A new report released by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group calls on countries to direct more resources towards addressing pollution. The report, Toward a Clean World for All – An Evaluation of the World Bank Group’s Support to Pollution Management, finds that in spite of its significant investment, the World Bank Group needs to more to help its client countries to adequately prioritize action against pollution.
IEG found that support from the World Bank Group and other development partners has not kept pace with increasing pollution levels. A recent report in The Lancet found that pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death, killing nine million people every year -- three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.