Latin America in Short: Davos World Economic Forum | PAHO Warns About Avian Influenza

Today the Davos World Economic Forum ends amid criticisms and Latin American requests. In other global news, Ukraine is asking West for speed with its arms shipments. In environmental news, it was made public this week that the Exxon company had known about the impact of global warming since the 1970s. Finally, PAHO has launched an alert on avian influenza in the Americas. The most relevant of the week is summarized here.

Davos World Economic Forum: between criticism and Latin American requests

Today the World Economic Forum in Davos ends. Every year, presidents and world leaders meet at this small Swiss resort to discuss the economic future of the planet. In this edition, "Cooperation in a fragmented world" was discussed. It was announced that, according to surveys, Colombia, Argentina, Spain and the United States are some of the most polarized countries in the world.

This year they highlighted the participation of several Latin American leaders such as Gustavo Petro, who reiterated his proposal to the financial elite to exchange debt for specific environmental services to tackle the climate crisis. For her part, the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, asked investors to maintain confidence in the country, despite the political and social crisis it is going through. For their part, those sent by Brazilian President Lula da Silva, his Economy Minister, Fernando Haddad, and the Environment Minister, Marina Silva, reiterated the call to meet the environmental goals of the Paris agreements.

However, despite the fact that the World Economic Forum tries to bring solutions to the general public, there have been criticism of a wealthy elite meeting in a luxury resort town to discuss problems in the third world. Leftist movements dismiss the event as part of the economic system that generates greater inequality every year. Likewise, there are several criticisms of the environmental carbon footprint caused by the trips, the lack of democratic decision-making institutions, the lack of critical press, excessive corporatism, and even the increase in the demand for prostitution during the event, among others. 

Ukraine asks West for speed with the shipment of weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western leaders and allies to speed up tank shipments. According to the president, it is vital that weapons reach the Ukrainian forces in the coming days in order to continue facing Russia, which seems to have stood up to the Kyiv counteroffensive that almost recovered the entire eastern part of the country.

For the moment, Sweden announced that it would send fifty armored vehicles and an Archer artillery system. However, Germany seems to be putting pressure on other allies to support Ukraine in a coordinated way. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears to be asking other NATO members to send in tanks.

Currently, Russia and Ukraine are engaged in heavy fighting in the towns of Soledar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. The Wagner mercenary group, at the service of Moscow, has announced control of several territories near these towns. However, the Ukrainian army has denied several of these advances and ensures that the area is still in dispute.

Also read: 2023: 65 Million More People Than In 2022 Will Need Humanitarian Aid

Harvard research confirms that Exxon knew about the impact of global warming

The research shows that the company predicted the effects of fossil fuels on global warming very accurately since the 1970s. While oil companies, including ExxonMobile, have been global warming deniers, this type of research shows that it deals with unethical behavior and not ignorance. Thus, the investigation shows that the company's public statements contradicted the scientific studies they financed. "This paper is the first systematic assessment of a fossil fuel company's climate projections, the first time we've been able to put a number to what they knew," Geoffrey Supran, lead author, said in a Harvard news release.

Pan American Health Organization launched an alert on avian influenza in the region of the Americas

PAHO alerted to various foci of avian influenza in an epidemiological alert. Specifically, these are 10 countries that have detected this disease in birds. “The agriculture authorities of Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States of America, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have detected outbreaks of the HPAI A(H5N1) virus in domestic birds, poultry farms, and / or wild, ”says the alert. Likewise, a case of human infection caused by avian influenza A(H5) has been confirmed in South America. Therefore, PAHO reminds countries and those who work with birds to increase vigilance against this disease.