Environmental Protection Does Not Automatically Mean Climate Protection
Global Solutions Talk with Izabella Teixeira, UNEP
In this episode Izabella Teixeira, Co-Chair of the UN Environment Programme’s International Resource Panel, speaks with Nicolas J.A. Buchoud, Co-Chair of the T20 Infrastructure Task Force, about Brazil’s new global agenda. They discuss how climate action, nature policy, and economic transformation can be interconnected – and the roles that democracy and inclusion play in this process.
Watch the interview
Interview transcript
Transcript edited for clarity.
Nicolas Buchoud: A very warm welcome to the first edition of the Global Solutions Talk. On the occasion of the summit here in Berlin in May 2025, I’m delighted to be here with my good friend, Izabella Teixeira. Izabella, welcome.
Izabella Teixeira: Thank you very much. It’s nice to see you here in Berlin. I’m sure I’ll see you again in June in London.
Nicolas Buchoud: And the world is waiting for you in Brazil in August.
Izabella Teixeira: Yes, let’s manage that! I think this year’s summit in particular has brought some impressive debates. Three things stand out for me.
First, the new global momentum — the geopolitical dynamics in the world and how these are impacting both climate and nature politics. It’s very interesting. I often say the world is updating: uploading some things, downloading others.
One of the major challenges is managing climate security alongside food security, energy security, and people’s security — moving away from traditional approaches.
The debates here have been clear: how industry, nature, and climate are all part of the green economy — but also the trade-offs and complexities of short-term perspectives and the realignment of the world that’s underway.
Another key point is the role of the private sector. It’s essential to have private actors on board. While states are changing the international order, the private sector also has a crucial role in addressing climate risks, which affect financial flows and the stability of the international financial system.
It’s important to understand how the private and financial sectors can be co-responsible in accelerating solutions to the climate and nature crises.
Nicolas Buchoud: We’re also talking a lot about the fragmentation of the international system. But there’s something less visible, especially in large media: the fact that South Africa this year, Brazil last year, India the year before, and Indonesia before that have chaired the G20. This has allowed for innovation and transformation in the way we look at critical issues.
One example we’ve worked on consistently over the past two years is the vicious circle facing lower-income and emerging countries: being asked to invest more in green transitions without considering that this often creates more debt — debt that is increasingly unsustainable.
This is not just about climate or nature in general, but about how entire nations and their people can navigate these rough waters.
My impression is that, collectively — including think tanks — we’ve underestimated the phenomenon of climate and sustainability fatigue in many countries.
We have little time left, but I’d like to take these few minutes in Berlin to ask you about your vision for future cooperation among think tanks. As Brazil and other nations from the Global South take leadership on critical issues, how do you see this evolving? You’ve also been promoting a new vision of expertise and private sector engagement known as T30. Please tell us more about this idea.
Izabella Teixeira: We have two provocative ideas. The first is based on our experience with T30, T20, and T7. Think tanks need to provide knowledge and expertise not only to the public sector, but also to the private sector.
The idea is to build an international network of think tanks that offer both knowledge and political perspective to private actors. This aligns with the ambitions of COP30 in Brazil, where the action agenda is becoming a key part of outcomes — going beyond state negotiations to include non-state actors.
This is also informed by experiences with the G20, G7, and now BRICS+. It’s crucial to frame things in innovative ways, because the world is updating. We need to move beyond just energy transition based on climate change causes — we need to look at the roots of climate change solutions.
This includes what we call land transition. It’s not only about agriculture, restoration, or nature-based solutions. It’s also about sectors like critical minerals and mining — understanding how we can use nature appropriately to drive decarbonization and energy transition.
So, energy transition plus land transition equals climate transition.
And we must not forget: environmental protection does not automatically mean climate protection. The climate crisis is happening now — not in the future. We need to stop moving backward and adopt new ambitions for the future.
Trade-offs matter. We need to better understand how trade, supply chains, geopolitical power, and energy are all interconnected. This is why we’re provoking these debates in Brazil and internationally, involving the private sector and bringing new perspectives to sectors that didn’t traditionally work together.
Nicolas Buchoud: That’s a crucial point. Sometimes, at big events like COPs, people get tired of the spectacle — tens of thousands of participants, media drama over conclusions or lack thereof. It’s a biased view. When you participate, you feel the genuine energy and the critical need to share good experiences.
When we visited Brazil last year during the G20, the Brazilian Center for International Relations — thanks to you — gave us many opportunities to rethink transformations and policies for mega-ecosystems like the Amazon.
The Amazon is facing historic droughts and many challenges. When you put ecosystems like the Amazon or the Himalayas into global perspective — with impacts on billions of people — nature politics becomes very concrete.
Without private sector involvement and without think tanks as bridges between public spheres, private actors, and people, we won’t be able to overcome planetary boundaries. We need to invent future pathways for large populations living with limited but renewable resources.
If we had one message to share today, sitting here together, what would it be? If you met someone on the street outside, what should we tell them to keep hope alive for international cooperation?
Izabella Teixeira: Don’t give up on the future. We can fix it — not because we’re fully prepared, but because we can become less vulnerable.
Climate and nature risks are different, and we need to frame them differently with open minds. Above all, we must not forget democracy.
When societies have fewer alternatives, we narrow democracy and the options for new generations. This is critical. We need to work hard today to understand how the future will impact our lives now.
That’s the core message: work hard today to make a difference tomorrow. Don’t give up on our future.
Nicolas Buchoud: Thank you.
Izabella Teixeira: Thank you.