Donald J. Trump and Greta Thunberg were in Davos Klosters (Switzerland), with other world leaders and personalities that included HRH the Prince of Wales, for the World Economic (WE) Forum annual meeting. Trump and Thunberg represented the polar opposites, as far as the issue on climate change is concerned. Trump was, as expected, open to positive possibilities about the future. Thunberg was consistent in her stand and called for more urgent action from countries worldwide.
“Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World” was the theme of the meeting. World representatives discussed pressing issues about the global economy, climate change, geopolitics and health. Filed under “5 things we learned at Davos,” here are some of the highlights from that meeting, based on the WE Forum web site.
Climate change is real, and it poses a great threat to our survival. The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and Prince Charles, both warned that humans are in grave danger because of global warming and the “devastating loss of biodiversity.” The Earth itself will survive, but we might not.
We are reaching tipping points, which make urgent actions necessary. These tipping points could accelerate the dire effects even further. One such tipping point is the melting of the polar ice caps, something that spells disaster for the Earth. This was explained in the meeting by Prof. Gail Whiteman.
Businesses are saying goodbye to fossil fuels. That is the trend now, seemingly, as businesses begin to move away from the “fuel of the 20th century.” Company accounting standards for climate-related risks are being prepared currently and may be ready by the end of the year, according to Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England. This will push more businesses to transition away from fossil fuels.
But, it’s not enough. That is according to Scott Minerd, global chief investment officer of Guggenheim. He said that businesses need solid financial reasons to make the transition. If you “put a price on carbon,” for instance, it may be incentive enough for corporations to take better action.
Everyone should plant more trees. This is a climate initiative that will tremendously help the efforts. The1t.org project “aims to grow, restore and conserve 1 trillion trees around the world to sequester carbon from the air and to protect biodiversity.” Everyone at Davos welcomed the idea, even Trump. Trees are, after all, a “bipartisan issue—everyone’s pro-trees,” said Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO, who is giving monetary support for the campaign.
The country—that includes government, civic organizations, businesses, etc.—needs to get its act together and continue making effort to help save mankind. Out of all the things said in Davos, one message is glaring—urgency is of prime consideration. There is no more time to lose.