Was the global climate initiative a sincere attempt to save the planet from energy starvation, or merely a large-scale tool to protect old Western monopolies? A sharp debate over the true role of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos erupted between political scientist Yuriy Romanenko and economist Maksym Piven.
The experts analyzed the political and economic underpinnings of the "Green Deal," designed to transition the world to alternative energy sources by 2050. However, their views on its underlying motives diverged fundamentally.
Economist Maksym Piven is convinced that global climate initiatives arose from a clear realization by world elites that hydrocarbon depletion is inevitable. In his view, these elites decided to capitalize on this transition by organizing it according to their own rules.
"What was the Green Deal? Huge institutions were funded, scores of scientists calculated how long hydrocarbons would last, and an international agreement was struck," the economist noted.
According to Piven, this logic defines the role of the World Economic Forum: "What is Davos? It is a large club of entrepreneurs who suddenly realized that energy in large volumes is running out and saw an opportunity to make money on the transition."
Political expert Yuriy Romanenko harshly dispelled the myth of global elite unity regarding the climate agenda. He stated that the "Green Deal" has effectively ceased to exist as a unified global strategy.
"It is already dismantled. Trump ignored it. Currently, there is no Green Deal; it is every man for himself," the political scientist countered sharply.
Romanenko also emphasized that the original ideas of the transition were heavily distorted by self-serving interests: "There were so many manipulations and lies behind this Green Deal in Davos."
Explaining the true purpose of the Davos gatherings, Yuriy Romanenko suggested viewing the situation through the lens of geopolitical competition rather than conspiracy or charity. He believes the West was simply trying to maintain its hegemony.
"There is a constant struggle over the level of organization. Those who are more complexly organized strive to stay afloat. What happens in Davos is one form of protecting strong positions and the monopolies of certain 'Greater West' multinationals," the expert explained.
However, this strategy failed due to the rapid rise of Asian markets, which offered their own, more efficient solutions for the energy transition.
"But they gained powerful competitors in Asia. China has its own transition model, and its model is currently beating the European one because Chinese electric vehicles are more efficient and are penetrating the European market. This is why Trump pursues such a tough policy—they realized they are losing in linear logic. No one is anyone's friend, and there is no world government," Romanenko concluded.
The discussion highlighted that the energy transition has long ceased to be a matter of ecology, transforming into a fierce arena of struggle for economic survival between the West and the East.