Davos climate focus: Can 'going green' mean oil and gas?

Government and corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum are debating whether oil and gas companies can or should be part of the future transition to renewable energies such as wind and solar

DAVOS, Switzerland -- As government officials, corporate leaders and other elites at the World Economic Forum grapple with how to confront climate change and its devastating effects, a central question is emerging: to what extent can oil and gas companies be part of a transition to lower-carbon fuels?

In different times the question could have been academic, but today it's both practical and urgent, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced many countries that depended on Russian oil and gas to make swift changes to energy supplies.

The debate comes as examples of acutely felt impacts of climate change multiply, including recent heat waves in Southeast Asia to flooding in parts of South America. Meanwhile, the world’s top climate scientists have repeatedly warned that increased investment in fossil fuels are hurting chances to keep warming to limit warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F), and thus avoid even more devastating effects.

On Tuesday U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will join climate-related panels at the summit, while NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give addresses. Attendees will discuss several other high-priority issues, like the Russia-Ukraine war, the threat of rising hunger worldwide, inequality and persistent health crises. But whether these discussions will yield substantial results remains to be seen.