Davos 2026 made one thing clear: it’s time for a reset on climate comms

This year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was dominated by two moods – AI euphoria and geopolitical panic. Climate wasn’t at the forefront of either.

With Davos now a week behind us, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the key themes that dominated media coverage and discussions during the summit – and look ahead to what’s next for climate action in a stormy world. Headlines during the week pointed to a sea change in the international system amidst global geopolitical and economic tensions, with Politico declaring that “Davos is back, but the world it once championed is gone”, Reuters describing the meeting as “a mirror reflecting a broken world”, and The Guardian saying that the Davos elites “need more than just speeches to survive the end of the old order.”

Dramatic news is nothing new, but the way this year’s forum played out revealed a precarious global landscape that risks dangerously overshadowing the climate agenda at a time when urgent action is more vital than ever. So sit back, grab a tea, and take a tour through some of the leading themes at Davos this year – and what this all means for climate communications in 2026 and beyond.

Geopolitics takes centre stage

Even before Trump touched down in Davos, his shadow loomed large over the world’s leaders and business elite, with the forum bowing to pressure to strip climate and other ‘woke’ topics from the agenda. Tension over Greenland and conflict between NATO members then triggered a frenzied reaction and media storm, dominating all coverage and discussions, alongside tariff threats and the cast of characters appointed to Trump’s planned “Board of Peace” for Gaza. As The Guardian observed, this year’s Davos was “a turbulent week with Trump’s circus in town”.

European leaders played directly into it, with business leaders and think tanks spiralling into hyper-focused debate about how deeply intertwined markets, national security and policy now are. What should have been a forum for global cooperation narrowed into a reactive round of strategic side-eye and security posturing.

Disappointingly, though unsurprisingly, decarbonisation barely surfaced. A brief analysis revealed a consistent void in meaningful climate coverage throughout the week, with just 1.5% of media mentions referencing climate at all – a significant drop from 3.1% in 2025

AI and clean energy as the story of the future

Where sustainable innovation once defined Davos, this year’s buzzword economy was dominated by artificial intelligence. From infrastructure to ethics to Elon, AI packed out sessions and reshaped the conversation. Investors came for AI, momentarily panicked about Greenland, then snapped back with renewed rigour to computing power and driverless cars. CNBC described the summit as ‘two Davoses’: one obsessed with technology, the other with geopolitical volatility. Climate, crucially, didn’t anchor either narrative.

Despite the US’s climate backsliding – and European pre-occupation with handling Trump – the summit saw meaningful moves on clean energy from other global powers. India and China arrived at the summit with large delegations and sizable clean energy plans, including a renewed focus on scaling investments. As the European Union grapples with economic and geopolitical pressures, as well as tightening budgets, Davos may build on signals from COP30 that the centre of gravity for climate action is shifting east.

What this means for climate comms

Davos 2026 made clear what was already visible at COP30 climate communications is operating in a more cluttered, volatile landscape. One where geopolitics sets the pace, AI defines the future, and the net zero consensus is fraying. In these stormy global waters, relying on the same messaging of urgency, moral clarity and consensus won’t bring climate back to the centre.

Here are the key takeaways for climate communicators – and how to adapt

1. Attention has fractured

Climate discourse cannot compete with geopolitical pandemonium or the promise of AI-led growth, not because people have stopped caring, but because attention has fractured. In a media landscape driven by risk, disruption and power, climate has slipped into the background unless explicitly tied to what leaders and markets are already focused on.

What this means in practice

• Climate communications must now speak in the language of risk and economic resilience. As communicators, we need to platform stories that show how environmental action stabilises markets, secures supply chains, underpins innovation, strengthens food systems and protects national interests. Whether we like it or not, those are now the stories that will drive impact.
• The same logic applies to technology. Climate will not outcompete AI as the story of the future, so the opportunity lies in integration. AI’s energy demands, water usage, data centre expansion and infrastructure pressure all bring climate into the conversation by necessity. Climate is foundational to whether that innovation can scale sustainably, so that should be leveraged.

2. The global net zero consensus is fraying

The idea of a shared global race to net zero is fading. Davos made clear that we are moving into a fragmented transition. While key actors step back, others – notably India and China – are positioning themselves to lead parts of the transition economy.

What this means in practice

• For climate communicators, this means going more local, telling regional success stories, and recognising that cutting through this new world order means meeting power, capital and politics where they are
• The case for climate action must be made as a solution to the world’s most pressing crises, not a distraction from them.

Still got the Davos bug? Explore some of our recommended reads and listens on this year’s summit below.

• The Rachman Review, FT – Mark Carney on a world in rupture
• Radio Davos, WEF – Davos 2026: Day 5, with Anne McElvoy
• ‘Nostalgia is not a strategy’: Mark Carney is emerging as the unflinching realist ready to tackle Trump – Guardian
• Climate at Davos: Clean tech powers on despite policy wobbles – Climate Home News
• Zelensky tears into Europe over Russia and Trump in scathing Davos speech – The Independent
• Davos leaders’ silence on climate speaks volumes – Why this is a risk – Forbes
• One venue, two speeches – how Mark Carney left Donald Trump in the dust in Davos – the conversation
• China at Davos 2026: Scale, stability, and structural questions – WEF

If you’d like to discuss how to incorporate our Davos learnings into your communications approach for this year, get in touch with our team.