“Performing Hope for the Glaciers” musical performance at Davos sends message to whole world

09 / 02 / 2025

By Marwa Nassar - -

World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed “Hope for Glaciers” music in three pieces amid freezing conditions and heavy snow on the famous ‘magic mountain’ during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting with an aim to send a message that the world must avoid a requiem for the world’s glaciers due to escalating climate change, and instead use the window of hope which still exists and make rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.

The Grammy-winning musician was ‘Performing Hope for the Glaciers’, a campaign led by the non-profit organisation Climate Basecamp.

“Climate action is not happening fast enough, and at Davos this year the actual dialogue and political crosswinds have changed. In previous years, we had climate and nature all along the promenade, as well as in the Congress, but not this year,” said Professor Whiteman, Executive Director of Climate Basecamp as well as Hoffmann Impact Professor for Accelerating Action on Climate and Nature at the University of Exeter.

“The reasons for that are vast and complicated, but the reality is still true. We’re going to need to boost action faster, but that’s simply not happening, and in such a world it’s easy to feel hopeless. But we can’t do that. What we need to do is actually find hope, and what better way to do that than with the performing arts.”