Urbanization is undoubtedly a key driver
of development - cities provide the national platform for
prosperity, job creation, and poverty reduction. But
urbanization also poses enormous challenges that one is
familiar with: congestion, air pollution, social divisions,
crime, the breakdown of public services and infrastructure,
and the slums that one billion urban resident's call
home. Urbanization is perhaps the single most important

On 24th and 25th December, 2013 a
tropical trough system produced heavy rains in Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines (SVG). The ensuing rapid and intense
flash flooding resulted in severe damage and 9 confirmed
deaths with 3 persons still missing. Additionally, there was
widespread damage to road infrastructure, electricity and
water infrastructure, housing as well as public and private
buildings. This report serves as a reminder and proof of the

As the 21st century unfolds, the vast
nation of India faces an array of challenges, including how
to feed its burgeoning population in a situation where rural
poverty is widespread and land resources are under mounting
pressure. In such a situation it is vital that the resources
supporting agriculture (especially rain-fed arable farming)
- soil and water, physical infrastructure, and those
employed on the land operate efficiently and in harmony. Two

The purpose of this report is to assess
the climate change impacts on water resources in Romania
from an integrated, multi-sectoral perspective, and to
recommend priority actions for addressing the identified
risks and opportunities. The analysis is presented from an
integrated water resources perspective, thereby including
all pertinent water-related sectors, viz. municipal water
supply and sanitation, industrial water supply, agriculture,

This paper is part of a larger effort to
document, assess, and promote scalable models and approaches
to empower poor communities to manage a climate and disaster
risk agenda in support of their development goals and to
identify practical ways of getting climate and disaster risk
financing directly to the ground level where impacts are
felt. Social funds, social protection systems and safety
nets, community-driven development (CDD) projects,

This discussion paper summarizes
observed and projected trends in extreme weather events,
present-day climate variability, and future climate change
and their impacts on China's different regions.
Findings are presented from China's national assessment
report on climate change (2007) and second national
assessment report on climate change (2011) as well as other
studies by Chinese and international experts. In addition to

Climate change is a huge challenge for
the agriculture and rural development (ARD) sector in
Romania. On the one hand, agriculture is a source of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and must therefore be
expected to contribute towards the climate change mitigation
goals of the Europe 2020 strategy. European farmers,
foresters, rural businesses, and other local people
therefore need to start paying much greater attention to

Romania relies on the European
Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) to achieve its
commitments to the European Union (EU) 2020 targets. The use
of the European Agriculture and Rural Development Fund
(EARDF) requires that at least 30 percent of the budget
allocated for rural development as part of the National
Rural Development Plan (NRDP) be spent on the environment
and addressing climate change. The forest sector rapid

Cities have long held a central place of
importance in society as hubs of commerce, culture, and
political power. Because of climate change, however, the
clustering together of large numbers of people and high
levels of economic activity also creates vulnerabilities. In
Romania, where the urbanization rate is roughly 55 percent,
the Government of Romania has commissioned this advisory
services report from the World Bank to explore how to

This roadmap for environmental and
natural resources law enforcement (ENRLE) sets forth a
course of action for the World Bank's ENRLE community
of practice for FY2013-15. It outlines for senior management
a strategy to mobilize and strengthen the Bank's
engagement in the fight against environmental and natural
resource crime. The roadmap also serves as a mobilizing tool
for staff and management in regional departments to

The Europe 2020 strategy and the
legislative package from the European commission provide
European Union (EU) member states a framework and means for
moving towards a greener and more competitive low carbon
economy that makes efficient use of resources and is
resilient to climate risk. The integration of both
mitigation and adaptation actions into Romania's
national policies, programs, and strategies will be a

This overview of climate change
activities in the Kyrgyz Republic is part of a series of
country notes for five Central Asian countries that
summarize climate portfolio in a number of sectors, namely
agriculture, forestry, water, health, energy, and transport.
Recognizing the nature and significance of climate change
contribution to an increase in disaster risk, the note also
looks into the development partners' approaches and