with the Paris Agreement and targeting 45% of annual lending toward climate-related initiatives
• Directors representing 120 countries signed the document, but the U.S. — alongside Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait — refused to back it

🔭 The context: This development comes ahead of the World Bank–IMF annual meetings in Washington. The Biden-era climate priorities at the Bank have been muted under President Trump, who has returned the U.S. to a more skeptical stance on climate policy
• The U.S. Treasury has pushed for a return to “core mandates” such as poverty alleviation and infrastructure development, arguing climate financing should not dominate the Bank’s agenda

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The World Bank plays a pivotal role in financing climate resilience and clean energy in emerging markets, where private capital remains limited
• The current rift could hinder scaled-up financing for climate adaptation, carbon market frameworks, and just transition efforts
• For many developing nations, World Bank support is essential to managing climate risks while addressing debt burdens and development goals simultaneously

⏭️ What's next: The upcoming annual meetings will be closely watched for signs of compromise—or further division — on the Bank’s climate trajectory
• European and emerging market directors are pressing for an evolution in the Bank’s lending model to support global public goods, including climate action
• However, U.S. resistance may stall reforms and complicate efforts to mobilize new capital for green development
• Long-term, the tension raises questions over multilateral governance and the future direction of international climate finance

💬 One quote: “Client countries are not asking for less climate action — they are asking for more tools, more financing, and more certainty,” said one of the directors who signed the joint statement

📈 One stat: 45% — the target share of World Bank annual financing that signatory directors want directed toward climate-related projects

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