• Extinction Rebellion's (XR) Koala Refugee Rebels Without Borders set-out on a 50km 3-day hike up Swiss Alps on the road to Davos' World Economic Forum
• Despite scientists' warnings the Forum has continued to encouraged fossil fuel extraction, promoting unfettered growth and financial and political gain
• Just 100 companies, all of who belong to the WEF, are responsible for 71% of these emissions since 1988
• XR Rebels' bring a clear message: “business as usual” is no longer acceptable, move over and place life above all else

Once again global elites gather to review business as usual, allegedly “committed to improving the state of the world.” The fires in Australia, the Amazon, Angola and the Arctic, among others, experienced in the past six months tell a different story, underlining how leaders continue to fail us through criminal negligence. By January 8th, Australian smoke had made its way halfway around the world and will make at least one full circuit, according to scientists at NASA.

In Switzerland, ironically already under a blanket of Australian smoke particles, rebels from all over the world travel to the heart of darkness to send WEF participants a very clear message: “business as usual” is simply unacceptable, time has come to move over and put life above all else.

Our fantastically stupid obsession with unfettered growth on a planet with finite resources as measure of success, is awesomely perplexing for a species priding itself on its ability to think. Profit and growth can in no shape or form be priorities when it is a matter of survival. Despite the desperate warnings of scientists for over 40 years that carbon dioxide is at the heart of a dramatically shifting climate, the WEF has encouraged fossil fuel extraction, spewing poisonous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As we witness the planet being ravaged by uncontrollable fires, not only has any real action been taken, but levels continue to rise, along with the profits of those congregating.

Just 100 companies, all of who belong to the WEF, are responsible for 71% of these emissions since 1988, according to Carbon Majors Report. If fossil fuels continue to be extracted at the same rate as that experienced between 1988 and 2017, global average temperatures would be on course to rise by 4C° by the end of the century, placing a very real question mark on the sustainability of life on the planet, including that of humans. “It's ludicrous and a complete injustice that a mere 1% of humans could be responsible for taking humanity to the brink of extinction.”

While Australia suffers devastating bushfires, Extinction Rebellion activists, in the company of asylum-seeking koalas and the globe-trotting Sustaina Claus blaze the trail to the top of the mountain dusting their tracks with a mysterious colourful eco friendly powder, dancing their way up to the summit. Their climb and sacrifice exemplify their commitment to a better world and the demand that citizen's assemblies take the place of interest groups in defining our collective future.

XR Australia spokesperson Jane Morton concludes, “We are in a climate and ecological emergency and the massive disruption caused by these fires is now apparent to everyone all over the world. We are living through the tipping point that the scientists have been warning us about - anything less than an emergency response condemns out children to an unlivable future.”