The Devils Of Davos

[Geee]

Issues & Insights

The World Economic Forum that meets in Davos, Switzerland is not just a brood of hypocrites who fly in on private jets so they can mob-lecture the rest of us about our carbon footprints. These people are truly dangerous.

Here’s a quick rundown of a few of the most noxious ideas that emerged from last week’s meeting, which was promoted as “the starting point for a new era of global responsibility and cooperation,” followed by incisive comments we cannot call our own but are fitting of the moment.

• “ We need to accept that there will be some pain in the process,” Kjerstin Braathen, chief executive of the Norwegian financial services giant DNB, said about a global effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions. “The pace that we need will open up for missteps; it will open up for shortages of energy; it will create inflationary pressures, and we need to start talking about that.”

“The ruling class can afford this transition, but can the rest of us?” the Washington Times’ Kelly Sadler asked last week. “The billionaires in Davos don’t care – so long as they can hold onto their wealth, power and position. And this week, they were hatching a plan to do just that.”