Environmentalists are increasingly getting concerned that president Donald Trump could make the World Bank to change its stand on climate through the impending appointment of the new president. There were early reports that Trump’s daughter Ivanka was being considered for the job, but White House has already announced that she was not in contention.
Despite this announcement, the fears have not gone away, and so, environmental scientists are hoping that this appointment will not be used to hoodwink international leaders into abandoning the debate about effects of climate change.
A major role to play
The White House caused more fears when it announced that though Ivanka was not under consideration for the top job, she will play a significant role in appointing the new president. This exercise will be seeking to replace outgoing World Bank president Jim Yong Kim who surprised the world by announcing that he will be stepping down from his role at the end of January.
He has only served three years out of the five that he was expected to complete, and it is not clear why he decided to quit. What still worries the climate change crusaders is the fact that the role that Ivanka will play in this appointment is still not clear.
Shaking up the international order
President Donald Trump is known for his obsession to shake the international order, and this has had a direct impact on climate talks. For instance, he pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord, signaling that he was not ready to collaborate with other nations to provide solutions to the threats facing climate such as global warming. The United States also withdrew from UNESCO.
On the other hand, the outgoing World Bank president is known for his passion for climate issues. For the period that he has been in office, he has been advocating for green energy and better practices that preserve the environment.
Environmentalists suspect that Trump wants an executive who will advocate for coal-powered energy in Africa and Asia while allowing the developed countries to get access to various varieties of natural gas that are currently prohibited.
One of the members of his transition team said that he is disappointed at the administration’s lack of speed in challenging the anti-fossil fuel policies that the World Bank imposes on all nations. He pointed out that with the resignation of Kim; he hopes that the new executive will be someone who will reverse those laws.
