The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos is on again. 2500 participants from 140 countries, among them 40 leaders of governments and states, gathered to "improve the state of the world" - at least this is what Davos calls its mission.
This year's motto is „the new global context“, which probably suggests that we all are in the same boat. So, the alarming news is the world economy is faltering. What does that mean? The International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that in the year 2019 almost 220 million people will be without employment - 19 million more than today. That doesn't sound very uplifting, but the dystopian news is now being conveyed by Oxfam chief Winnie Byanyima, who is a current board member of WEF: soon the top 1 % of the world population will own as much as the other 99%. Apparently the Occupy movement's claim "We are 99%" wasn't so wrong. Having said that, it is unlikely that Occupy will revive on a global scale.
Another unlikely event happened to be the combination of Pharrell Williams and Al Gore showing up on stage. Together they announced the launch of "the largest global campaign in history", in the form of a second round of Live Earth concerts to promote awareness of climate change. The concerts are planned to take place across all seven continents – including Antarctica – on 18 June 2015.
Williams, who is the event’s creative director, did not reveal any details of who would be performing at the stadium shows, saying he was keeping surprises in store, but said: “Instead of just having people perform, we literally are going to have humanity harmonise all at once.”
Gore and Williams said the event aims to raise awareness and demand action on environmental issues in the run up to a United Nations climate change conference in Paris in December. “The purpose is to have a billion voices with one message, to demand climate action now,” added Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work on climate change since leaving office in 2001.
At the first Live Earth event in 2007, more than 150 acts performed in 11 locations around the world. The concerts were used to mobilize attendees addressing the following points:
1. To demand that my country joins an international treaty within the following two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy Earth
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become ‘carbon neutral’
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
Recent climate reports predict a dystopian development, if the world community doesn't take drastic action on a global scale. One hopes, one billion voices calling for action will be heard.