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Writer's pictureMycala Gill

Climate Talks at Davos 2024: Not the Focus but Not Forgotten

Rebuilding Trust needs to include an accurate account of Climate Change



A curated group of influential delegates from the private sector, government, NGOs, and academia met in Davos, Switzerland to ring in the new year at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. This gathering kicks off important conversations about global priorities across key development areas.


The theme changes every year, often led by pressing challenges or risks that the global elite are most fearful of. And, despite 2023 being the hottest year in history, the theme of Davos 2024 was Rebuilding Trust—reflecting the rise of AI, fears of misinformation and increasing geopolitical uncertainties. But, the climate crisis was hard to ignore given the bare ski hills following this year’s winter heat wave.


Leaders did also convene to discuss the energy transition, which is at the root of our efforts against climate change given the energy sector is responsible for over 70% of global emissions. While not at the forefront of panel discussions, closed-door meetings, or après ski parties throughout the week, climate change was a cross-cutting theme across conversations at Davos. Below I’ve compiled the key climate takeaways from Davos for the Economy Zero community, from expanding renewables to managing demand for AI.



Transforming energy demand and accelerating investments in renewables is essential to achieving energy security and was a key message at Davos. To meet net zero targets by 2030, renewable capacity must increase threefold, and will require massive infrastructure deployment while grappling with conflicting concerns of land use, biodiversity loss, and community acceptance. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted four key reasons why energy efficiency must continue to be a leading priority in climate discussions:

  1. For energy security, given that using less energy leads to importing less energy,

  2. To protect consumers from high energy bills,

  3. For the competitiveness of industries, and

  4. To reduce environmental footprints and address climate change.



AI and digital transformation was unsurprisingly a big focus at the annual meeting. For climate, AI was recognized for offering opportunities to enhance adaptation, mitigation, and resilience efforts, but these are limited by infrastructure and energy requirements. AI-embedded tools and applications were showcased to help vulnerable populations prepare for disasters via early warning systems or provide agricultural forecasting to reduce uncertainty and enhance crop yields. Aside from weather prediction services, simpler and more accessible AI tools like ChatGPT can even provide advice to farmers in local dialects.


However, despite the vast opportunities to use AI toward climate good, we cannot ignore the climate risks of this technology. Though AI was presented as a “great equalizer” between developed and developing economies and dubbed the “steam engine of the fourth industrial revolution,” countries will need massive infrastructure improvements to meet rising demands for AI. Technological innovation requires large amounts of electricity, and although advancements in AI are praised for increasing productivity and efficiency, the environmental harms of this technology are still widely unknown. It is estimated that AI uses more energy than other forms of computing, where training a single model can use more electricity than 100 U.S. homes use in one year, and emit over 250,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.



Geopolitical risks and uncertainties were also top of mind for leaders at Davos. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was at the forefront of the 2023 agenda, these concerns are amplified by the rise of conflict in the Middle East. This year is poised to be particularly definitive for climate action given the number of potential changes in leadership from elections in the U.S., Mexico, and Indonesia. The Trump administration was recognized as a threat to green growth, along with recent outcomes of elections in the Netherlands and Argentina who similarly deprioritize the energy transition. And although a record US$1.7 trillion was invested in clean energy in 2023 (more than the US$1.1 trillion spent on fossil fuels), we will round out the year at COP29 in Azerbaijan— another large petrostate—leaving ambiguity among the climate community about the future of climate policy and action.



Taking a human-centric approach could help beat climate catastrophe fatigue. Navigating the climate crisis without concrete success metrics is leading to indifference among leaders and citizens alike. Instead of using numbers to underscore the impacts of climate change, such as rising temperatures or disaster measures, we need to start talking about the climate crisis in terms of lives


According to World Bank President Ajay Banga, “a sense of urgency is our only saviour” in response to the climate crisis. While the pursuit of trust is essential to enhance global cooperation and accountability, what we need most is timely action to reach our climate and energy security goals.

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