Davos 2026: realising resilience through nature and renewables

Despite some opposition, the need for renewable energy as a key driver of resilience and social and economic security rumbled across the conference, constantly within the context of political factors.

 Speakers referenced how a "dark and long shadow" cast by geopolitical tensions over the energy sector has increased competition and the salience of energy as security, whereas others noted the "narrative crisis" many countries are facing, as the energy transition is fundamental to economic growth and resilience.

US rhetoric was mixed, with conflicting visions of what constitutes energy security put forward by different representatives. On the one hand, US President Trump took aim at clean energy proponents, claiming the more “windmills” a country has, the more money it loses; on the other, former Vice President Al Gore argued that cheap renewables leave countries with “no choice” but to adopt. Meanwhile, former advisor to Trump, Elon Musk, extolled the benefits of cheap and effective solar energy as a way of powering space-based AI data centres.

Elsewhere in European circles, forging a closer UK-EU relationship on energy was never far from discussion. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the link between energy security and clean investment, fresh off the back of exploratory talks on UK participation in the EU’s internal electricity market, which ended in December and determined that such an agreement would set an indicative global target for the share of renewables in the UK’s gross final energy consumption. This feeling of unanimity at Davos paved the way for a “historic pact” announced yesterday, with the “Hamburg Declaration” including a commitment to build 100GW of joint UK/EU offshore wind projects.

Below we pull out some interesting climate-related announcements made at Davos, which together indicate how technology is central to a climate-positive future.

Tech sector guidance, TNFD

The Taskforce for Financial-Related Disclosures (TNFD) released its draft reporting guidance for the tech sector during the conference, which is specifically designed to help organisations with business models and value chains in the technology and communications sectors to apply the LEAP approach to their context and to disclose sector-specific metrics in line with the TNFD recommendations.

Feedback is accepted until 10 April, with the final guidance expected in June. If you have any questions about how this impacts your company, or for more information on how techUK is engaging with the TNFD, please contact [email protected].

Investment in wildfire resilience and forests, WEF

The WEF and PwC released a new white paper which makes the case for shifting towards prevention-focused, long-term wildfire resilience by making risk reduction "measurable, priceable and financeable". The paper highlights the ways in which data and technology, nature-based solutions, finance and insurance, and community-led programmes can support resilience.

Additionally, building on the 1t.org, which aimed to "conserve, restore and grow" 1 trillion trees by 2030 through private sector and philanthropic investment, the WEF has now launched the Forest Future Alliance (FFA), a community intended to encourage and support investment in forests around the globe.

Digital Impact for Species tool

The Nature and Climate Impact Team (NCIT) at the University of Exeter partnered with Madeby.studio, with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to develop the Digital Impact for Species tool, launched at the conference last week. The tool calculates the environmental footprint of websites, translating the emissions, water and energy footprint of any site into the equivalent impact on plants and animals.

 Protections for Antarctic ecosystem, SMI

The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) has launched the new Ocean Stewardship Initiative, which intends to establish of one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across approximately 70% of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Initiative is notable due to its focus on private sector leadership, aligning conservation, sustainable fishing, and meeting the world’s 30 x 30 target.

Never mind the Year of the Snake – 2026 has been dubbed the "Year of Water", with increasing recognition of the importance yet precarity of global water systems; the launch of international programmes and treaties; and a year-long buildup to the UN Water Conference in December.

 A new report published alongside the conference, Global Water Bankruptcy, from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, concludes that many regions around the globe are in a "post-crisis condition" suffering from "irreversible losses of natural water capital", meaning they will not be able to return to historic baselines. Calling on international leaders to recognise the importance of this issue, the report recommends more funding and capacity building in technological solutions, including AI, to observe, model and improve water systems.

 The recently ratified High Seas Treaty, formally known as the "Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)", also came into effect during the Davos summit. Following 20 years of negotiation, the Treaty establishes a global accord to protect marine life in the high seas and the deep seabed, which will help fill regulatory gaps and enable coordinated action on marine conservation. Notably, technology will be integral – it mandates capacity building and tech transfer to enable participation in ocean research, monitoring (like AI-powered vessel tracking), and facilitates access to genetic resources for research, reducing knowledge gaps and enabling sustainable management through shared data and scientific bodies.

 This theme aligns remarkably with the UK government's publication of its white paper on reforming the water sector, which set out an ambitious agenda to redesign system and rebuild public trust following years of mounting criticism. Read techUK's summary and analysis of the paper here, and follow our Climate, Environment and Sustainability team to stay up to date on our engagement programme. Additionally, the government recently announced the awarding of the second round of its Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme, which supports projects in developing countries to protect the ocean and reduce poverty.

Davos 2026 made clear that even when climate and nature appear less prominent in the headlines, and climate ambition seems lacking, for governments and businesses across the globe they remain fundamental for managing long-term risk and resilience.

Delving under the surface, across disclosures, treaties, tools and new alliances, climate adaptation, biodiversity protection, circularity and water resilience are quietly becoming the operational backbone of global markets, and environmental stewardship is a core business competency.