President of the World Bank David Malpass is set to leave his post a year before his contract ends, following pressure based on his climate change comments.

Last September, the Chief was slammed after refusing to publicly declare that burning fossil fuels was leading to global warming.

There were global calls for the World Bank and US to take action, after Mr Malpass responded to continued questioning on climate change with the retort “I’m not a scientist.”

He is meant to leave his position in 2024 but will now exit the role in June this year – in a move that shows new intentions from the World Bank to prioritise its outlook on climate change.

In a statement addressing his departure, the President said: “After a good deal of thought, I’ve decided to pursue new challenges. We’ve worked hard to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, reduce government debt burdens, and improve living standards across the full range of human development.”

On the controversial subject specifically, he added that during his time in charge, the World Bank “reached major new records in financing levels, including climate financing.”

Across the last financial year, the World Bank reported that it had provided up to $31.7 billion (£26.5bn) to help nations fight climate change.