Proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as part of the fight against global warming, are going well. From those suggesting reducing the number of long-haul flights a person can take in their lifetime, to those calling for “resetting” human civilization to change behaviors, each of these ideas never fails to arouse fears. The latest: the proposal to the World Economic Forum (WEF) by an elected Swiss environmentalist, Bastien Girod, member of the Swiss National Council, to create cities where its inhabitants “live in harmony with nature”.
During his speech at the conference “In harmony with nature” this Monday, January 16, this Swiss and member of the Greens promoted the idea of cities where the inhabitants would not own cars and where companies do not respect ecological commitments. would be boycotted. Bastien Girod believes that the solution would come from a “changing the rules of the game”, where “sustainability becomes the easier choice” and not a constraint.
“What is important is that policies change the rules of the game, so that sustainability becomes the easier choice, not only for citizens, but also for companies”, did he declare. “In several areas of Zurich you don’t really need a car because all activities like school, shopping are within walking distance”. Girod suggested creating “an environment where people wouldn’t need cars”, believing that it is easier to create a “sustainable way of life, in harmony with nature”.
At the WEF, a Swiss MP proposes cities where there is no individual ownership of cars, and encourages punishing any businesses that do not align with environmental goals. pic.twitter.com/x2jySxdOhK
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 16, 2023
At the same time, he praised US President Joe Biden for proposing that the US government only do business with companies that have committed to respecting the Paris agreement.
Fight against global warming by introducing new systems
During his statement, Bastien Girod underlined that “every year at the World Economic Forum, we have all these beautiful commitments” in favor of the climate. But the annual editions are also distinguished by suggestions that do not go unnoticed. Its founder, Klaus Schwab, had called in 2020 for a “great reset” of capitalism to change the world order with new “world relations”news “orientations of national economies” and “society priorities” revisited.
This event was also where the concept of “smart cities” et “shared economy”in which “you will own nothing” et “will be happy by 2030”has been mentioned.