Al Gore calls the president of the World Bank a ‘climate denier’

Damning assessment by former vice president then followed by failure to recognise international scientific consensus on climate crisis

It’s behind you! David Malpass, president of the World Bank Group in front of a stuffed grizzly bear at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, in Wyoming (Reuters)

Former US vice president Al Gore has described the president of the World Bank as a “climate denier”, during an event held in New York as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway in the city.

Mr Gore suggested Joe Biden should aim to have David Malpass removed from his post, pointing out that the bank was continuing to allow damaging fossil fuel companies working in developing countries to access capital.

On stage hours later, Mr Malpass failed to put it on the record that he recognised the international scientific consensus on the causes of the worsening climate crisis.

During a panel discussion organised by the New York Times, Mr Malpass was repeatedly asked about Mr Gore’s claim, and whether he recognised the scientific consensus that humans burning fossil fuels is “rapidly and dangerously warming the planet”.

He refused to provide a direct answer to the question, instead telling the audience: “I’m not a scientist.”

Mr Malpass was appointed to the role of president of the World Bank after being nominated by then president, Donald Trump, in 2019.

According to an account tweeted by the event’s host, the New York Times’ David Gelles, Mr Gore told the audience on Tuesday: “We need to get a new head of the World Bank. This is ridiculous to have a climate denier as the head of the World Bank.”

Mr Gore told the audience: “Since almost 90 per cent of the increased emissions going forward are coming from developing countries, we have to take the top layers of risk off the access to capital in these developing countries.

“That’s the job of the World Bank.”

When Mr Gelles later quizzed Mr Malpass on Mr Gore’s allegations, he reportedly “filibustered for a few minutes, talking about the Bank’s climate work”.

Eventually, he said of Mr Gore’s comments: “So very odd. I’ve never met him.”

This resulted in increasing agitation from the audience, who apparently shouted from their seats that Mr Malpass “answer the question”, and eventually he said: “I don’t even know – I’m not a scientist and that is not a question.”

He added: “What we need to do is move forward with impactful projects.”

He defended the bank’s climate record, saying the organisation “has been a world leader in focusing attention on resilience, on adaptation and change”, and said the bank had directed $31.7bn to climate finance, with half of it allocated to projects to adapt to extreme weather events, and other climate transformations, the New York Times reports.

John Kerry, the US special envoy for climate change, who took part in a separate panel discussion was also asked whether the World Bank president has the confidence of the White House.

Mr Kerry declined to comment, saying: “That’s the president’s decision.”

However, he indicated support for the bank’s stance could be thin on the ground in the Biden administration.

Speaking about multilateral development banks and the role they play in the climate crisis, Mr Kerry said: “We need to have major reform, major restructuring.”

“It’s up to us to pull people together and get that reform, and there’s a lot of discussion about us doing that right now.”

The Independent has contacted the World Bank for comment.