By PETER PRENGAMAN, KELVIN CHAN, HELENA ALVES – Associated Press
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Business buzzwords. Technical jargon. Bold but vague statements on climate change and Russia’s War in Ukraine.
the World Economic Forum Annual Gathering CEOs and heads of government this week in Davos, the city in the Swiss Alps, may seem full of important but impersonal announcements.
So what do Davos fans really think? Here are some voices from the meeting that ends Thursday:
WHAT ARE YOU PERSONALLY DOING TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE?
TITLE: Co-founder of LinkedIn
Living in Los Angeles, Blue said her family got into the habit of conserving water because much of California and the western United States had been in a mega-drought for years. They recycle, eat mostly vegetarians and drive an electric car.
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“One of the things that has slowed down the world’s response to climate change is that there was a rumor that it was consumer behaviors that made the difference,” he said. “This is not the case.”
Rather, he said consumer choices are limited when companies only provide solutions or products that are not environmentally friendly.
Suarez says his family has a Tesla and is installing solar panels on the roof of their home.
“As a public servant, I think it’s my responsibility to do what I can.”
TITLE: Geneva-based World Economic Forum Climate Change Policy Officer
Gawel’s daily work is devoted to protecting the environment and combating climate change. Outside of work, Gawel travels by bicycle, uses public transport and educates her two children about the environment.
“My kids are kind of the biggest advocates for these types of issues now. And the thing that I have to say that I like to see is that the schools actually teach them that. My daughter, who is 8 years old, is aware of wind power, solar power, the challenges of fossil fuels.”
Gawel says these issues were “absolutely not something that was on our curriculum, at least when I was growing up.”
HOW WILL THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS CHANGE THE WORLD?
TITLE: CEO of National Aviation Services, based in Kuwait
“The Russian-Ukrainian crisis, I think, sends a strong message to the world that the world will no longer accept aggression and war to solve problems,” El Houry said.
He added that “the world must also accept that there are many abusers in the world who have been doing what they have been doing for years and decades and who have gone unpunished. And we can’t have a double standard where we only target Russia.”
“Things are happening in the Middle East every day, things are happening in East Asia every day in South America every day. And we also need to shed some light on these and say “this has to stop”. I don’t choose sides. I’m just saying we need to address those issues as well.”
Suarez said the war has revealed just how interconnected the world is, from labor to energy shocks to a looming food crisis due to Ukraine’s declining agricultural production.
“As leaders, we have a responsibility to make those connections for people, to explain why what happens in one place can affect another and why we should care.”
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