8 quotes from the Agenda Dialogues on tackling the climate crisis

Apr 30, 2021

Ice sits at the base of the American Falls due to cold temperatures in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., February 21, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2GXL9Y16YS

From melting ice to droughts, the impacts of climate change are being seen around the world. Image: REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario

Joe Myers

Writer, Forum Agenda

Our Impact

What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Nature and Biodiversity?

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how SDG 13: Climate Action is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

SDG 13: Climate Action

This article is part of: The Agenda Dialogues

Listen to the article

The latest World Economic Forum Agenda Dialogues looked at how to boost action on climate change.
From political commitments to the role of indigenous communities, a range of measures featured in the discussion.
The COVID-19 crisis in India was also discussed.

Have you read?

The latest Agenda Dialogues brought together leaders from around the world to discuss how to tackle climate change, turning words into action to create a more equitable, resilient and sustainable future.

Taking part were:

Chair:
Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum

Moderator:
Adrian Monck, Managing Director, Head of Public and Social Engagement

Panellists:
Al Gore, Vice President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management, USA

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada

Jay R. Inslee, Governor of the State of Washington

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)

Feike Sybesma, Honorary Chairman, Royal DSM, Netherlands

Anish Shah, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, India

Discover

What’s the World Economic Forum doing about climate change?

Climate change poses an urgent threat demanding decisive action. Communities around the world are already experiencing increased climate impacts, from droughts to floods to rising seas. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report continues to rank these environmental threats at the top of the list.

To limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, it is essential that businesses, policy-makers, and civil society advance comprehensive near- and long-term climate actions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The World Economic Forum's Climate Initiative supports the scaling and acceleration of global climate action through public and private-sector collaboration. The Initiative works across several workstreams to develop and implement inclusive and ambitious solutions.

This includes the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, a global network of business leaders from various industries developing cost-effective solutions to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. CEOs use their position and influence with policy-makers and corporate partners to accelerate the transition and realize the economic benefits of delivering a safer climate.

These are a selection of the best takeaways from the participants.

“

The commitments made this year have the potential to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn things around for our planet.

”

— Al Gore, Vice President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management, USA

“

When you have a healthy environment, you have a healthy economy. That’s what the world is starting to understand.

”

— François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada

“

Companies have power, companies have impact. If you have power and impact, hopefully you also take the responsibility that goes with that.

”

— Feike Sybesma, Honorary Chairman, Royal DSM, Netherlands

“

We [indigenous peoples] are the engineers of nature … We know how to live in harmony with nature.

”

— Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)

“

My state just adopted a cap on carbon and a clean fuel standard - and we put those policies together with entrepreneurial brilliance. We know the seeds that Al Gore planted twenty years ago have now arrived and are sprouting in the White House and are sprouting in boardrooms too - and it's at a perfect moment.

”

— Jay R. Inslee, Governor of the State of Washington

“

Tackling climate change is not a choice, it’s a necessity.

”

— Anish Shah Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, India

“

We all have a moral obligation to do better and support one another as we fight the climate crisis, and we need to do it with great urgency.

”

— Al Gore, Vice President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management, USA

“

We need to invest in nature. 1% of climate finance dedicated to nature is not enough.

”

— Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)

The panel concluded with a discussion on the current COVID-19 crisis in India, when Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, India and Genya Dana, Head of Healthcare Transformation, World Economic Forum Head joined.

Shobana Kamineni explained the current situation in India, particularly around the pressure on healthcare systems and medical supplies.

She urged other countries to remember this could happen to anyone - it's not just an Indian crisis, she said. We're in a 'bad situation', she added, but 'it's not going to defeat us.'

"I never want to see anything like this ever again," she concluded.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.