WASHINGTON — World Bank President David Malpass said Friday he won't resign after coming under criticism for his remarks earlier this week regarding climate change.
In an interview with Politico Friday, Malpass said he wouldn't resign, and that he hasn't been asked to do so by any of the bank's member governments. He acknowledged he should have done a better job responding to questions on Tuesday, when he was asked to respond to a charge earlier that day from former Vice President Al Gore that he was a"climate denier."Malpass also said the World Bank is taking a"forceful leadership" position on climate issues.
Malpass was nominated to the position by former President Donald Trump in 2019, under the longstanding tradition that allows the U.S. to choose the head of the World Bank and European governments to pick the head of the International Monetary Fund. His five-year term ends in April 2024.
Bankers will care about climate change when it makes them money.