Jane Goodall, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute, USA, Cultural Leader, Susan Goldberg, Editorial Director, National Geographic Partners, USA speaking during the Session ‘Close Encounters with Jane Goodall and Skye Meaker’ at the Annual Meeting 2019 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 22, 2019.
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Sandra Blaser
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, brings together more than 3,000 global leaders from politics, government, civil society, academia, the arts and culture as well as the media.
This year, National Geographic was proud to participate in several of the important discussions taking place in Davos. Climate and the environment were both hot topics this year, and National Geographic leaders joined other speakers to discuss global warming, ocean sustainability, protecting our wildlife, and plastic pollution. And during the closing session, space photos from “One Strange Rock” and Your Shot were shown in promotion of Starstruck, National Geographic’s year-long exploration of the past, present, and future of space.
Jane Goodall, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute, USA, Skye Meaker, Photographer, Skye Meaker Photography, South Africa speaking during the Session ‘Close Encounters with Jane Goodall and Skye Meaker’ at the Annual Meeting 2019 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 22, 2019.
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Sandra Blaser
Susan Goldberg, editorial director of National Geographic Partners and editor in chief of National Geographic magazine, participated in several sessions, including a discussion with iconic primatologist and wildlife activist Jane Goodall and 2018 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year Skye Meaker.
After Jane and Skye shared a visual journey of their close encounters with the most majestic of creatures, Susan asked about the importance of inspiring young people to engage with and appreciate wildlife. Both Jane and Skye agreed that getting young children out into nature is crucial, and that people need to be spending more time outdoors learning to understand and appreciate animals as individuals that matter and have a role to play.
“It’s conflicting because in order for people to understand why they should go outside and experience nature, we have to use technology to show them why they should go into nature. Me as a photographer, my goal is to inspire people to go and experience nature for themselves. And I rely on technology to be able to do that.”
Skye Meaker, 2018 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, on how to encourage young people to value wildlife over technology,
“The color of your skin, your culture, what you eat, it doesn’t really matter because inside, we have the same human heart, our blood is the same, our tears are the same. We are a family. And if we can’t stop this terrible, terrible fighting that is going on now in so many parts of the world, it’s not just the animals we are losing out on now, it’s our future, in so many ways.”
Jane Goodall, primatologist, on how she hopes to inspire the next generation,
During a Q&A session, Ernst Bromeis, a water ambassador and expedition swimmer, told Susan that the problems he looks for when he is swimming are pesticides, plastics, drying and garbage. Ernst shared that he hopes people will better learn to respect their resources, specifically water. Ernst pointed out to Susan the paradox that Africa’s Lake Victoria is one of the largest lakes in the world, yet Africans are dying of thirst because the water is so polluted that it is undrinkable.
Peter McBride, National Geographic Explorer, USA speaking during the Session ‘Into the Grand Canyon’ at the Annual Meeting 2019 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 23, 2019.
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Jakob Polacsek
Susan also joined National Geographic Explorer Pete McBride in a presentation celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Grand Canyon National Park. Pete shared stunning photographs of his virtual journey traversing one of the seven natural wonders of the world, a feat completed by fewer people than those who have stood on the moon.
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala spoke on a panel that included former Vice President Al Gore, discussing the troubling state of the oceans, including the impact of plastics, industrial fishing, and global warming.
“Ten rivers bring 80% of plastic into oceans… if we figure out how plastic goes into those rivers, we can do something about it.”
Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society,
“The man made global warming pollution that has accumulated in the atmosphere, now traps as much extra heat energy as would be released by 500,000 Hiroshima clouds atomic bombs exploding every day. 93% of that heat energy goes into the oceans.”
Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States,