Radio Davos

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting that ended days ago there was no bigger issue than the energy crisis - with its links to the challenges of climate change, geopolitics and the cost of living - what has come to be known as the ‘polycrisis’.

On this episode, we hear from two people immersed in the discussions at Davos on why the global conversation on energy has changed, with climate change and the energy transition now firmly centre-stage.

People on this episode:

Roberto Bocca, Head of Shaping the Future of Energy and Materials, World Economic Forum

John Defterios, World Economic Forum energy fellow

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (addressing Davos 2023)

António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations (addressing Davos 2023)

Related episodes:

What does the future look like for energy, and for our jobs?

Davos 2023 Day 2: the economy and the climate

Welcome to the age of the polycrisis: the Global Risks Report 2023

Davos 2023 sessions relevant to this episode:

Special Address by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations

Mastering New Energy Economics

Keeping the Lights on amid Geopolitical Fracture

Infrastructure for a Clean Energy Economy

The Electric Decade

The Interplay of Food, Energy and Water

Keeping the Pace on Climate

The Different Roads to Energy Transition

The Age of Net-Zero Energy Technologies

Twinning Energy with Digital

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Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: Meet the Leader WEF Book Club Podcast Agenda Dialogues

Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club

Follow all the action from the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2023 at wef.ch/wef23 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF23.

On today’s Radio Davos, co-hosted by ‘Exponential View’ writer, author and podcaster Azeem Azhar, UN Secretary-General warns of a ‘great fracture’ in the world, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tells us the war in Ukraine affects the whole world. We talk to Caroline Casey of the disability inclusion campaign Valuable 500 and tour the art exhibition bringing the voice of refugees to Davos.

“It is essential for the two countries to have meaningful engagement on climate trade and technology to avoid the decoupling of economies and even the possibility of future confrontations.”

UN chief António Guterres says the world can well do without a ‘great fracture’ caused by rivalry between the United States and China. And he calls the continued exploration for fossil fuels the stuff of dystopian science fiction.

Ty Greene, Project Lead, Health Equity at the World Economic Forum tells us about health equity and how companies leading are pledging to achieve it.

Caroline Casey, founder and director of the Valuable 500 tells Linda Lacina’s Meet the Leader podcast about a surprising pivotal moment in her life that galvanized her life’s work.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tells Radio Davos why the world needs to unite behind Ukraine.

And we stroll up the stairs from the Radio Davos studio, in the heart of the Davos congress centre, to admire artwork created by refugee children around the world, and speak to the people behind the project, Brazilian artist Vik Muniz and Max Frieder of Artolution.

People in this episode:

Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, author, podcaster, writer of Exponential View

António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations

Ty Greene, Project Lead, Health Equity, World Economic Forum

Caroline Casey, Founder and Director, The Valuable 500

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Foreign Minister of Lithuania

Max Frieder, Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer, Artolution

Vik Muniz, artist

Davos 2023 sessions related to this episode:

The Age of Net-Zero Energy Technologies

Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations

Cultural Leaders as a Catalyst of Change with Max Frieder

The Geography of Diversity

Thinking the Unthinkable: The Risk of Nuclear Confrontation

On Day 3 at Davos 2023, we enter the metaverse to experience the Forum’s Global Collaboration Village, hear why inflation may have peaked, but prices haven’t, and speak to astronaut Matthias Maurer. Heba Aly, of the podcast Rethinking Humanitarianism, co-hosts.

We hear from recipients of the Crystal Awards Idris and Sabrina Elba.

The boss of Unilever, a top IMF economist and Germany’s finance minister weigh in on the impact of inflation.

We welcome into the Radio Davos booth astronaut Matthias Maurer.

And we enter the metaverse to take a tour of the Global Collaboration Village.

People in this episode

Heba Aly, host of the podcast Rethinking Humanitarianism

Sabrina Elba, United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Goodwill Ambassador

Idris Elba, Entrepreneur, Actor, Musician, UN IFAD Goodwill Ambassador

Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency

Olivier Schwab, Managing Director, World Economic Forum

Gill Einhorn, Head of Innovation and Transformation, Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum

Alan Jope, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever

Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Christian Lindner, Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance

Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine

Jaci Eisenberg, Head of Content Curation at the Global Collaboration Village

Mark Curtis, co-lead, Accenture Metaverse continuum business group

Elisabeth Papadopoulos, Creative Director, Accenture Metaverse continuum business group

Nadia Botello, Audio Lead, Accenture Metaverse continuum business group

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Julie Sweet, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Accenture

Brad Smith, Vice-Chair and President, Microsoft Corp

Sessions mentioned in the episode:

Crystal Awards Ceremony 2023

Stewarding Responsible Capitalism

Leading the Charge through Earth's New Normal

Mastering New Energy Economics

Special Message from Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine

Stemming the Cost of Living Crisis

Press Conference: Global Collaboration Village

Subscribe on any platform: https://pod.link/1504682164

Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club

Follow all the action from the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2023 at wef.ch/wef23 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF23.

Embedding Indigenous Knowledge in the Conservation and Restoration of Landscapes

Nick Clegg, president for global affairs at Meta, came into the Radio Davos booth to explain his new role at the parent company of Facebook, and to set out his vision of the metaverse and why we need to ensure now that it will be a place people can move around freely and not be locked in to any one company’s version of what he says is the inevitable, ‘logical evolution’ of the internet.

The cost of living crisis around the world is the number one risk in the short-term, according to the latest Global Risks Report, but climate change remains the greatest challenge in the medium and long term. In this episode we hear from two of the people involved in creating the Global Risks Report - required reading ahead of the Annual Meeting in Davos - Carolina Klint, managing director at Marsh, and Peter Giger, Group Chief Risk Officer at Zurich Insurance Group.

'As 2023 begins, the world is facing a set of risks that feel both wholly new and eerily familiar.'

So reads the executive summary of the Global Risks Report 2023, the result of a major annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Marsh McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group.

'We've seen a return of older risks inflation, cost of living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation, and the spectre of nuclear warfare which few of this generation's business leaders or public policymakers have experienced.'

The Global Risks Report is a fascinating read. It looks at short-term and long-term perceptions. And in the longer term, or the medium term, the threat posed by climate change is the top risk on a ten-year time horizon. But in the short term, worries about natural disasters and extreme weather fall to second place, pushed off the top spot by the cost of living crisis.

You can find the report at wef.ch/grr2023. It's required reading ahead of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos where figures from government, business, academia and civil society will come together to discuss the world's most pressing issues.

Report Link: https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/

Executive Summary: https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/digest

Press Conference livestream and replay link: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/global-risks-report-2023-press-conference/

Follow all the action from the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2023 at wef.ch/wef23 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF23.

Subscribe on any platform: https://pod.link/1504682164

Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club

Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: Meet the Leader WEF Book Club Podcast Agenda Dialogues