By Marina Grossi for Estadão*
Although often treated as distinct crises, the climate emergency and biodiversity loss are interconnected and catalyze the same systemic imbalance. Both stem from human activities that compromise natural cycles essential to life on Earth. According to the IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), about one million species are threatened with extinction, while the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warns that a 2°C increase could put up to 18% of terrestrial species at high risk. Forests, which harbor 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and play a crucial role in climate regulation, are on the front line of this crisis.
However, simply conserving forests is not enough: they need to be regenerated through large-scale reforestation and restoration. Increasing the presence of green infrastructure in cities and adopting carbon-sequestering practices in agriculture, such as agroforestry production systems – all of this is part of a wide range of possibilities known as nature-based solutions (NbS). These technologies go hand in hand with the bioeconomy, a development model that uses resources responsibly and innovatively, based on the sustainable use of biodiversity and traditional and scientific knowledge.
For a megadiverse country like Brazil, with its rich biomes and experience in agriculture and conservation, both concepts bring countless opportunities, which are beginning to be applied in different initiatives, albeit on a small scale. According to the study Nature-Based Solutions for Business, Published in 2021 by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the country concentrates approximately 20% of the untapped global potential for nature-based solutions (NbS), with emphasis on the conservation of natural forests (63%), reforestation (21%), and regenerative practices in agriculture (14%). Companies from various sectors are already developing projects with restorative practices in watersheds, forests, and local communities, generating socio-environmental and economic benefits. We also have regenerative agriculture initiatives in Brazil that increase productivity, sequester carbon, and promote soil and biodiversity conservation.
The current challenge is precisely to amplify them, and for that, it is necessary to mobilize capital. It is no coincidence that the financing of programs focused on both nature-based solutions (NbS) and the bioeconomy has been a topic at both climate and biodiversity COPs – and COP30 in Belém will be a major stage for this debate. The productive sector has an important role in unlocking this agenda: globally, only 18% of investments in NbS come from private investments – in 2022, they reached US$$ 35 billion, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This volume of resources would need to reach at least US$$ 200 billion by 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to biodiversity protection.
Scaling up investments in biodiversity is one of the goals of the Brazilian Finance Coalition for Restoration and Bioeconomy (BRB Finance Coalition). Launched during the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024 by leaders from the public and private sectors, the Coalition aims to mobilize US$10 billion by 2030 to accelerate conservation and restoration efforts in the country's forests. This will be achieved by supporting initiatives aimed at restoring at least 5 million hectares of forest, sequestering at least 1 gigaton of CO₂ emissions by 2050, and investing US$1500 million in projects that benefit indigenous peoples and local communities, with a special focus on the Amazon region.
Brazil also took an important step last year by launching the National Bioeconomy Strategy, which will now be developed into Bioeconomy and Sociobioeconomy Plans. To support the Brazilian government, a consortium formed by CEBDS, the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition, the Arapýaú Institute, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is providing technical support to the Secretariat of Bioeconomy in the preparation of these plans. Much work needs to be done to address obstacles to the sector's development, such as legal uncertainty, the absence of an official taxonomy for these activities, immature project pipelines, a scarcity of adequate financial instruments, and poor coordination between the public sector, private initiative, and community agents.
The role of the private sector and financial institutions in fostering a new development model focused on nature conservation and restoration is multifaceted – but it needs to be grounded. Strengthening access to credit and co-financing arrangements for the bioeconomy based on the potential of biomes, supporting regional capacity building and infrastructure, and adopting risk-return assessment models that take into account the long-term positive systemic impacts of sustainable investments are some examples of actions that can be taken.
The worsening climate crisis we have witnessed – with the 2025 forecast showing an alarming rate of increase in average global temperature – compels us to look beyond the weaknesses of the current economic model that drives GDP through the predatory exploitation of natural resources. Brazil has tangible attributes to position itself as a provider of solutions – a living catalog of green technologies for the world – stemming from our natural heritage. (biomes and biodiversity) as well as sociocultural (extremely diverse peoples, cultures and knowledge). To effectively secure this leadership position, we need an integrated approach that combines environmental protection, technological innovation, respect for human rights, and the promotion of a sustainable economy.
* Marina Grossi is president of CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), an organization with 28 years of experience and 120 large member companies.
