Meet the Australian billionaire bucking Trump on climate

Driving the news: Forrest is the CEO and founder of Australia-based Fortescue, one of the world's largest mining companies.

• "Even the most selfish political leaders know that there are boundaries to everything," Forrest said on the main stage at the World Economic Forum, which took over Davos last week.
• "We risk being those business and political leaders who knew of the planet's limits, and crossed them anyway."

The intrigue: Forrest convened three private meetings with between 20 and 50 CEOs to talk about the topic on the sidelines of the official proceedings.

• "I'm a lone ranger here, and they've chosen to let me stand alone," Forrest told Axios in an interview, when asked about other attendees.

Forrest says the fact that he's not American gives him more latitude to speak up. He said other CEOs are largely staying the course on cleantech investments and climate — but they're not saying that publicly.

• "They fear retribution," Forrest said. "That's not the way to run a country."

What they're saying: Former Vice President Al Gore attended at least one meeting, and praised Forrest's leadership.

• "The climate movement is lucky to have Andrew as such a staunch ally," Gore said in a statement to Axios. "No matter the headwinds, he has been unwavering in his work to rally the business community to take action to reduce planet-warming emissions."
• "His efforts in Davos are yet another example of his clear-eyed focus on this issue."

Reality check: Forrest isn't exactly a hippie environmentalist. Others in the business community and activists have even accused him of greenwashing over the years.

• But the current political moment is reshuffling who speaks up — leaving even a mining executive whose company digs up the Earth sounding louder on climate than many of his peers.

Follow the money: Forrest, though still emphasizing the dire consequences of a warming Earth, said CEOs agree that it's ultimately economics driving investments into clean energy.

• "No one cares what you think of climate change. No one cares if you're passionately in love with oil and gas. Everyone cares what the economics are, and the economics are going straight to green energy."

Inside the room: Forrest recounted a private conversation he had with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Davos.

• "I respect the fact you're pushing coal, oil and gas, but don't take your eye off the economics," Forrest said, recounting his comment to Lutnick. "I'm a businessman. I'm going green on economics."
• Forrest said Lutnick responded simply: "See you tomorrow."

The other side: "President Trump does what is best for the American people — Andrew Forrest is the CEO of a green energy company who is doing what is best for his bottom line," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson.

• "President Trump will not jeopardize our country's economic and national security in the pursuit of vague, radical left-wing climate goals."

The big picture: The Davos gathering, considered for years too elitist and out of touch to matter, largely redeemed itself as a worthy gathering.

• Trump's threats on Greenland — and the AI boom's limitless promises — catapulted the meeting back onto the world's agenda, but social justice and climate themes faded from the lineup.

Catch up fast: Axios interviewed Forrest a day after Trump's own Davos speech wherein he made threats on Greenland and repeated many — false — talking points criticizing wind energy.

"People are prepared to put their heads in the sand because someone says that China's not investing in its own wind farms or its own solar or that people investing in wind towers are dumb," Forrest told Axios, never mentioning Trump by name.

• "I think that investors who are cowed by that have totally lost their compass, and they need to remind themselves that they're going to be here in 2030, when all of this denial of science is over."

Zoom in: Fortescue is largely sticking with climate goals it first made in 2022, which include eliminating direct operational emissions from its fuel and electricity by 2030 and another to eliminate indirect emissions from its broader supply chain by 2040.

• It has pulled back from some of its most ambitious plans to use hydrogen from renewable energy, which Forrest blames on the oil industry's influence dampening demand.

What we're watching: Forrest isn't afraid of potential backlash from Trump for his comments: "It is the land of the free. I am entitled to say whatever I damn well wish."

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