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Olaf Scholz at Davos: 2022 ‘challenged us as never before’
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At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the German chancellor said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had thrown much of the world order on its head. Yet, he argued it could become a catalyst for climate protection.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke gave a rare speech in English in Davos on Wednesday, saying that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 — soon after last year’s World Economic Forum — had thrown the world into turmoil.
“What a difference a year makes. At the start of 2022, many people were expecting a boom or at least a substantial boost for our economies’ transition towards climate neutrality. Then came February 24,” Scholz said, referring to the date of the invasion.
He said the war was having a devastating effect on Ukraine in particular, citing Wednesday’s death of the interior minister in a helicopter crash and offering condolences.
“But the war is having impacts on all of us,” Scholz said.
He went on to outline risks to the geopolitical order, challenges for various countries, not least Germany, to rapidly give up Russian fossil fuel exports, inflation and other issues.
However, he tried to argue that opportunities to accelerate the green transition could prove a rare positive by-product of the turbulent year.
More to follow…
msh/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
