World Bank President David Malpass has announced he has no intention of resigning, accusing himself of climate change skepticism, after avoiding answering questions focused on the role of emissions in global warming.
“I’m not going to resign… I didn’t think about it,” Malpass said in an interview with the Politico news website, when asked about the possibility of resigning after criticism of his comments at a climate finance conference.
He stressed that none of the World Bank’s member states wanted him to resign.
Climate activists have previously called for Malpass’ ouster for disagreeing with his approach to the climate crisis, and their criticism increased after he attended a New York Times conference this week.
Pressed to respond to former US Vice President Al Gore’s charge that he is a climate change skeptic, Malpass repeatedly denied whether he believed that anthropogenic emissions were warming the planet, replying, “No I am a scientist.”
Under a wave of criticism, Malpass sought to clarify his position and reiterated it today.
“It’s clear that greenhouse gas emissions are increasing and causing climate change, so it’s our job, and the world’s, to find projects and funding that really have an impact,” he said in an interview with Politico.
He also confirmed in an interview with CNN the day before that emissions “come from anthropogenic sources, including fossil fuels, methane, agricultural inputs, and industrial inputs.”
“I’m not a skeptic,” he continued, adding that he wasn’t “always good at communicating” what he meant.
The head of the World Bank is usually American, and the head of the International Monetary Fund is European.
Malpass was appointed president of the World Bank in 2019 under the administration of former President Donald Trump, a veteran of Republican presidents in the United States and a longtime denier of the causes of climate change.
Source: AFP
Source: Arabic RT
