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On Thursday, the activists Luisa Neubauer, Helena Gualinga, Vanessa Nakate and Greta Thunberg (from left) stirred up the WEF.
Danny SmurfEditor Sunday view
At the beginning of the week, Greta Thunberg (20) protested against coal mining in Lüzerath, Germany. But what she heard from the WEF in Davos apparently drove the Swedish climate icon even more up the wall: on Thursday she appeared surprisingly in the Graubünden mountain village, accompanied by the activists Luisa Neubauer (26), Vanessa Nakate (26) and Helena Gualinga (20).
Greta Thunberg got straight to the point: “WEF people are heating up the destruction of the planet,” she hammered into the microphones. The four activists brought a petition to Davos, which was signed by 900,000 people. “Stop it,” is the demand on the representatives of fossil energies.
“The oil giants must stop thwarting the energy transition immediately,” said Thunberg. “You mislead the public. They throw people under the bus for profit.” But this year, too, the WEF is giving them a platform – instead of listening to those who are directly affected by the climate crisis.
Green WEF?
The sweeping attack has stirred up Davos. Also because this year’s WEF was greener than ever: It encouraged guests to offset the CO₂ emissions of their Davos trip, served snacks in environmentally friendly packaging and hosted over 400 events on the climate crisis – with international celebrities economy, science and politics.
Federal President Alain Berset (50) opened a discussion about plastic pollution, Prince Albert II of Monaco (64) spoke about the melting of the poles, former US Vice President Al Gore (74) called on the powerful of the world to act.
Only: These men are among the powerful themselves, just like the bosses of global energy companies who defended their business at the WEF. “Oil brings the most energy at the cheapest price,” said Vicki Hollub (63), CEO and president of US oil giant Occidental Petroleum Corporation.
Climate activists had to strike sails
The fact that not only Al Gore and environmental scientists were in Davos, but also the fossil companies, fits the WEF motto. “We have to break out of our silos and work together,” emphasize the organizers on their website. Only: the climate activists were not present at the events. They had their protest performances before the opening, then they had to call it quits.
“It’s still the same old forces that dominate the forum,” says Alexandra Gavilano (33) from Debt for Climate Switzerland. The movement calls for debt relief for poor countries – and made a name for itself on Monday when it blocked the exit of the private Altenrhein SG airport to prevent passengers from continuing their journey to the World Economic Forum. However, the activists were not to be seen at the WEF discussion rounds.
“Only the elite, whose companies benefit from the debt of the countries of the Global South, have access,” says Gavilano. What particularly annoys her: “We tried for weeks to bring two activists from the Congo to the WEF.” Because Greta Thunberg is right when she says that those affected do not have a say there. “But there was no meeting,” says Gavilano. “It’s extremely sobering.”
actions instead of words
The WEF states on its website: “We need a global, partnership-based and inclusive approach to action to save our planet.” In the eyes of climate protectors, there is still a lot of room for improvement in this regard.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor (69) agrees. On Wednesday she took part in an event with Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis (61), which was dedicated to the opportunities of multilateral cooperation. She has nothing against visions, said Pandor. “But the danger is that not everyone benefits from it.” All parts of the world need to be included. “And it takes actions, not words. Let’s check what we really did next time we meet!”
Greta Thunberg also insists on action. “No one said it would be easy,” she said in Davos. The world is still going in the wrong direction. “We need help!”
Dancing for the climate: Greta Thunberg posts Tiktok video with message(00:24)