WEF President: New Technologies Key to Fighting Climate Change

WEF President: New Technologies Key to Fighting Climate Change

Brende Told Asharq Al-Awsat ‘Global Cooperation’ Biggest Lesson of the Pandemic

Børge Brende says the greatest lesson of the pandemic has been that global cooperation is a necessity.

From fighting climate change, to building an inclusive post pandemic economic model and managing migratory flows, the President of the World Economic Forum highlights the importance of ‘Global Cooperation’.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, on the sidelines of this year’s “Davos Agenda” week, Børge Brende warned of the high cost of climate inaction, and emphasized the need to decouple future energy growth from that of CO2 emissions. He added that the Middle East has a unique opportunity to position itself at the heart of global climate efforts, hailing the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative as vital components of global efforts to reduce emissions.

Despite growing tensions on the international stage, Brende displayed cautious optimism, saying there were “signs that key actors are looking for opportunities to work together”.

The Global risk report identified ten most pressing risks, many of them were climate related. Do you worry that the progress seen in COP26 might lose its momentum?

Climate concerns come through clearly in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report this year, as the