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World Bank President David Malpass
Photo: DANIEL LEAL / AFP
World Bank President David Malpass is still under pressure for his controversial statements on climate policy.
He is said to have repeatedly represented theses of climate change deniers.
Now the US government has also sharply criticized the economist: "We do not agree with President Malpass's statements," said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday (local time) in Washington.
At an event organized by the New York Times newspaper on Tuesday, the US economist Malpass was repeatedly accused of denying the climate crisis and dodged questions about whether the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming.
Instead, Malpass had said, "I'm not a scientist."
Climate activists have repeatedly criticized Malpass and called for US President Joe Biden to replace him.
Last year, more than 70 non-governmental organizations supported a corresponding request.
He was nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2019 for a five-year term as World Bank President.
Climate activists generally accuse the World Bank of not doing enough to combat global warming.
She resists calls from her European board members in particular to end fossil fuel financing altogether.
»World Bank must take the lead on climate targets«
The US government has now responded and called on the World Bank to take a leadership role on climate targets, the White House spokeswoman said.
"The Treasury Department, which oversees our involvement with international financial institutions, has made this expectation clear to the leadership of the World Bank and will continue to do so." Art generally required a majority of shareholders.
In an interview with the news portal "Politico" on Friday, Malpass tried to limit the damage and said he regretted his choice of words.
"That was a poorly chosen sentence." When asked if he denied the climate crisis, he should have answered "no," Malpass continued.
At the same time, he made it clear that he would not resign.
It is certainly no coincidence that Malpass was appointed by Donald Trump.
In the past, the ex-president has repeatedly doubted whether climate change is man-made - such doubts have, however, been scientifically refuted.
The Republican had withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate protection agreement during his tenure.
His successor Joe Biden from the Democrats immediately reversed the step after taking office and led the USA back into the agreement.
Biden has declared the fight against climate change as one of his most important goals.
sug/dpa/reuters
