The “Great Reset” is a radical movement to push the “reset” button on the global economy. Its backers include numerous heads of state, corporate leaders, activists, union bosses, the United Nations, and leaders at powerful nonprofit organizations. The following list of quotes (which will eventually expand well beyond 30) features some of the world’s most influential people who support the Great Reset.
Be sure to continue rechecking this page over the next several months for additional quotes, which we will add as we learn more about this popular movement. If you’re interested in reading more about the Great Reset, visit our page here to find additional articles and information.
“We only have one planet and we know that climate change could be the next global disaster with even more dramatic consequences for humankind. We have to decarbonize the economy in the short window still remaining and bring our thinking and behavior once more into harmony with nature.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“In order to secure our future and to prosper, we need to evolve our economic model and put people and planet at the heart of global value creation. If there is one critical lesson to learn from this crisis, it is that we need to put nature at the heart of how we operate. We simply can’t waste more time.” – Prince Charles, United Kingdom
“We have a golden opportunity to seize something good from this crisis — its unprecedented shockwaves may well make people more receptive to big visions of change.” – Prince Charles, United Kingdom
“The threat of climate change has been more gradual — but it’s devastating reality for many people and their livelihoods around the world, and its ever greater potential to disrupt, surpasses even that of Covid-19.” – Prince Charles, United Kingdom
“As we move from rescue to recovery, we have a unique but rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to learn lessons and reset ourselves on a more sustainable path. It is an opportunity we have never had before and may never have again.” – Prince Charles, United Kingdom
“This is a big moment. The World Economic Forum … is really going to have to play a front and center role in refining the Great Reset to deal with climate change and inequity—all of which is being laid bare as a consequence of COVID-19.” – John Kerry
“This is the time for a Great Reset.” – Al Gore
“The Great Reset is a welcome recognition that this human tragedy must be a wake-up call. We must build more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change and the many other global changes we face.” – António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations
“A Great Reset is necessary to build a new social contract that honours the dignity of every human being.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“The global health crisis has laid bare the unsustainability of our old system in terms of social cohesion, the lack of equal opportunities and inclusiveness. Nor can we turn our backs on the evils of racism and discrimination. We need to build into this new social contract our intergenerational responsibility to ensure that we live up to the expectations of young people.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“COVID-19 has accelerated our transition into the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We have to make sure that the new technologies in the digital, biological and physical world remain human-centred and serve society as a whole, providing everyone with fair access.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“This global pandemic has also demonstrated again how interconnected we are. We have to restore a functioning system of smart global cooperation structured to address the challenges of the next 50 years. The Great Reset will require us to integrate all stakeholders of global society into a community of common interest, purpose and action.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“We need a change of mindset, moving from short-term to long-term thinking, moving from shareholder capitalism to stakeholder responsibility. Environmental, social and good governance have to be a measured part of corporate and governmental accountability.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“We set up a new world order after World War II. We’re now in a different world than we were then. We need to ask, what can we be doing differently? The World Economic Forum has a big responsibility in that as well – to be pushing the reset button and looking at how to create well-being for people and for the Earth.” – Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International
“Companies have learned from the past and should take the opportunity to create a more circular zero-carbon economy for profit and for people. Government funds need to be invested in people for long-term jobs. We have an opportunity to shift coal miners who have been working in those types of jobs into other ones over time. It can’t be an either/or. We need to be thinking about these things together.” – Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International
“But how do we get to a more planet-friendly way of doing economic activity? What’s needed is to ramp up production of alternative forms of energy. And second, to have infrastructure that’s much more climate-friendly. In both these measures, the public sector can play a very big role. Once you have those in place – alternatives to energy and greener, physical infrastructure – then you can obviously put on top of that carbon pricing, too, so companies and firms internalize the impact of their activities on the climate.” – Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund
“Once we start to see a recovery in growth, that should help bring down the debt levels. For other countries, especially the poorer nations, I think that debt restructurings, debt relief, will have to continue to be done.” – Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund
“Countries will have to find ways of raising revenues and progressive taxation could be one form of it. Solidarity tax may be needed in some countries. It varies across countries, but this will be an issue countries will have to deal with because it will be one of the big legacies of this crisis.” – Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund
“This is a virus that doesn’t respect borders: it crosses borders. And as long as it is in full strength in any part of the world, it’s affecting everybody else. So, it requires global cooperation to deal with it.” – Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund
“I can see how we could use this opportunity to design a better world, but we need both national and multilateral institutions to make it work. Solidarity and sharing and deciding on how you protect people – both within nations and globally – is absolutely critical at the moment.” – Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
“We must ensure this design is inclusive of universal social protection. The world could fund it right now – and yet 70% of the world’s population has no social protection. It must be respectful of public services rather than simply trying to profit from them. So public support for people and, of course, of the social dialogue that makes it possible for us to get the balance right, are crucial. If you’ve got workers, employers and civil society at the table with governments at all levels, then you can design the kind of future that takes into account the right priorities for people, for the planet and, of course, for stable economies.” – Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
“We need to design policies to align with investment in people and the environment. But above all, the longer-term perspective is about rebalancing economies. What we don’t want is an unbalanced economy where you can’t get essentials like healthcare products and food because they’re produced in one group of countries and not in a balanced fashion around the world. We have to look at how to build a better economy alongside the convergent crisis of the environment – which is not going to go away.” – Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
“We want an end to the profit-at-all-costs mentality, because if we don’t build an economic future within a sustainable framework in which we are respectful of our planetary boundaries, and the need to change our energy and technology systems, then we will not have a living planet for human beings.” – Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
“To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a ‘Great Reset’ of capitalism.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“There are many reasons to pursue a Great Reset, but the most urgent is COVID-19. Having already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, the pandemic represents one of the worst public-health crises in recent history. And, with casualties still mounting in many parts of the world, it is far from over.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“Left unaddressed, these [climate and social] crises, together with COVID-19, will deepen and leave the world even less sustainable, less equal, and more fragile. Incremental measures and ad hoc fixes will not suffice to prevent this scenario. We must build entirely new foundations for our economic and social systems.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“The level of cooperation and ambition this implies is unprecedented. But it is not some impossible dream. In fact, one silver lining of the pandemic is that it has shown how quickly we can make radical changes to our lifestyles. Almost instantly, the crisis forced businesses and individuals to abandon practices long claimed to be essential, from frequent air travel to working in an office. Likewise, populations have overwhelmingly shown a willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of health-care and other essential workers and vulnerable populations, such as the elderly. And many companies have stepped up to support their workers, customers, and local communities, in a shift toward the kind of stakeholder capitalism to which they had previously paid lip service.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“Clearly, the will to build a better society does exist. We must use it to secure the Great Reset that we so badly need. That will require stronger and more effective governments, though this does not imply an ideological push for bigger ones. And it will demand private-sector engagement every step of the way.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“Canada believes that a strong, coordinated response across the world and across sectors is essential. This pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset. This is our chance to accelerate our pre-pandemic efforts to reimagine economic systems that actually address global challenges like extreme poverty, inequality and climate change.” – Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“The Great Reset agenda would have three main components. The first would steer the market toward fairer outcomes. To this end, governments should improve coordination (for example, in tax, regulatory, and fiscal policy), upgrade trade arrangements, and create the conditions for a ‘stakeholder economy.’ At a time of diminishing tax bases and soaring public debt, governments have a powerful incentive to pursue such action.
“Moreover, governments should implement long-overdue reforms that promote more equitable outcomes. Depending on the country, these may include changes to wealth taxes, the withdrawal of fossil-fuel subsidies, and new rules governing intellectual property, trade, and competition.
“The second component of a Great Reset agenda would ensure that investments advance shared goals, such as equality and sustainability. Here, the large-scale spending programs that many governments are implementing represent a major opportunity for progress. The European Commission, for one, has unveiled plans for a €750 billion ($826 billion) recovery fund. The US, China, and Japan also have ambitious economic-stimulus plans.
“Rather than using these funds, as well as investments from private entities and pension funds, to fill cracks in the old system, we should use them to create a new one that is more resilient, equitable, and sustainable in the long run. This means, for example, building ‘green’ urban infrastructure and creating incentives for industries to improve their track record on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.
“The third and final priority of a Great Reset agenda is to harness the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to support the public good, especially by addressing health and social challenges. During the COVID-19 crisis, companies, universities, and others have joined forces to develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and possible vaccines; establish testing centers; create mechanisms for tracing infections; and deliver telemedicine. Imagine what could be possible if similar concerted efforts were made in every sector.” – Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
PHOTO: John Kerry. Photo by U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine. Photo in the public domain.
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is the editorial director and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute, as well as a researcher and contributing editor at StoppingSocialism.com.
Justin Haskins is editor-in-chief of StoppingSocialism.com, a New York Times bestselling author, and the director of the Socialism Research Center at The Heartland Institute. Follow him on social media @JustinTHaskins.
