The World Bank World Development Report 2010 to be presented at the University of Gothenburg on October 15

Press release from Environmental Economics Unit, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, 2009-10-15

The World Bank’s World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change calls for immediate actions to tackle the problem of climate change. The report emphasises that it is extremely important that a climate agreement is reached in Copenhagen in December. According to the World Bank, the changes in the climate cannot be controlled unless economic growth in both rich and poor countries becomes less greenhouse gas intensive.

The World Development Report is the World Bank’s primary annual report. On 15 October 2009, Dr Kirk Hamilton, environmental economist at the World Bank and one of the authors, will present this year’s report, which focuses on development and climate change, at an open seminar at the University of Gothenburg’s School of Business, Economics and Law.

Discussant is Dr. Martin Persson from the Environmental Economics Unit, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg and the Division of Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers.

‘The report shows very clearly how the consensus regarding how we should deal with the climate change issue has changed since the 2006 Stern Report. Even the World Bank is now saying that we have to reduce the global emissions by 50-80 percent by 2050 and that rich countries have to take the lead,’ says Martin Persson.

In the report, the World Bank states that development goals are threatened by climate change, with the heaviest impacts on poor countries and poor people. The World Bank emphasises that climate change cannot be controlled unless growth in both rich and poor countries is coupled with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The main message is: ‘We must act now: country development decisions lock the world into a particular carbon intensity and determine future warming. And we must act together: postponing mitigation in developing countries could double mitigation costs, and that could well happen unless substantial financing is mobilized. If we act now and act together, the incremental costs of keeping warming around 2°C are modest and can be justified given the likely dangers of greater climate change.’

Link to the report: www.worldbank.org/wdr2010

Kirk Hamilton is Lead Economist in the Development Economics Research Group. He is invited by the Environmental Economics Unit at the Department of Economics.

Martin Persson has co-authored An Even Sterner Review with Thomas Sterner, professor of environmental economics. The two received the Myrdal Award in 2008.

Open seminar in English Date and time: October 15 at 11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. Place: Hall E44, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Vasagatan 1, Gothenburg Title of the report: World Development Report 2010 - Development and Climate Change: Main messages and economic insights Presenter: Dr. Kirk Hamilton, Lead Economist, Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank Discussant: Dr. Martin Persson, Environmental Economics Unit, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, and Division of Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers. For more information please contact: Martin Persson, +46 (0)31 786 51 13, martin.persson@economics.gu.se

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News | 15 October 2009