For years now, heads of state and government, academics and development experts have been calling on the World Bank to lead in the fight against climate change.

For too long, they say, the international lender had ignored the growing threats posed by rising temperatures and sea levels, been too conservative with its lending to developing countries struggling with climate disasters, and spent too much money supporting fossil fuels, the burning of which is dangerously heating the planet.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados led the charge, rolling out a reform agenda known as the Bridgetown Initiative and rallying others, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, to join her.

At the United Nations climate talks in Dubai, which began Nov. 30 and run until Tuesday, it is clear that much is changing at the World Bank.

Ajay Banga, 64, the former CEO of Mastercard, took over as president in June. He replaced David Malpass, who was nominated by President Donald Trump and stepped down early after coming under fire for disputing the science of climate change in a live interview with The New York Times.

And while the World Bank has not instituted the sort of sweeping overhaul envisioned by its most ardent critics, Banga, an Indian-born American, has over the past six months made a series of changes that he said are aimed at addressing the climate crisis.

The International Monetary Fund has also been accused of not doing enough to help countries adapt to climate change, and of burdening poor nations with debt, and has made some modest changes. But, under Banga, the World Bank has leaned into its climate work.

Just weeks after he took over, the bank said it would pause debt and interest payments for countries hit by natural disasters, including hurricanes and wildfires made worse by global warming.

A full 45% of the bank’s lending is now going toward climate-related projects, including new renewable energy construction, up from 36% the previous year.

The World Bank is piloting new efforts to reduce methane emissions and help poor countries create accountable marketplaces for carbon credits.

The bank agreed to serve as the home of a new, so-called loss and damage fund that will distribute money to poor countries that have suffered irreplaceable losses because of climate disasters.

And Banga has been working to streamline a bureaucratic and siloed organization, pushing it to move faster and stressing collaboration.

“This is all sensible stuff,” Banga said in an interview. “The fact is, we should have a vision that is redefined from the past, and that includes addressing global crises and having livable planet.”

Yet there is only so much Banga can do on his own. At the end of the day, the World Bank is governed by its shareholders: the United States, China, Germany, France, Japan and other major economies.

Without those countries agreeing to contribute more capital and accept more risk, the bank will be limited in how much money it can make available for developing countries trying to adapt to climate change.

Fossil fuel lending by the bank has decreased, but it persists as many developing countries continue to seek economic growth through new oil and gas projects.

“The easy, low-hanging fruit is being picked off,” said Manish Bapna, CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Now it’s the bigger fruit we have to play for.”

The bank’s major shareholders have not signaled that they are prepared to drastically increase their overall contributions. But Banga has said that, so far, the big shareholders had been supportive of the new emphasis on climate.