International Finance Corporation
(IFC s) sustainability framework, which articulates our
commitment to sustainable development and transparency. The
performance standards are a vital part of the framework and
address a range of environmental and social risks and
opportunities faced by the private sector. This project
highlights key environmental and social issues of current
and emerging importance, including climate change, business

The report is organized in seven
chapters. Following the introductory chapter, chapter two
sets the stage by reviewing the structure of Turkey's
economy and its performance, as well as the challenges and
opportunities provided by Turkey's current growth path
from implementing a 'green agenda' linked to
achieving standards set by European Union (EU) Directives
and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Argentina has expanded the use of its
portion of the Parana-Paraguay waterways system for the
transportation of soy and other bulk commodities through an
innovative tolling system that self-finances the dredging
and maintenance of the rivers. Brazil, in turn, is pursuing
a 'green trucking' strategy to improve efficiency
of its cargo haulage industry, reduce petroleum usage, and
curb pollution from trucking. For the entire hemisphere, the
expansion of the Panama Canal will bring post-Panama vessels

Electricity infrastructure is one of the
most important development challenges in Africa. While more
resources are clearly needed to invest in new capacities, it
is also important to promote energy efficiency and manage
the increasing demand for power. This paper evaluates one of
the recent energy-efficiency programs in Ethiopia, which
distributed 350,000 compact fluorescent lamp bulbs free of
charge. The impact related to this first phase is estimated

Transportation is vital to economic and
social development, but at the same time generates undesired
consequences on local, regional, and global scales. One of
the largest challenges is the mitigation of energy-related
carbon dioxide emissions, to which this sector already
contributes one-quarter globally and one-third in the United
States. Technology measures are the prerequisite for
drastically mitigating energy use and all emission species,

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)
region has a unique mix of qualities and challenges when it
comes to the environment. It is exceptionally endowed with
natural assets, with globally significant biodiversity and
valuable crops, and also harbors the world s greatest carbon
sink in the Amazon. The purpose of the series is to
contribute to the global knowledge exchange on innovation in
environmental and water resources management and the pursuit

Local populations' economic opportunities can be enhanced through special arrangements governing movement of people and goods in neighboring areas. For instance, in the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan border-crossing points (BCPs), preferential treatment accorded to residents in contiguous regions varies from one BCP to another, even within one borderline, restricting the distance allowed for travel into the territory of another country to the closest large city or marketplace.

By reducing the costs of environmental
protection, technological change is important for promoting
green growth. This entails both the creation of new
technologies and more widespread deployment of existing
green technologies. This paper reviews the literature on
environmentally friendly technological change, with a focus
on lessons relevant to developing countries. It begins with
a discussion of the data available for measuring the various

Promoting the transfer of
environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) and best practices
to developing and transition countries is a key priority for
all countries that seek to mitigate climate change impacts
and build resilience. The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
is one of the entities entrusted to provide financial
resources to assist developing and transition countries in
implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on

After five consecutive years of robust growth, the total value of the global carbon market stalled at $142 billion. Suffering from the lack of post-2012 regulatory clarity, the value of the primary Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) market fell by double-digits for the third year in a row, ending lower than it was in 2005, the first year of the Kyoto protocol. The Assigned Amount Unit (AAU) and the United States Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) markets shrank as well.

China promulgated the Medium and
Long-Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy in 2007,
which included targets of 2010 and 2020 for various
renewable energy technologies including biofuels. The 2010
biofuel targets were met and even surpassed except for
non-grain fuel ethanol; however, there is debate on whether
and how the country will be able to meet the 2020 biofuels
target. This paper provides a resource and technological

Developing countries are faced with the
dual challenge of reducing poverty while improving
management of natural capital and mitigating the emission of
greenhouse gases (GHGs) and local pollutants. The challenge
is particularly acute for large, rapidly growing economies,
such as India, China, and Brazil. In response to this
challenge, Energy Sector Management assistance Program
(ESMAP) and the World Bank began in 2007 to provide support