I'm in Bangkok right now working on a project for USAID. I just learned
yesterday that USAID has a Congressional mandate, and a full-time person
assigned, to report twice a year to Congress and the Treasury Dept. on the
environmental and social impacts of large scale infrastructure projects
funded by the MDBs. Since Treasury has a vote on programming at MDBs where
US is a member, the goal is to inform the US vote on these projects. I was
pleased to learn that USG is taking an active role in attempting to shape
these projects and publicize their negative impacts. Since these are
reports for Congress, I would guess they are available to the public as well
(not certain of this.)
I would also suggest going broader than just the World Bank to other MDBs as
well. For example, the Asian Development Bank is hugely influential here in
Asia and has faced its own criticisms for dams and projects that have had
serious environmental impacts. They are in the process of reworking their
programs to take this into account and try to improve things.
For a fascinating case study, the number of dams planned on the Mekong in
the next 5-10 years is in the 100's - with scores on the mainstream. These
are being planned in multiple countries with little or no coordination and
very little assessment of environmental or social impacts. Most of it is
for hydropower, much for mining or timber processing or industry, rather
than for rural electrification. Of course, political connections and
corruption are involved as well. And none of it is taking into account the
fact that the glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau where the Mekong originates
are melting due to climate change, such that flow will be increasing
seasonally and then decreasing over time. It would be great to engage
students in these issues.
Best,
Dorothyh
Dorothy C. Zbicz, PhD
International Environmental
& Marine Policy
1701 N. Kent St.
Arlington, VA 22209
+1-703-528-6866
[email protected]
---------- Original Message -----------
From: Margaret McKean <[email protected]>
To: "Kate O'Neill" <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Sent: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:15:30 -0500
Subject: Re: group exercises around WTO or World Bank and GEP?
> Something I have done as a final exam is to select four world bank
projects
> in places we have already studied, have them pick one and read the project
> documents, and then write on (a) whether the project content or the bank's
> approach has changed in any visible way in response to the avalanches of
> criticism in the past [which they have read in detail], and (b) whether
the
> environmental assessment seems solid. They LOVE doing this. I have to
> be careful selecting the projects to make sure they aren't utterly
> ridiculous, and I make sure I'm picking projects that are environmentally
> sensitive so the bank has real challenges to deal with.
>
> If you're doing this in class you could simply pick one project.
> Interesting perhaps to pick a project in a country where a project of
> similar type in that country became enormously controversial earlier (so
> dams in China or India or Brazil, etc).
>
> Good luck!
>
> Meg McKean
> Duke University\\
>
> --On Sunday, November 08, 2009 4:48 PM -0800 Kate O'Neill
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Dear gep-eders,
> >
> > I am wondering if anyone has suggestions for easily assembled class
> > exercises that can cover either major WTO-environment issues (e.g. one
> > of the major cases) or World Bank development issues (e.g. a dam
> > controversy). I'm thinking along the lines of some fairly
> > straightforward material that students can read in advance, then discuss
> > in class. Or even role play? Or a good, widely available film/
> > documentary that covers some of these issues? I'm putting this together
> > somewhat at the last minute, and as back-up: these are for lectures that
> > are happening over the next week,
> >
> > Thanks so much,
> >
> > Kate
> >
> >
------- End of Original Message -------
