A coalition of NGOs have published a letter addressed to the world’s political and business leaders asking them to travel to the Davos Forum by train. The meeting is held in a Swiss city between January 20 and 24will bring together governments, international organizations and the 1,000 companies that are part, by their official name, of the World Economic Forum, where there is no longer room for a single private JET anymore.
They will be joined, according to this institution, by ‘civil society leaders, young agents of change, social entrepreneurs and the media.’ Transportation is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions this year, private JETS, proportionally the most.
Unbridled wars, rampant climate changea technological revolution full of promise, but also dangers: the world is going through a stage full of risks, and it does so in the midst of a clear deterioration in global governance and a rise in nationalist approaches. This explosive mix is what has induced the thousand experts consulted by the Davos forum to express pessimistic opinions regarding the future of humanity and the Planet..
Environmentalists denounce Davos what elite greed poses a danger to democracythe safety of citizens and the Planet. For environmentalists it is necessary fair and green tax reformsincluding older taxes on the super rich to guarantee the well-being of citizens
In addition, They ask for the approval in our country of the temporary tax on large energy companieswhich is submitted for approval in the Congress of Deputies next Wednesday, as a measure of tax justice and reinforcement of climate action.
It is outrageous that politicians, CEOs and the powerful elite are gathering in Davos to debate global challenges while the world burns and people struggle to meet basic needs and confront worsening climate impacts.. Inequality, the climate crisis and the environmental crisis are closely linked. There is a solution: the super rich should pay their fair share of taxes. There is no shortage of money to address the climate, environmental and social crises; It’s just in the wrong pockets, and it’s time for the polluting and rich elites to pay.
2024 has been confirmed as the warmest year on recordcon increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather eventslike the recent forest fires in Los Angeles, DANA in Valencia or the drought in the Amazon. Meanwhile, inequality continues to rise: The five richest men in the world get richer while five billion people globally get poorer.
United Nations Framework Convention on International Cooperation in Tax Matters
There is enough money to address global challenges. According to a new tax calculation by environmentalists, €185 billion could be raised by taxing the income and wealth of the super-rich in Europe alone.
Funds that could be invested in social well-being for the benefit of people and the planet, such as more robust and social climate action, energy savings, access to social and sustainable housing, accessible public transport, ecosystem restoration and the fight against the climate crisis.
The year 2025 offers critical opportunities to reform global tax rules, and the call for a fair taxation It’s too strong to be ignored. Governments must demonstrate true leadership in this time of global need and elites cannot be profiled.
Environmentalists are asking reforms at the national and international level that allow for fair taxation of the income and wealth of ultra-rich individuals.
Environmentalists, representatives of civil society and unions at the international level, as well as the overwhelming majority of countries around the world that support a United Nations Framework Convention on International Cooperation in Tax Matterswhich is being negotiated until 2027.
While in our country, a few months after the DANA that devastated Valencia and that caused the death of more than 200 people, The Congress of Deputies will vote this Wednesday the 22nd on the Royal Decree approved by the government last December that would allow the extension of the tax on energy companies.
a measurein the opinion of environmentalists, It is very necessary to confront a context marked by increasing climate damage and the abuses of the energy oligopoly..
Repsol alone generates 62% of IBEX emissions
In the midst of the shock wave of irresponsible oligarchies, citizens have to assert their democratic power and defend public money. The extension of the tax on large energy companies is a measure of fiscal justice in the face of an oligopoly that fills its pockets at the expense of citizens while worsening the climate crisis.
Public money is key in circumstances of extreme social and economic difficulty – like those experienced with the DANA last October – and to reinforce a fair and coherent energy transition, Environmentalists ask political groups not to fall into the blackmail of large electricity companies and to defend the interests of citizens.
The energy oligopoly in Spain reached a record level of profits and dividend distribution in 2024 and is the main person responsible for the climate emergency.
Repsol alone generates 62% of IBEX emissions. According to calculations by environmentalists, three quarters of the damage caused by these emissions is not covered.
In 2023, the oligopoly invested 6.5 billion euros in fossil energies, putting the country’s climate commitments at risk and the safety of citizens.
It is time to approve the tax and take measures so that polluting companies and the super-rich are held responsible for worsening the climate emergency and putting democracy at risk..