Since 2006, there has been an explosion
of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) projects in
Brazil, as well as efforts to pass PES laws at federal,
state, and municipal levels. Even in this short period, an
extraordinarily rich range of experiences has developed,
with examples of the application of PES at a variety of
scales, ranging from microwatersheds to entire states; in a
variety of contexts, from remote forest frontier areas to

The major environmental and social
management challenges that we face today, climate change,
loss of biodiversity, the decline of ocean fisheries,
limitations on food security, the scarcity of usable
freshwater resources, displacement of communities with
consequent increases in urban poverty, and inviability of
traditional local livelihoods, are all the result of
cumulative impacts from a large number of activities that

The purpose of this paper is to outline
an approach for Bank engagement in forests, trees, and
woodlands on farms in Sub-Saharan Africa for the coming five
years. The paper takes the framework of the Africa
development strategy, which has two main pillars: supporting
employment and competitiveness, and building resilience and
reducing vulnerability; and one underlying foundation:
strengthening capacity and governance. It is consistent with

Pollution management is at the top of
the development agenda of Bolivia, and this program helps
address it in a cross-sectoral manner. In the context of the
implementation of the program environmental management in
Bolivia: innovations and opportunities which was conducted
from September 2010 until October 2012, the World Bank has
implemented a technical assistance program and supported a
multisectoral analysis in order to help the Bolivian

The Philippines already experiences and
will continue to face impacts from climate change. In the
decades ahead, the most serious consequences will be felt in
coastal and urban areas. Severe hardships are expected in
agriculture and fisheries, leading to negative impacts on
jobs and the economy. With these risks in mind the
Philippine Government has initiated significant climate
reforms, establishing a basis for transformation. To assess

Agricultural production is inextricably tied to climate, making agriculture one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In countries such as the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, the risks of climate change for the agricultural sector are a particularly immediate and important problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Following a strong performance in 2012,
Malaysia's economy hit a soft patch in the first
quarter of 2013. Economic growth has been supported by the
strong, broad-based performance of domestic consumption and
investment from public and private sources. The acceleration
of investment growth has been a key feature of the recent
growth trend. Public and private consumption has also
underpinned growth. Accommodative fiscal and monetary

This paper examines some of the concepts
surrounding the idea that forests and trees can contribute
to making households more resilient to food insecurity. The
paper begins with a discussion of the widely accepted
definitions of food security, and the implications for our
understanding of the role of forests and trees in
contributing to food security. Authors discuss the origins
of the idea of resilience, adaptability, and transformation

This study's objectives are: (i) to
present the pros and cons of existing and alternative brick
technologies in Bangladesh with specific focus on pollution
and energy efficiency; (ii) to estimate the private and
social benefits of these technologies (iii) to summarize
China's experience in the development of the brick
industry, as the world leader brick producer and (iv) to
provide concrete recommendations for adopting cleaner

Ghana, like many other African
countries, had made a commitment in 2003 to allocate at
least ten percent of their national budgetary resources to
develop the agricultural sector by 2008, following the
adoption of the Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP), with an aim towards realizing
food security and poverty reduction. This Agriculture Public
Expenditure Review (AgPER) for Ghana analyzes data on public

Transforming agriculture in Africa is
not simply about helping Africa; it is essential for
ensuring global food security. But Africa s agriculture is
also of critical importance when it comes to meeting the
world s future needs for food and fiber. With the global
population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, food
security producing enough food of sufficient quality and
making it accessible and affordable for consumers around the

Financing projects and programs to
mitigate impacts of, and adapt to, the climate change is a
matter of necessity not choice. This green expenditure
policy note looks at factors facilitating the access to
international financial instruments for Latin America and
the Caribbean (LAC) countries that support mitigation of and
adaptation to climate change. This policy note explores two
questions: (i) does the quality of government institutions