Davos 2025: Sustainable Collaboration for a New Age

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The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 (Credit: World Economic Forum/Thibaut Bouvier)
The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting focuses on trust, growth and the future of industries and people in an era of climate action and innovation

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2025 Annual Meeting in Davos brings together global leaders, industry giants and changemakers under the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.”

With a forward-looking agenda designed around five key priorities, the gathering seeks to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities of our time.

These priorities include rebuilding trust, reimagining growth, investing in people, safeguarding the planet and advancing industries in the intelligent age.

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Safeguarding the planet: Climate at the centre

One of the major focuses this year is safeguarding the planet, with 26 live sessions dedicated to topics like carbon pricing, nature markets and the outcomes of COP30.

Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, captures the essence of the discussions: “At Davos, world events like military conflicts, trade wars, inflation and the AI revolution will dominate discussions.

Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, was featured in Sustainability Magazine's Top 100 Women 2024

"But I also expect climate change and sustainability will be crucial, especially in light of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.” Her comments emphasise a broader understanding that climate action is tied to solving these global challenges.

Prominent figures addressing these issues include Al Gore, Former US Vice President and climate activist, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All.

Ester Baiget, President and CEO at Novozymes and Co-Chair of the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, highlights the transformative potential of tackling the climate crisis: “Climate transformation isn't about avoiding risks. It's about building resilience and unlocking growth.

Ester Baiget, President and CEO at Novonesis and Co-Chair of the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders

"It's about turning challenges into competitive advantages and innovation opportunities.”

This forward-thinking view reflects a central theme at Davos — how sustainability and economic progress can coexist.

Katie echoes this sentiment, noting: “The challenge — and opportunity — will be to highlight the essential connection of climate action to progress against the array of top-of-mind concerns. For CEOs worried about business growth, we can show that leaning into decarbonisation offers a competitive edge.”

The sessions will also explore industrial decarbonisation, nature-based solutions and strategies to address extreme weather patterns, as evidenced by recent disasters such as wildfires.

Speakers aim to connect these issues with actionable solutions, pushing for progress at both the corporate and governmental levels.

Industries in the intelligent age

As industries embrace AI and new technologies, the challenge of managing energy demands becomes a focal point at Davos.

With more than 30 talks and more than 120 speakers, this theme addresses the intersection of innovation and sustainability. Notable figures like Marc Benioff, CEO at Salesforce and Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President at Microsoft, will explore how emerging technologies can align with environmental goals.

Katie points to the growing energy needs of AI-driven industries, particularly data centres. She explains: “Addressing energy demands resulting from the AI revolution and exponential growth in data centres will also be key.

Addressing data centre energy demand will be key to an AI-driven future

"There we can show that decarbonisation, again, is key. Through innovative cooling technologies, we can cut energy use by nearly 80% and zero out on-site water consumption for keeping chips cool in data centres.”

Beyond technology, these discussions also tackle topics like nuclear power capacity, supply chains for EVs and industrial growth strategies that integrate decarbonisation.

As companies move toward greener practices, the WEF hopes to highlight how sustainability can become a driver for innovation and profitability.

Investing in people for a fairer future

With 45 sessions and more than 180 speakers, the theme of “investing in people” takes centre stage at Davos.

This track addresses a range of issues, from diversity and women’s health to forced migration and youth employment.

High-profile speakers such as Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation and LGBTQ+ advocate and Olympic diver Tom Daley are set to lead discussions on these critical topics.

Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), emphasises the urgency of addressing inequality and food security in rural areas.

Alvaro Lario, President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

He states: “Forced migration, food price inflation and accelerating climate change are all warning signs of a fragmented world that profoundly threatens stability and food security... We must harness the intelligent age to ensure emergent technologies are accessible to all, especially the world’s poorest.”

Through collaboration, Davos attendees hope to secure a shared prosperity that bridges global divides. The inclusion of diverse voices in these discussions underlines the importance of equitable growth in an increasingly interconnected world.

Rebuilding trust and reimagining growth

Two further themes at the meeting — rebuilding trust and reimagining growth — focus on collaboration across borders and sectors.

With topics such as AI governance, conflict in the Middle East and global financial resilience, these discussions bring together leaders like Tony Blair, Former UK Prime Minister and Christina Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank.

In reimagining growth, sessions explore major global events, such as Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour and the FIFA World Cup, as case studies in economic resilience and new growth opportunities.

These examples illustrate how events of cultural significance can drive innovation and generate substantial economic benefits.

Davos 2025 aims to turn challenges into opportunities, bringing together voices from across industries and regions to tackle pressing issues head-on. 


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