I’m thrilled that the World Economic Forum has placed climate change squarely on the agenda for next week’s forum at Davos. It makes sense since its 2013 Risk Report noted climate change, combined with economic upheaval, as a top hazard to the global economy. This emphasis for the Forum is particularly important. The convening of corporate and private sector leaders has played a lesser role in the global climate change efforts, which primarily have been driven by the United Nations. Fortunately, it appears the private sector, through the power of the Forum, is going to play a bigger role in this discussion. Perhaps that will turn the UN efforts toward more action.
Next week, all World Economic Forum participants can attend sessions specifically dealing with adaptation and resiliency, including:
An ideas lab on adapting to climate change
A discussion of the role of business and supply chains in making sustainability a mainstream issue
A plenary on the interaction of the climate and development global agendas toward 2015
A conversation about building resilience to natural disasters linked to extreme weather events and climate change
I’m eager to see the direct and indirect impact of The Forum’s climate adaptation conversations.
Beyond Davos 2014, World Economic Forum will participate actively in the Climate Summit at the UN in New York on Sept. 23, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences of the Parties in Lima, Peru, in late 2014 and subsequent convening. This work reflects a set of robust Forum partnerships. The lead is Dominic Waughray, a member of ND-GAIN’s Advisory Board.