FACT CHECK: Did The World Economic Forum Tweet That Property Ownership Is ‘Unsustainable’?

An image shared on Facebook claims to show a tweet from the World Economic Forum (WEF) that alleges WEF founder Klaus Schwab said property ownership is “unsustainable.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of the WEF publishing such a tweet. A spokesperson for the organization said the tweet was fake.

Fact Check:

Social media users are sharing a screen grab of an alleged tweet from the WEF’s verified Twitter account that reads, “As humanity moves further toward a post-carbon future people must accept that things like eating meat and property ownership is simply unsustainable, says Klaus Schwab.” Schwab is the founder and executive chairman of the WEF.

There is no evidence to suggest the organization published such a tweet. Check Your Fact reviewed WEF’s verified Twitter account and found no record of the alleged tweet or anything similar. Archived versions of the verified account likewise show no trace of the purported message.

Check Your Fact found no mention of the WEF or Schwab calling for the abolishment of private property on the WEF’s website, or on Schwab’s personal Twitter account. (RELATED: Did Bill Gates And Klaus Schwab Make These Statements About How COVID-19 Will Lead To Greater ‘Control’ Over Mankind?)

“This statement was not made by Professor Schwab,” said Alem Tedeneke, a WEF spokesperson, in an email to Check Your Fact. She also denied the claim that the WEF published such a tweet.

Notably, an article published on the WEF’s website in 2019 suggested that “replacement meats” would replace traditional meats and proteins within 20 years. The claim about property ownership may be based on a social media video the WEF released in 2016 in which one man predicts no one will own any property by 2030, according to Reuters. The prediction was not a statement of intent on the WEF’s part, merely a discussion of a possible scenario, the outlet reported.

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