Event

Climate KIC at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026

LOCATION

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland

DATE

19–23 January 2026

Climate KIC will participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos as global leaders gather to address the complex, interconnected challenges shaping our future. This year’s theme is: ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’.

Across sessions taking place both in Davos and online, Climate KIC will contribute systems-based insights on how cities, regions and industries can move from commitments to implementation. Drawing on our experience in place-based transformation and portfolio approaches, we will explore how innovation, policy, finance and leadership can be better integrated to deliver resilient, just and climate-positive societies.

This page will be updated with details of the sessions Climate KIC is contributing to.

Photo: World Economic Forum / Pascal Bitz. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Events and sessions at

TPC House Davos

19 January 2026

The Future is Federated Action: From Global Principles to Local Coherence for an Emissions-Free Nature-Positive Society and Economy
16:00 – 17:00 CET

If you believe that global ambition only succeeds when it is grounded in local coherence and cultural context, this session invites you to help shape federated pathways that bridge East and West in building nature-positive, emissions-free societies.

Location: Awakening House (Ochsner Forum 2)
Format: Panel Session
Davos Accredited Series: East–West Bridges
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop Chief Executive Officer, Climate KIC

21 January 2026

Renorming the Global Economy: From Green Experiments to Systemic Change
11:00 – 12:00 CET

Location: Flourishing House (Rätia: Inspiration Room)
Format: Panel Session
Davos Accredited Series: Financing the Living Planet
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Commissioner, World Health Organization (WHO)
Eva Gladek, Founder and CEO, Metabolic
Mille Bojer, Co-Founder and Director, Reos Partners

22 January 2026

Activating workforce wisdom: How to drive the transition to a well-being economy
16:00 – 17:00 CET

What if the greatest untapped asset in the transition to a well-being economy is not new capital or technology, but the wisdom, agency, and trust already embedded within our organisations and workforces?

We’ll explore these themes and more in a participatory fishbowl dialogue hosted by Hurd an initiative of Kite Insights in collaboration with TPC and Climate KIC.

Location: TPC House (Ochsner Sport)
Format: Fishbowl Dialogue
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC
more tba

Events and sessions at

The New York Times Debate

21 January 2026

AI will succeed where humanity has failed
18:00 – 19:30 CET

The sudden acceleration of AI’s capability has destabilised our collective assumptions of the future, forcing leaders to forecast not just something uncertain, but almost unknowable. Entire sectors, national strategies and geopolitical alliances are reorganising around a projection that AI will continue to innovate to a point of unfathomable excellence. The individual leaders’ ambition might be economic advantage, but the collective dream is that AI will clarify pathways beyond human capacity. Where humans have failed, AI will deliver.

But is this utopian rhetoric just that – rhetoric motivated by a converging current of human activity and fear of being left behind? Recent data suggests AI’s usage at companies declined over the past year, and very few businesses have yet been able to turn their investments in AI into profit. With bottlenecks in energy supply threatening further innovation, and AI’s energy demands contradicting decarbonisation goals, are we risking too much of our future on AI and excusing our own responsibility? Or is this precisely the moment to accept that human judgement has failed, and AI must succeed in our place?

Location: Hotel Morosani Schweizerhof – Damoro Restaurant
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC
more tba

Events and Sessions at

Climate Hub Davos

22 January 2026

Systemic Investing and Capital Orchestration: A Journey Through Theory and Practice
08:00 – 10:00 CET

Join the TransCap Initiative, Metabolic, and Climate KIC to learn more about the what, who, and how of systemic investing and strategic capital orchestration and explore some pioneering case studies of financial backbones in regenerative agriculture and urban transformation.

We’ll invite you to engage in a discussion about how to better orchestrate funding and investment capital for the transformation of cities and bioregions, and of food, energy, and other real-economy systems.

Reserve a spot here

Location: Kulturplatz Davos, Promenade 58C
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC
Dominic Hofstetter, Executive Director, TransCap Initiative (TCI)
Eva Gladek, Founder and CEO, Metabolic

About Climate Hub Davos

Curated by the Swiss non-profit GreenUp, Climate Hub Davos is an open-to-all, impact-driven platform during the week of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, that unites leaders from across sectors to co-create solutions and inspire collective action for a regenerative future.

Sessions’ livestreams and recordings will be available on GreenUp’s YouTube.

Events and Sessions at

Arctic Basecamp

23 January 2026

Making Sense When the Ground Is Moving: Acting Together in a Volatile World
10:00 – 12:00 CET

This facilitated dialogue convenes systems leaders for an off-the-record exchange on navigating geopolitical fragmentation, climate disruption, and institutional strain. Designed for shared sense-making rather than debate, the session creates space to reflect on what responsible action and collaboration now require. Organised by the University of Exeter’s Nature & Climate Impact Team, facilitated by Reos Partners and Josh Ayers, and co-hosted by members of the Collaborative for Systemic Climate Action.

Location: Arctic Basecamp
Speakers:

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate KIC
more tba