Fighting Pollution: Country's Efforts Examined

Pollution is a pressing global issue, with nine million people dying from pollution-related causes every year. This is three times more than deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Pollution costs countries between 4 and 5% of their gross domestic product, and the burden falls disproportionately on the poor, with 94% of all deaths occurring in lower and middle-income countries. Many countries are grappling with endemic or near-endemic levels of pollution, but are they doing enough to fight it?

Pollution monitoring

Countries need to invest more in monitoring pollution levels. Many countries are not fully aware of the extent of the problem, as they lack data. This means they are reluctant to allocate funds to fight pollution. Strengthening pollution monitoring is a critical first step to helping countries take the necessary action. Once countries become aware of just how big the problem is, they will be more likely to take action. The World Bank Group is uniquely positioned to help countries integrate pollution into their development agenda through policy dialogue and diagnostic work.

The World Bank’s country-level environmental diagnostic, the Country Environmental Analyses (CEA), has been instrumental in prioritizing pollution in policy dialogue. However, the IEG found that the World Bank Group’s support for pollution action has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. In fact, support to pollution management has declined in relative terms, with the Bank Group largely shifting its attention to climate change and other priorities.

Nine million people die annually from pollution-related causes. That is three times more than deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Pollution can cost between 4 and 5 percent of a country’s gross domestic product. And the burden falls disproportionately on the poor, with 94 percent of all deaths occurring in lower and middle-income countries.

Pollution management

Many countries are grappling with endemic or near-endemic levels of pollution. Nine million people die annually from pollution-related causes, which is three times more than deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Pollution can cost between 4 and 5 percent of a country's gross domestic product, with 94% of all deaths occurring in lower and middle-income countries.

The World Bank Group is in a unique position to help countries integrate pollution into their development agenda through policy dialogue and diagnostic work. The Country Environmental Analyses (CEA) has been instrumental in prioritising pollution in policy dialogue. However, the World Bank Group's support for pollution action has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. In fact, support for pollution management has declined, with the Bank Group largely shifting its attention to climate change and other priorities.

Strengthening pollution monitoring is a critical first step to helping countries take the necessary action to reduce pollution. Many countries are not fully aware of the extent of the problem as they lack data, and are therefore reluctant to allocate funds to abate pollution. Once countries become aware of just how big the problem is, they will be more likely to take action.

Policy dialogue

Countries need to invest more in monitoring pollution levels to effectively fight pollution. Many countries are not fully aware of the extent of the problem as they lack data, and are therefore reluctant to allocate funds to fight pollution. Strengthening pollution monitoring is therefore a critical first step to helping countries take the necessary action. Once countries become aware of just how big the problem is, they will be more likely to take action. The World Bank Group is well-placed to help countries integrate pollution into their development agenda through policy dialogue and diagnostic work. The World Bank's country-level environmental diagnostic, the Country Environmental Analyses (CEA), has been instrumental in prioritising pollution in policy dialogue.

The World Bank Group's support for pollution action has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. Support to pollution management has declined in relative terms, with the Bank Group largely shifting its attention to climate change and other priorities. Nine million people die annually from pollution-related causes. That is three times more than deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Pollution can cost between 4 and 5 per cent of a country's gross domestic product. The burden falls disproportionately on the poor, with 94 per cent of all deaths occurring in lower and middle-income countries.

News reports have highlighted the pollution challenges in India, where a thick cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit engulfed the country's capital, New Delhi. India is not alone, sadly. High growth rates in many developing countries have helped reduce poverty in recent years. But this progress has come at a steep price. Today, many countries are grappling with endemic or near-endemic levels of pollution.

Diagnostic work

The World Bank's country-level environmental diagnostic, the Country Environmental Analyses (CEA), has been instrumental in prioritising pollution in policy dialogue. However, according to the Independent Evaluation Group, the World Bank Group's support for pollution action has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. In fact, support for pollution management has declined in relative terms, with the Bank Group largely shifting its attention to climate change and other priorities.

Addressing the challenge of pollution will require countries to invest more in monitoring pollution levels. Many countries are not fully aware of the extent of the problem as they lack data, and are therefore reluctant to allocate funds to abate pollution. Strengthening pollution monitoring is, therefore, a critical first step to helping countries take the necessary action. Once countries become aware of just how big the problem is, they will be more likely to take action.

The World Bank Group is uniquely positioned to help countries integrate pollution into their development agenda through policy dialogue and diagnostic work, due to its field presence and ongoing rapport with government officials.

Support for pollution action

The World Bank Group's support for pollution action has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. Support for pollution management has declined in relative terms, with the Bank Group largely shifting its attention to climate change and other priorities. However, the World Bank's country-level environmental diagnostic, the Country Environmental Analyses (CEA), has been instrumental in prioritising pollution in policy dialogue.

The World Bank Group is uniquely positioned to help countries integrate pollution into their development agenda through policy dialogue and diagnostic work, due to its field presence and ongoing rapport with government officials. Strengthening pollution monitoring is a critical first step to helping countries take the necessary action to reduce pollution. Once countries become aware of just how big the problem is, they will be more likely to take action.

Many countries are grappling with endemic or near-endemic levels of pollution. Nine million people die annually from pollution-related causes. That is three times more than deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Pollution can cost between 4 and 5 per cent of a country's gross domestic product. The burden falls disproportionately on the poor, with 94 per cent of all deaths occurring in lower and middle-income countries.

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