Interview: Bertrand Badre suggests ‘being ambitious in vision but modest in approach’ to achieve climate goals

Interview: Bertrand Badre suggests ‘being ambitious in vision but modest in approach’ to achieve climate goals

Image credit: Gulf Business

Bertrand Badre, former managing director of the World Bank Group, and founder of Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital speaks to Gulf Business on the sidelines of the ‘World with Purpose’ conference.

The inaugural edition of the conference looked at theme “The Rise Of A Global Impact Economy”. The event was held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Economy and in partnership with MAJRA, National CSR Fund, on November 7 and 8 at the JA The Resort in Dubai.

Q. How would you describe the post-COVID World?

I think the pandemic comes in continuity with different things. I don’t think it’s a blip. I think it’s a new crisis, which to a certain extent, could be anticipated and to a certain extent, could not be anticipated. We put together what is called the neoliberal model and the Washington consensus in 1980s. This was basically confirmed by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. We thought the free market economy and democracy would win over the world.

Since then, we have had a succession of crises, which resulted in a shift in the economic paradigm. We saw an era of free money or cheap money, and controlled inflation,