Gim Huay Neo is the managing director for the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate, which works with more than 190 businesses along with civil society and government to accelerate their climate action. This year climate action was front and center at Davos, with the Centre for Nature and Climate hosting a dedicated series of discussions on topics ranging from ocean sustainability to the energy transition.
What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government, needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?
Develop and implement a climate strategy that not only addresses carbon emissions, but also deals with water stresses, biodiversity losses, health, and humanitarian concerns. Put people at the heart of the climate agenda. Focus on generating wealth holistically. Beyond financial capital, invest into natural capital, human capital, and social capital as these will bring significant positive returns, especially during the current turbulent times. Help thy neighbor and collaborate.
What is a climate technology that isn’t getting the attention or funding it deserves?
Earth Observation Technologies and Services that can provide timely health checks on the planetary boundaries, namely in the areas of climate change, biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, ocean acidification, phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, land system changes, and freshwater use. While more than 100 terabytes of satellite imagery data are currently collected daily, there is the need and opportunity to invest in technologies that can enable citizen science as well as systems and services that can translate the large swathes of data into easy to understand and actionable insights. These technologies can further serve to develop our collective environmental consciousness and ecological intelligence.
Where should climate activism go in the next year?
Embracing the potential of culture to respond to the climate crisis. Through the lens of food, fashion, sports, art, and entertainment, we [can] raise individual consciousness, unite communities, and mobilize action globally to safeguard our global commons. [Let’s create] cultural movements that transcend boundaries, inspire hope and courage, and show the pathways and shifts in behaviors and practices needed to promote planet and human well being.
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