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Articles by John Roome
Building Resilience for South Asia’s Future
More than 850 million people in South Asia live in poverty, trying to survive on just $3.65 a day. Many of them are also dealing with the effects of climate change and other shocks. Recent events, such as floods in Pakistan, heat waves in India and cyclones along Coastal Bangladesh, vividly illustrate that climate change is wreaking havoc, especially with the lives of poor people.
Noora cannot control the climate change in Pakistan
The international community needs to deliver on its commitments to reduce carbon emissions so that extreme weather patterns and floods don’t become the norm and provide sustained support to help local people of Pakistan build back better when these disasters happen. When the rains started in July 2022 in Southern Sindh, Noora didn't pay much attention. After all, she was completely preoccupied with the daily business of surviving.
The challenge to be climate smart with the world’s agriculture
Also available in: Spanish - French - Arabic Here’s something you may not be aware of: agriculture and changes in land use already contribute 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a statistic that matters in the face of two unrelenting challenges now facing the globe –how to turn the promises of last December’s historic Paris climate change agreement into reality and how to feed a growing global population.
Climate Investment Funds: The quiet motor behind our most impactful climate investments
It does not happen often that one of the finest actors of our time tweets about a World Bank supported project and invites all his fans to have a look at the impressive pictures taken from space. In fact, I can’t remember having seen that before. But this is what Oscar winner and climate activist Leonardo DiCaprio did a few months ago when the Noor Concentrated Solar Plant (CSP) in Morocco—the largest CSP plant in the world - was opened.
Aviation deal: A step toward carbon neutrality
In five years from now, your trip across the ocean could look very different from today . While you will probably not notice it, the aircraft you board will boast green technologies from wing tips to landing gear. It will fly on the most direct and fuel-efficient route, use more biofuels, and the airline will purchase carbon credits to compensate for the carbon emissions generated by your trip.
Dealing with disasters - from Japan to the Philippines and back and around
This post by John Roome originally appeared on Huffington Post Japan on June 28, 2016. Just consider a few simple statistics. On average, more than 1,000 lives are lost every year in the Philippines, with typhoons accounting for 74 percent of deaths, 62 percent of the total damages, and 70 percent of damages to agriculture. Typhoon Haiyan struck in November 2013, known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded.
Using technology to stay ahead of disaster risk
We’re witnessing an unprecedented uptick in record-breaking storms. In October last year, Hurricane Patricia came ashore in Mexico with record breaking 200 miles per hour winds. A few months later on the other side of the world, Cyclone Winston broke records for Pacific basin wind speeds, destroying parts of mainland Fiji with 180 miles per hour winds. More recently, Cyclone Fantala became the most powerful storm in the Indian Ocean ever recorded.
An upper middle-income Bangladesh starts with a livable Dhaka
In March 2019, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated the government’s objective of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031, as outlined in its “Vision 2021.” As global experience has shown, no country in the world has moved up within the middle-income status without developing its cities.
A roadmap to deliver a green, inclusive and resilient recovery in South Asia
High in the Hindu Kush Himalayas of northern Pakistan, the residents of Hassanabad keep a watch on a wall of black ice almost 700 feet high that perches menacingly above their tiny village. The 15-kilometer long Shishper glacier, which is melting at an alarming rate and advancing by four meters a day, presents a constant threat of flash floods. Last year, people in the village noticed that the stream near their homes was rising fast.
India seeks to arrest its alarming decline in groundwater
India is the largest user of groundwater globally, extracting more than the United States and China put together. Today, groundwater is the only source of water for most of India’s people, providing the bulk of water for farming and domestic use. While groundwater spurred the Green Revolution that made India a food-secure nation, the widespread extraction of this precious resource has led to its alarming decline.
Helping South Asia Navigate Shared Waters
Nature pays no attention to boundaries—land or water—and especially not to the trajectory of rivers, which have continued to crisscross countries for millennia, birthing numerous civilizations and economies. South Asia is no exception.
SouthAsia4Climate: Solutions to tackle climate change in South Asia
South Asia sits precariously on the front lines of the global climate crisis. As temperatures increase, the region – which is experiencing a ‘new climate normal’ – is predicted to see hotter weather, longer monsoon seasons, and increased droughts. The region’s extreme vulnerability has long been apparent. More than half of all South Asians, or 750 million people in eight countries have been affected by one or more climate-related disasters in the last two decades.
Nepal’s Journey to Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development
In 2015, Nepal was facing an almost insurmountable challenge. The April 2015 earthquake upended the lives of 8 million Nepalis—nearly a third of the population. It claimed nearly 9,000 lives, injured more than 20,000 people, caused more than $7 billion in physical damages, and pushed nearly 1 million Nepalis back into poverty. A new government agency, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), was established to lead one of the largest reconstruction programs in the world.
Opinion | Green, resilient and inclusive development
In 2015, Nepal was facing an almost insurmountable challenge. The April 2015 earthquake upended the lives of 8 million Nepalis—nearly a third of the population. It claimed nearly 9,000 lives, injured more than 20,000 people, caused more than $7 billion in physical damage, and pushed nearly 1 million Nepalis back into poverty. A new government agency, the National Reconstruction Authority, was established to lead one of the largest reconstruction programmes in the world.
Implementing Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100: Key to boost economic growth
As the threat of climate change and rising sea levels looms large, proper planning and management of the delta is critical to the country’s economic growth and development. The Government of Bangladesh has formulated a comprehensive development plan - the Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP 2100), focusing on economic growth, environmental conservation, and enhanced climate resilience. The plan lays out holistic and cross-sectoral action needed to improve productivity and minimize disaster risks.
The Digital Divide: a challenge to overcome in tackling climate change
Students from Tonga's Tailulu College making the most of new high-speed broadband services at 2013 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day celebrations in the the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa. Nukua'lofa, Tonga. Photo: Tom Perry / World Bank Try to imagine a world without the Internet. Impossible, isn’t it? Over the past 25 years, the Internet has become the nervous system of our society, interconnecting all the different parts of our everyday lives.
5 reasons why South Asia is coming together to beat marine plastic pollution
Collaboration, cooperation, consensus – these words are seldom used when describing the interactions of the eight sovereign nations that make up South Asia. For a variety of reasons, South Asia is considered the least integrated region in the world with restrictions on the movement of people, goods, services and capital.
A silver lining in India's smog?
Reports of recent spikes in air pollution in Delhi – levels of PM2.5, the pollutant most harmful to human health, reached 367 µg/m3 on November 9th, over six times the national daily standard – bring a sense of déjà vu: it is the onset of winter and Delhi is once again making the news for very unhealthy levels of air pollution. There is, however, another air quality trend that has largely gone unreported: air quality has improved in cities across the country since 2018.
Reflections on shaping a sustainable recovery
Hear from Mari Pangestu, Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank, on how the Bank Group is helping countries build back better from the coronavirus and how can this effort also help tackle climate change. Hear from Juergen Voegele, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank, on how the Sustainable Development team is supporting countries as they respond to the current crisis.
Mitigating geohazard risk to help save lives in Nepal
The recent loss of lives and devastation caused by landslides in Nepal, triggered by heavy rains, breaks our hearts. More than 330 precious lives were lost or are still missing because of landslides during this monsoon. ‘One hundred and seventy-two households are at substantial risk, and we demand to resettle them to a safer location,’ said Sirjana Tamang, deputy chairperson of Jugal Municipality, Sindhupalchok district.
Opinion | Reducing Nepal’s landslide risks
The recent loss of lives and the devastation caused by landslides in Nepal, triggered by heavy rains, breaks our hearts. More than 330 precious lives were lost or are still missing because of landslides during this monsoon. ‘One hundred and seventy-two households are at substantial risk, and we demand to resettle them to a safer location’, said Srijana Tamang, deputy chairperson of Jugal Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchok district.
An upper middle-income Bangladesh starts with a livable Dhaka
In March 2019, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated the government’s objective of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031, as outlined in its “Vision 2021.” As global experience has shown, no country in the world has moved up within the middle-income status without developing its cities.
Is the Paris Climate Agreement a Good Strategy?
This week, 195 nations came together in Paris and adopted a global agreement to combat climate change. The accord aims to keep global warming below 2 degree Celsius, with nations pledging to gradually reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other goals. Wealthier nations pledged to provide financial and economic support to developing countries and those most affected by global warming to help them meet the climate goals and mitigate the damaging effects of climate change.
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