Himanshu Gupta at WEF Summer Davos 2025: climate volatility, finance & food
World Economic Forum (Summer Davos) · June 2025
On a WEF Summer Davos 2025 panel, Himanshu Gupta argues climate is now a developed-world problem too, that reframing it from averages to volatility is what makes businesses act, that energy efficiency is an overlooked investable asset, and raises whether a shifting climate could make India a new hub of seed production.
What he said
Is climate a developing-world or developed-world problem?
Both now. Gupta's framing is that the economic hit from climate has landed squarely in wealthy economies, so it can no longer be treated as someone else's burden.
“It's no longer just a developing country problem; it's very much a developed country problem as well.”Watch at 20:31
What actually gets businesses to act on climate?
A reframing. Gupta argues that talking in long-run averages lets businesses tune out, but the moment you frame climate as volatility, they suddenly pay attention.
“The moment we change the narrative from average to volatility, suddenly businesses start paying attention.”Watch at 21:10
What's the overlooked climate investment?
Efficiency. Gupta's pointed question is why energy and resource efficiency doesn't attract investment as an asset class the way renewables do.
“So why is energy resource efficiency not an investable asset as renewables are?”Watch at 23:43
Could climate reshape where seeds are produced?
Gupta raises exactly that — asking whether a shifting climate could make India a new hub of seed production for South Asia and Africa.
“is there a case to be made that India could be the next Netherlands in seed production serving the South Asia market and the Africa market?”Watch at 50:10
Key takeaways
- Climate risk is now a developed-world problem too.
- Framing climate as volatility, not averages, drives business action.
- Energy efficiency deserves to be an investable asset class.
- Shifting climate raises the question of new seed-production hubs like India.