This study on Poland is part of the World Bank’s series of low-carbon growth studies. It poses the question of how Poland, an EU member state, an industrialized ‘Annex I’ country for the purposes of international climate discussions,1 and an OECD member, can transition to a low emissions economy as successfully as it underwent transition to a market economy in the early 1990s.

This is the story of how one major global development institution, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), recognized and responded to the challenge of climate change, and was itself transformed in the experience. Addressing climate change affected IFC at every organizational level, from high-level policy issues such as the role to take in supporting the use of fossil fuel, to highly technical and operational issues, such as tracking greenhouse gas emissions, and evaluating investments while taking into account

Physical infrastructure at ports and port activities may be highly vulnerable to changes in climate. For instance, the risks could manifest through changes in the level or patterns of shipping, increased flooding affecting movements within ports and causing damage to goods stored, reduced navigability of access channels and business interruption. Some ports will also see opportunities as a result of climate change. A port's reputation for reliability is key to its success, so ports that are more resilient to disruption from climate events should fare better.

Africa has experienced economic growth of more than 5 percent per annum during the past decade, but to sustain this growth, investment in infrastructure is fundamental. Much of these investments will support the construction of long-lived infrastructure (for example, dams, power stations, and irrigation canals), which will be vulnerable to the potentially harsher climate of the future.

This book analyzes the risks to Nigeria's development prospects that climate change poses to agriculture, livestock, and water management. These sectors were chosen because they are central to achieving the growth, livelihood, and environmental objectives of Vision 20: 2020; and because they are already vulnerable to current climate variability. Since other sectors might also be affected, the findings of this research provide lower-bound estimates of overall climate change impacts.

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the World Bank have agreed to carry out a Climate Change Assessment (CCA) within the framework of the Bank's Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Nigeria (2010-13). The CCA includes an analysis of options for low-carbon development in selected sectors, including power, oil and gas, transport, and agriculture.

The Rio de Janeiro Low Carbon City Development Program is an ISO-certified framework and set of comprehensive requirements to help the city to plan, implement, monitor, and account for low carbon investments and climate change mitigation actions across all sectors in the city over time. The Program will enable the city to plan and implement the mitigation actions needed to achieve its city-wide mitigation goals, as well as credibly and transparently demonstrate the achievement of those goals through diligent monitoring and accounting of the actions taken.

This program document presents the 'Rio de Janeiro Low Carbon City Development Program (LCCDP)'. The first section, Rio de Janeiro and sustainability, sets the stage and provides the context and insight into the situation on the ground that gave rise to the development of the Rio de Janeiro LCCDP. The second section, The Rio de Janeiro low carbon city development program, describes in detail the design of the program, including the program roles and process.

According to the United Nations population fund, the world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history, with more people now living in cities than in rural areas. Cities are also responsible for a high proportion of global carbon emissions, which are the main driver of anthropogenic climate change. By taking the lead on low carbon development, cities have the opportunity to engage in an important dialogue about sustainable development, directly address local issues, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.