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Sitting Next To Al Gore, Colombia’s President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego Says The World Must ‘Overcome Capitalism’

(Screenshot WEF via Tom Elliott, Twitter)

James Lynch Investigative Reporter
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Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego said the world must “overcome capitalism” at a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel with Former Vice President Al Gore.

Petro Urrego and Gore were part of a WEF panel titled, “Leading the Charge through Earth’s New Normal,” alongside environmental professor Joyeeta Gupta, scientist Johan Rockström, business mogul Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, businessman Andrew Forrest, Native American politician Fawn Sharp, musician Yo-Yo Ma, and WEF official Gim Huay Neo.

Neo asked Petro Urrego about his promises for environmental transformation and his proposals for addressing water, food, and energy security issues. (RELATED: Colombia Elects First Leftist President In Its History)

“We have to put an end to this if we wish to live on our planet. Can our capitalism do this? Based on our current data, we won’t be able to do so. Therefore, perhaps, we should do the following reflection: if capitalism is unable to do so, either humanity will die with it or humanity will overcome capitalism so that we can live on our planet,” Petro Urrego said as part of an extended response, the WEF translated.

Petro Urrego also proposed “decarbonized capitalism” to overcome the “climate crisis” by putting an end to oil and coal consumption. He believes capital linked to oil, coal and gas should lose its value in this version of capitalism.

Petro Urrego is considered the first leftist president in Colombian history and was formerly a member of the left-wing M-19 guerilla movement. He ran as an anti-establishment candidate and promised to transform the country’s economic system, according to the New York Times.

The World Economic Forum is an annual gathering of elites in Davos, Switzerland, taking place from Jan. 16-20. Al Gore is a Member of the WEF Board of Trustees and a longtime climate activist.