Climate Change

First Climate Day at World Economic Forum in Davos

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February 12, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at Davos (courtesy Department of State) On January 24, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, held its first Climate Day , featuring 23 scheduled sessions that examined climate change and related world impacts. Roughly 40 world leaders and 1,500 business leaders attended the conference. Climate Day discussions concerned green investment, clean energy initiatives, the economic risks of climate change, updates on current science concerning melting polar ice caps and the resulting rise in sea levels, extreme weather risks, short-lived climate pollutants, and the role of youth in moving a climate agenda forward. “This is the kickoff of a new political season on climate change,” commented Nigel Purvis, CEO and president of Climate Advisers.

One of the panels, “Changing the Climate for Growth and Development,” had big-name speakers such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, and former Vice President Al Gore. The panelists looked at global development through a “climate lens,” by addressing the growing population rate in low-income countries, particularly in Africa, and how resources will be further stretched by the projected higher rate of extreme weather events due to rising global temperatures. Gore suggested “fertility management” as a key component in tackling climate change and bringing the world out of poverty. According to Gore, “depressing the rate of child mortality, educating girls, empowering women and making fertility management ubiquitously available . . . is crucial to the future shape of human civilization.”

The conference emphasized work that needs to be done on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon, methane and other short-lived climate pollutants, which have shorter life-spans and higher warming levels in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres pledged to look at “how complementary action on short-lived climate pollutants can be dramatically scaled up . . . including in respect to refrigerant chemicals known as HFCs.” United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said, “Major business leaders and public officials agreed to join hands in moving on HFCs, methane and black carbon, which drive global warming but also affect our health and economies.”

To coincide with the conference, the World Economic Forum released its annual report on the top ten risks facing the world economy . The report’s feature heavy emphasis on environmental risks, with water crises ranked third on the list, climate change fifth, extreme weather sixth, and food crises eighth.


Authors: Jenifer Collins, Laura Small


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