The Elephant in the Room at Davos

The leaders at the business summit talked about climate change, but with one conspicuous absence

- CYRIL CHRISTO

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 The optimism that once filled those rooms has long been replaced by a pro-business cynicism.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.