Climate Finance and Development

In the early 1990s, while directing a research program at the University of Maryland, Alan was privileged to be involved in the creation of a new international fund for climate change and other global environmental issues, the Global Environment Facility, or GEF.

He started first as an outside NGO observer and then was invited to work on an evaluation of the first three years of the GEF, its pilot phase.

In 1997, Alan joined the GEF as manager of the climate change program, a position he held until October 2003. During his six years climate team leader, the GEF approved over $1 billion to support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other climate change projects in over 70 developing countries.

From 2003 until the end of 2013, Alan worked on climate change finance and policy at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank. At the IFC he helped prepare and obtain financing for a diverse portfolio of climate change and biodiversity projects and was a central figure in the rise of climate change from a minor issue to a central consideration in the bank’s strategy.

Upon retiring from IFC, Alan joined a UN Development Programme project with GEF support working to modernize weather and climate information systems in 11 African poor countries, a fundamental requirement for improving country capacity to respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters occurring more frequently due to climate change (website).

As an independent consultant, Alan continues working on climate change and development issues for clients including US AID, the World Bank, and the UN body Sustainable Energy For All.