Changing Climate At World Economic Forum

There is less snow to greet top Government, business and civil society leaders from all over the world at this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos beginning today through January 20, 2023. Climate activists are quick to attribute less snow to climate change.

Indian participants will include government and business leaders like Ashwini Vaishnaw, R K Singh, K T Rama Rao, Smriti Zubin Irani, Manuskh Mandaviya, Parameswaran Iyer, Mukesh Ambani, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Nadir Godrej and Nandan Nilekani.  

As if on a cue, climate change will figure prominently in discussions, particularly on January 17. The topics to be covered include adaptation, technology, energy transition, litigation, artificial intelligence, youth, philanthropy and climate finance.

The conference will open with a concert titled  ‘I Sea You’ by widely acclaimed artists showcasing videos in the backdrop of corals of the Red Sea. The show seeks to prompt people in positions of power to act for the preservation of coral reefs of the Northern Red Sea. 

With decarbonisation and energy transition being an important issue worldwide, there will be sessions on ‘Mastering New Energy Economics’ which will focus on ‘Energy Systems: Energy Resilience, Affordability and Sustainability’; and ‘Decarbonisation: An Insurmountable Challenge’. Deliberations are expected to focus on net zero transition, investments, clean technologies and creation of market opportunity.

The session on ‘Infrastructure for a Clean Energy Economy’ is expected to focus on geopolitical supply chains and the infrastructure required for effective transition. The emission control and the creation of a green workforce are also expected to focus in discussions.  A session on ‘Bending the Emissions Curve’ is to focus on the interventions required to lower emissions.  The session on ‘The Jobs and Skills of a Green Transition’ is expected to focus on moving towards a low emission world. The demand and supply of green jobs and questions about skills are expected to figure in discussions.

Climate funding is a widely discussed issue after COP27. The sessions on ‘Philanthropy: A Catalyst for Protecting Our Planet’ is expected to deliberate on the landscape of philanthropy in the field of climate action.   A press conference focusing on ‘Philanthropic- Public- Private Partnerships (PPPP) for Climate and Nature’ is also to be held.

Youth, too, have found a space in the climate change sphere. The WEF will have sessions on ‘Open Forum: Protecting the Climate Vulnerable’ wherein youth from worldwide are expected to gather, speak and deliberate on what the leaders can do to protect the affected and vulnerable from climate crisis. Another session ‘Propelling Planetary Prosperity: How is the youth making use of creativity technologically for the health of the planet’ is also scheduled.

The climate crises are affecting a large section of the society and climate litigations are rising.  A session on ‘See You in Court! The Rising Tide of Climate Litigation’ is expected to focus on this emerging area.  

On January 18, 2023 making use of technology to deal with climate change is a topic gaining traction and under the session ‘Using AI for Climate Adaptation’, using artificial intelligence technologies to deal with climate crises and adaptation will be focused on. 

Going forward from the discussions by climate warriors at the COP 27, a session has been scheduled on ‘Building Momentum towards COP28’. Along with it, the impact of climate change on health will also be deliberated in ‘Putting Health at the Heart of Climate Action’.  

On January 19, 2023, an open forum titled ‘Pack Up and Go - Climate Migration’ would focus on measures to deal with victims of climate migration. Since adaptation is one of the important aspects of climate change, a session on ‘A Crucial Year to Focus on Adaptation’ has been scheduled to focus on adaptation costs and how climate conference of parties can enable partnerships. 

January 20, 2023 will witness the important issue of inclusion being taken up in the open under the theme of ‘In Case of Fire, Use Stairs’. It is expected to take into account the climate crisis impact and provisions for the disabled population and turning the crisis into an opportunity to include them.

WEF is also walking the talk. WEF claims to be a carbon neutral event to achieve its net zero target by 2030. To achieve this, the calculated emissions are offset by investing in environment projects in Switzerland and other countries. Sustainable mobility along with walking, public and shuttle buses are offered as commuting options. 100% LED lighting will be used. Vegetarian, locally sourced seasonal food and fair trade products will be served at the event.