First published in: Time Magazine, 26 September 2025
Ten years on from the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the vision of improving lives everywhere in harmony with our planet is under unprecedented strain. Their creation was a milestone of global unity which stands in stark contrast to today’s more divided world.
But while today’s politics are more fractured, the story of green growth and development is far from over. Instead, a new era is emerging – one shaped less by sweeping international accords and more by markets, technology and innovative partnerships and coalitions.
The progress is real. Without decarbonization commitments, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, global warming was likely to exceed 4 degrees Celsius by 2100. Instead, we’re now on track for less than half that.
Alongside this, notable successes have been secured, such as Article 6 at COP29, where it was also agreed that financing to developing countries be tripled. Businesses have responded by embedding sustainability at the core of their strategies – driven not just by regulation but by risk management, customer demand and shareholder expectations.
International negotiations alone cannot deliver the pace of change required. The debate surrounding the COP process underscores how complex the international context has become. Country priorities are shifting, creating a difficult environment for forward-thinking, collaborative policy ideas.
While it’s difficult to imagine landmark international agreements on the scale of the SDGs, one can anticipate change. There is no single right way forward, but four key transformations are likely to make a powerful difference.
First, there will be a greater role for the private sector, particularly public-private collaboration; second, different types of dialogue, trust-building and non-government entities will create momentum for progress bilaterally and in regional blocs; third, ever-stronger linkages between the green transition and digital technologies; and fourth, the emergence of nature as a new strategic investment frontier.
Policy action remains vital, but energy is moving toward networks of businesses, industries and regions that see opportunity in boldly leading the green growth agenda. We’re likely to see pockets of activity where businesses, industries and sectors see value in alignment.
A strong example of this is the First Mover’s Coalition, a global coalition of businesses whose goal is to use their purchasing power to decarbonize the world’s heavy-emitting industrial sectors. These businesses are both committed and sufficiently large to share risk and place themselves at the forefront of change.
From this has developed an associated initiative, the First Mover’s Coalition for Food, whose aim is to accelerate the adoption of sustainable production methods and technologies for agricultural commodities.
This has particular resonance for COP30 host Brazil, where 66% of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with land-use change. Another example is the growth of industrial clusters, where multiple industries develop localized clean energy value chains for shared use.
Environmental regulation has grown exponentially over the past decade and businesses are at the frontline of navigating this complexity. This creates pressure for change, which non-government entities are increasingly helping to address.
An example is carbon accounting standards. Earlier in September, the organizations behind two of the most widely used frameworks – the GHG Protocol and the ISO 1406x series – partnered to create a unified set of tools, establishing a common benchmark and shared language for measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
This development could mark the beginning of a broader consolidation of standards, bringing greater consistency, transparency and comparability. This is precisely the kind of evolution that allows markets to scale solutions.
Technology is another powerful driver. The past decade has seen extraordinary advances, but the real accelerator is convergence. This convergence is transforming industries while unlocking new economic and societal value. AI, in particular, is opening up possibilities few could have imagined even two years ago.
With agentic AI enabling autonomous decision-making across complex systems, cities could soon orchestrate logistics in ways that simultaneously cut pollution, improve health and lower costs. The speed and scale of these tools are changing the equation.
A glance at this year’s top 10 technologies underscores this progress and the level of granularity achieved, with applications ranging from osmotic power systems to autonomous biochemical sensing.
Sustainable prosperity will not be achieved through technology alone. Investment in greener infrastructure, nature and nature-based solutions is also rising. Private finance for nature reached more than $102 billion in 2024. Among notable transactions was DP World’s $100 million blue bond, the MENA region’s first corporate blue bond issuance.
The bond channels capital into blue economy priorities, including sustainable shipping, greener port infrastructure, pollution reduction and initiatives that protect marine and water ecosystems.
The field is still young, but its trajectory is clear. More work is needed to reduce financial risks and uncertainty and to build market demand, but the coming decade is likely to bring a dramatic re-evaluation of nature’s value and potential.
According to the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report, the gravest threats over the next decade are environmental, from extreme weather and biodiversity loss to resource shortages and pollution. Yet the responses of the past decade offer grounds for optimism.
The story of the next decade will not be defined by a single treaty or moment of unity. It will be written by coalitions, innovators and businesses that choose to lead, set the pace, capture opportunities and demonstrate that action on climate and nature is not just survival – it is strategy.
Image: DALL·E 3
