The Elephant in the Room at Davos
Newsweek US|February 24, 2023
The leaders at the business summit talked about climate change, but with one conspicuous absence
CYRIL CHRISTO
The Elephant in the Room at Davos

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM AT Davos was actually an elephant. When CEOs and business leaders arrived in the isolated Swiss town, climate change was on the table. But the absence of conversations about elephants and global biodiversity crucial components of our ecosystems were glaring inconsistencies in what has become a failing climate change narrative.

Elephants and countless other species are now being impacted by serious drought in Africa and rising temperatures throughout Asia. Twenty-five years ago, my wife Marie and I started asking tribal elders on five continents about climate change. What we discovered was concerning: The 11-year drought cycle had changed. Now, droughts happen every few years. Every ecosystem on earth is threatened like never before.

My parents, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, spoke at Davos in the 1970s. The optimism that once filled those rooms has long been replaced by a pro-business cynicism. But it is more than that: These gatherings have become detached from their roots and far-removed from the conservation practices rooted in Indigenous communities, people who have not forgotten their  original instruction, which is to take care of the planet.

The bond between animals and humans goes back to our beginnings as a species. Elephants have even historically played a semi-mythical role in different African and Asian societies, including the Maasai, Himba, and Ndorobo cultures, as well as in most regions in Asia. We have heard countless stories which underscore our indebtedness to the world's animal species, all of which are shared in our latest film, Walking Thunder: Ode to the African Elephant.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2023-Ausgabe von Newsweek US.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2023-Ausgabe von Newsweek US.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS NEWSWEEK USAlle anzeigen
Can Alternative Therapies Treat Cancer?
Newsweek US

Can Alternative Therapies Treat Cancer?

Doctor and breast cancer survivor Liz O'Riordan addresses misinformation around managing the disease

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
Falling for Romance
Newsweek US

Falling for Romance

A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
Cracking the Norse Code
Newsweek US

Cracking the Norse Code

Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
Monumental Shift
Newsweek US

Monumental Shift

The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
Newsweek US

'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'

It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Newsweek US

'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'

Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout
Newsweek US

Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout

Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
Newsweek US

China's 'Silent Chemical War'

The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
HARSH HEADWINDS
Newsweek US

HARSH HEADWINDS

President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 15, 2024
Bridget Everett
Newsweek US

Bridget Everett

BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 08, 2024