World Bank's worries

We normally do not read news such as 'John Reed stopped flying Citicorp's corporate jet to save the ozone layer', or 'Deutsche Bank's Hilmar Kopper does not stop fueling his armored Mercedes at Shell's gas stations to protest the dumping of the Brent- Spar'. Could you imagine if the ABN-AMRO (a Dutch bank) stopped sponsoring Ajax and starts supporting Amsterdam-based Greenpeace? Unlikely news.

How come hardly a day goes by without us reading that the World Bank is worried about the population explosion, city smog and leaded gasoline? Banks exist to make money. Voltaire said: "If you see a banker jumping out of the window, jump after him: there's sure to be profit in it." Could it be that the commercial banks are missing an opportunity only the World Bank saw? It's time for commercial banks to start honing their "sustainable development" skills.

OSVALDO COELHO

Bandung, West Java