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Climate Change, Soil Salinity, and the Economics of High-Yield Rice Production in Coastal Bangladesh

January, 2015

It is a virtual certainty that sea-level
rise will continue throughout the century and beyond 2100
even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized in the near
future. Understanding the economic impacts of salinity
intrusion thus is essential for planning adaptation in
low-lying coastal areas around the world. This paper
presents a case study in Bangladesh on how climate change
leads to the spread of soil salinity and the impact on

Indispensable Ocean : Aligning Ocean Health and Human Well-Being

January, 2014

A healthy ocean is fundamental to human
wellbeing and an indispensable part of the Earth's
life-support system, which sustains the species and the
ecosystems upon which we depend. The ocean regulates our
climate and, as part of the hydrological cycle, drives
weather patterns that determine rainfall, droughts, and
floods. The ocean has also reduced the impact of
human-induced climate change by absorbing 25 percent of the

Pathways toward Zero-Carbon Electricity Required for Climate Stabilization

November, 2014

This paper covers three policy-relevant
aspects of the carbon content of electricity that are well
established among integrated assessment models but
under-discussed in the policy debate. First, climate
stabilization at any level from 2 to 3°C requires
electricity to be almost carbon-free by the end of the
century. As such, the question for policy makers is not
whether to decarbonize electricity but when to do it.

Armenia : Sustainable and Strategic Decision Making in Mining

July, 2014

This paper aims to inform Armenia's
policy dialogue on environmental and social issues in the
mining sector. The paper is based on the premise that for
the mining sector to have positive, long-term impacts in
Armenia, it is necessary to take into consideration the
short- and long-term environmental and social impacts of the
sector and to promote strategic planning and efficient
management of natural resources. The mining sector in

Greening India's Growth

June, 2015
India

India’s sustained and rapid economic
growth offers an opportunity to lift millions out of
poverty. But this may come at a steep cost to the nation’s
environment and natural resources. This insightful book
analyzes India’s growth from an economic perspective and
assesses whether India can grow in a “green” and sustainable
manner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is the

Green Logistics : Enablers for Sustainable Development

April, 2014

Logistics is the backbone of industry
and commerce. As a discipline, it describes the management
and coordination of activities along supply chains. These
activities include freight transport, storage, inventory
management, materials handling and related information
processing. A large part of logistics activities are often
outsourced to specialized providers that provide
cost-effective services. Research has shown that, at least

Brazil Country Program Evaluation, FY2004-11 : Evaluation of the World Bank Group Program

November, 2014

This country program evaluation (CPE)
evaluates World Bank Group (International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), or the Bank,
International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) operations in Brazil from
FY2004 through FY2011. It seeks to answer two questions: to
what extent was the Bank Group program relevant to
Brazil's development needs?, and how effective were

Barriers to the Implementation of Environmental Policies at the Local Level in China

October, 2014

China's national leaders have
recently made a priority of changing lanes from a
pollution-intensive, growth-at-any-cost model to a
resource-efficient and sustainable one. The immense
challenges of rapid urbanization are one aspect of the
problem. Central-local government relations are another
source of challenges, since the central government's
green agenda does not always find willing followers at lower

Investing in Natural Capital for Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Boosting Shared Prosperity : A Biodiversity Roadmap for the WBG

Reports & Research
August, 2014

The World Bank Group (WBG) has a long
experience in engaging in biodiversity with world-class
expertise in the field. It has been the single largest
funder of biodiversity investments since the late 1980s. The
WBG investments have largely been of two kinds: (1)
investments in biodiversity, aimed at the conservation and
sustainable use of species, habitats, and ecosystems that
sustain healthy ecosystems, while enhancing people's

Harnessing Urbanization to End Poverty and Boost Prosperity in Africa

January, 2014

Urbanization is the single most
important transformation that the African continent will
undergo this century. More than half of Africa's
population will live in its cities by 2040. In the face of
rapid urbanization, there is a narrow window of opportunity
to harness the potential of cities as engines of economic
growth, and use this as a powerful leverage to achieve
sustainable development and poverty reduction. Despite its

A Dynamic Spatial Model of Rural-Urban Transformation with Public Goods

October, 2014

This paper develops a dynamic model that
explains the pattern of population and production allocation
in an economy with an urban location and a rural one.
Agglomeration economies make urban dwellers benefit from a
larger population living in the city and urban firms become
more productive when they operate in locations with a larger
labor force. However, congestion costs associated with a too
large population size limit the process of urban-rural

Tanzania Economic Update : Opening the Gates - How the Port of Dar es Salaam Can Transform Tanzania

January, 2014

The wide media coverage of the series as
well as the interest in the blog show that the debate has
been gradually moving from ministerial corridors to the
public arena. This latest update foresees that the Tanzanian
economy will maintain its resilience by continuing to grow
at about 7 percent in the coming years. If some clouds are
looming on the external and fiscal horizons, the update
argues that the risks they pose should be manageable. The