But the gathering has its benefits in an era of nationalism and amid increasing recognition that the climate change crisis can only be solved by financial markets and a coordinated international political effort.
About one fifth of the formal sessions at Davos were directly related to the intersection between climate change and the economy. Heavy hitters like International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva,European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all enthusiastically addressed the elephant in the room.