"Environmental pollution endangers global economy"/ World Bank calls for measures against land degradation, deforestation
Degraded land, polluted air and water shortages pose a direct global economic threat, but more efficient use of natural resources could halve pollution, said one of the World Bank's managing directors.
According to him, the damages are particularly severe for low-income countries, which are more exposed to poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss.
In a statement issued alongside the publication of the new report, he stressed that about 80% of the population in low-income countries is exposed to these risks, and that the World Bank is committed to acting, even as many countries have cut budgets for international aid.
Among the most affected countries is Burundi, where 8 million people face water scarcity and air pollution, while 7 million suffer from land degradation. In Malawi, 12 million people face all of these risks simultaneously.
The report shows that 90% of the world's population faces at least one of these challenges and calls on countries to review subsidies currently spent on environmentally harmful activities.
The data comes amid a tense political context ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil in November. Meanwhile, the World Bank and other multilateral lenders await the results of a review requested by US President Donald Trump of how these institutions operate.
The World Bank will also provide evidence-based data to inform discussions among member governments on environmental degradation. The report estimates that forests help form about half of the world's rainfall, while deforestation has led to an annual loss of $14 billion in the Amazon region alone, which includes nine countries.
Forest loss reduces the ability of natural environments to store and release moisture slowly over time, which worsens droughts and causes an economic loss of $379 billion, or 8% of global agricultural production.
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