A 35-second video clip from a World Economic Forum1 panel discussion is being claimed as proof that the global body plans to "put a price on your water".
This is misleading. The person featured in the clip is Professor Johan Rockstrom, an environmental scientist2 and the director3 of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research4 (PIK).
While it is true he was speaking at a World Economic Forum (WEF) event, a spokeswoman for PIK said Prof Rockstrom was there as an independent scientist.
She also confirmed he is not an employee or spokesman for the WEF.
The claim has been shared widely across social media, examples here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
The posts feature a short clip of Prof Rockstrom's speech. The captions vary, but most are variations of "WEF wants to put a price tag on your water for 'common good'."
The WEF has long been a target of conspiracy theorists who claim 5the organisation is part of a 'globalist' plot to suppress the masses for the benefit of a small group of wealthy elites.
AAP FactCheck has debunked numerous conspiracies about the WEF, including here6, here7, here8 and here9.
Prof Rockstrom was speaking at the launch event of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water10, an independent body that says it aims to "spur change in the way societies govern, use and value water".
Prof Rockstrom is a co-chair of the commission11, which is convened by the Netherlands government and facilitated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development12 (OECD).
In the clip, he discusses the future work of the new commission, which he says would include a review of "the economics of water".
"We will be looking at the value of water and considering different novel economic policy measures," Prof Rockstrom says.
Those proposed measures may include putting "some form of price on water… but not as a price to punish those who are poor, but rather to reward those that are stewards of fresh water for the common good."
The panel discussion took place at the WEF's annual meeting13 in Davos, Switzerland, on May 25, 202214.
A recording of the full 30-minute event can be viewed on the WEF's YouTube channel here15.
The other panel speakers were University College London16 economist Professor Mariana Mazzucato17 and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a Singaporean government minister who became the country's president18 in September 2023.
Ms Mazzucato and Mr Shanmugaratnam are also co-chairs19 of the commission, alongside Prof Rockstrom and World Trade Organisation20 director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala21.
The panel session in Davos was chaired by Alem Tedeneke22, a media manager at WEF, who introduced Prof Rockstrom to the audience as the director of PIK.
A spokeswoman for PIK told AAP FactCheck in an email that Prof Rockstrom had spoken in his role as co-chair of the new commission and "the annual meeting of the WEF was the venue for the launch".
Prof Rockstrom is "not a spokesperson for WEF, nor does he give comments on behalf of WEF," the spokeswoman added.
While the event in question was hosted by the WEF, Professor Rockstrom attended as an independent academic and the co-chair of a water-related commission. He is not a WEF employee or spokesman.
Misleading – The claim is accurate in parts but information has also been presented incorrectly, out of context or omitted.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network23. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
