Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg address elites at Davos

Davos, January 22 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump is in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, where he delivered a speech on Monday to the gathered elites.  The climate crisis was the top priority for this year’s forum, but Trump focused on touting his tax cuts, immigration policies and trade deals with China, Canada and Mexico. 

Trump claimed that U.S. air and water was cleaner than ever. The U.S. president has worked to dismantle environmental regulations since taking office and has denied climate change. Trump also told reporters in Davos his impeachment trial, underway in the U.S. capital, was a “hoax” and a “witch hunt.”

Although Trump denies that his travels to Switzerland will cost the average American, the website Quartz calculated that Trump’s two-day appearance in Davos will cost taxpayers over $5.6 million.

Seventeen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg is also in Davos, where she spoke on a youth climate panel earlier today.  Greta Thunberg said: “If we are to have a 6 to 7% chance of limiting the global average temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we had, on January 1st, 2018, about 420 gigatons of CO2 left to emit in that budget.  I’ve been repeating these numbers over and over again in almost every speech.  But honestly, I don’t think I have once seen any media outlets or person in power communicate this and what it means. I know you don’t want to report about this. I know you don’t want to talk about this.  But I assure you I will continue to repeat these numbers until you do.”