The Government of Malawi has since 2005
been pursuing a growth strategy mainly based on increasing
the volume of agricultural exports. This entails that Malawi
should endeavor to improve the competitiveness of its
agricultural commodities so as to gain an increasing share
of the regional and international markets. This paper
analyzes the competitiveness of the country's key
agricultural commodities -- tobacco, maize, cotton, and rice

This paper reviews recent developments
in biofuel markets and their economic, social and
environmental impacts. Several countries have introduced
mandates and targets for biofuel expansion. Production,
international trade and investment have increased sharply in
the past few years. However, several existing studies have
blamed biofuels as one of the key factors behind the
2007-2008 global food crisis, although the magnitudes of

Large-scale production of crop based
(first generation) biofuels may not be feasible without
adversely affecting global food supply or encroaching on
other important land uses. Because alternatives to liquid
fossil fuels are important to develop in order to address
greenhouse gas mitigation and other energy policy
objectives, the potential for increased use of advanced
(non-crop, second generation) biofuel production

Today, 370 million people live in cities
in earthquake prone areas and 310 million in cities with
high probability of tropical cyclones. By 2050, these
numbers are likely to more than double. Mortality risk
therefore is highly concentrated in many of the world s
cities and economic risk even more so. This paper discusses
what sets hazard risk in urban areas apart, provides
estimates of valuation of hazard risk, and discusses

This book is about development and
measuring development progress. While precise definitions
may vary, development is, at heart, a process of building
wealth, the produced, natural, human, and institutional
capital which is the source of income and wellbeing. A key
finding is that it is intangible wealth, human and
institutional capital, which dominates the wealth of all
countries, rising as a share of the total as countries climb

The objective of study of the impacts of
climate change on mountain hydrology is to develop a
methodology to assess the net impacts of climate change on
the hydrological response in mountainous regions. This is
done through a case study in the Peruvian Andes. There are
few examples of predictions of the impact of climate change
on resource availability and even fewer examples of the
applications of such predictions to planning for sustainable

The study includes a conceptual overview
of the link between climate impacts and human rights,
focused on the relevant legal obligations underpinning the
international law frameworks governing both human rights and
climate change. As such it makes a significant contribution
to the global debate on climate change and human rights by
offering a comprehensive analysis of the international legal
dimensions of this intersection. The study helps advance an

This report presents the findings of a
first-ever, comprehensive study of how Latin America and the
Caribbean (LAC) region airports have evolved during a
notable period of transition in airport ownership. It is an
unbiased, positive analysis of what happened, rather than a
normative analysis of what should be done to reform and to
attract private sector participation to the airport sector.
It takes the first step to respond to the need for more

These report overviews recent
developments in the consumption and production of bioenergy.
It examines the main issues and possible economic
implications of these developments and assesses their
potential impact on land use and the environment, especially
with respect to forests. The report examines both solid
biomass and liquid biofuels, identifying opportunities and
challenges at the regional and country levels. The

This report presents the impact and
lessons learned from the Andhra Pradesh Drought Adaptation
Initiative (APDAI). The APDAI was implemented as a package
of pilot activities in two dryland districts in Andhra
Pradesh (Anantapur and Mahbubnagar) with the aim of
developing and testing approaches for natural resource-based
economic activities to better respond to current climate
variability and long-term consequences of climate change.

This study aims to strengthen the
understanding of the vulnerability of Kolkata from increased
precipitation caused by climate change effects with a
specific goal to: compile a data base with past weather
related information and damage caused by extreme weather
related episodes; develop hydrological, hydraulic, and storm
drainage models to identify vulnerable areas and determine
physical damage estimates resulting from climate change

This is a Regional Program Review (RPR)
of the World Bank's support for the MBC. The review is
framed around an assessment of five Global Environment
Facility (GEF)-financed World Bank implemented projects in
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama that had
the common objective of consolidating the Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor (MBC). It also reports on the
achievements of trust fund activities, financed by the Bank