At Davos, climate activists say major issues ignored
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — At a small plaza in Davos, a picturesque Swiss town in the middle of the Alps, about 50 climate activists gathered on Thursday to bring attention to issues they said were largely ignored during this week's World Economic Forum meeting. They said more attention needed to be on human suffering, particularly in developing countries experiencing severe weather events like heat waves and floods. “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Fossil fuels have to go!” some chanted at the gathering, about a 10-minute walk from the main convention center, where meetings between politicians, business leaders, scientists, academics, journalists and others took place Monday through Thursday. The elite forum, the first in person since 2020, was held at a time that the world's top climate scientists have warned that greenhouse gases need to be sharply curbed this decade to keep temperature rise to 1. Ilyess ElKortbi, a climate activist from Ukraine who fled to Germany after Russia invaded in late February, said before coming to Davos he thought that annual United Nations climate summits were the “worst places with empty words and empty promises.
ElKortbi, who said two of his friends had died in the war, argued that the invasion would not have happened had the European Union fully moved away from fossil fuels years ago, as many scientists and activists have long advocated. The forum did include many discussions about climate change and the environment. But for young activists, who often argue that younger generations will inherit climate change problems not confronted today, the problem wasn't the lack of discussion around climate change, but rather what things were not a focus. “Many people here are disconnected from the reality,” said Nakate, who spoke to the small group of demonstrators. Activists who can come, either with sponsorships or on their own, either stay in adjoining towns, where lodging is a little cheaper, or crash in sleeping bags and tents at an area called Arctic Base Camp.
“Was it worth it?” said Gualinga, the Ecuadorean activist who focuses on oil companies operating in the Amazon, reflecting on the week. “We’re not going to be able to find the solutions that we need if the people that are affected by the climate change, by the fossil fuels industry, are not directly active in the decision making. Peter Prengaman is The Associated Press' global climate and environmental news director. Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.
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