Wind Park near Kavarna, Bulgaria. Photo by Ivelina Taushanova/World Bank
The recent 2021 World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund spring meetings took place during challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused loss of life and exacerbated global poverty and inequality, while draining governments resources. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change are starting to be felt on a broad scale, resulting in the loss of homes, crops and livelihoods. The year 2020 was tied for the hottest on record and boasted, among other things, a record number of destructive storms crossing the Atlantic. On top of the long-lasting economic effects of the pandemic, the impacts of climate change are poised to only get worse.