German leader champions new tack on climate at Davos event

GENEVA – New German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Wednesday for a “paradigm shift” in the way the world approaches climate policy, saying his country would leverage its presidency of the Group of Seven industrial nations this year to push for standards to fight global warming.

Discussions on energy use and ways to fight climate change have been a key theme this week at the World Economic Forum’s virtual meeting known as the “Davos Agenda” — a reference to the group’s annual in-person meeting in the Swiss ski town of Davos that has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike an event like the U.N. climate conference last year in Glasgow, Scotland, the Davos gathering is more of a discussion about big ideas — not a place where concrete agreements are made on how to act, something that has drawn criticism.

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Scholz spoke Wednesday about issues like economic growth and Russia’s military buildup along the Ukrainian border, while…

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