Climate Week NYC Urges Action on Nature and Finance

By Blake Jackson

At this year’s Climate Week New York City (NYC), discussions emphasized the urgent need to integrate climate, nature, and finance agendas, highlighting that halting deforestation, restoring degraded lands, and scaling regenerative agriculture are no longer optional environmental goals but essential actions for building resilient economies and food systems.

Leading businesses continue to uphold their climate and nature commitments despite political challenges, recognizing that sustainability and resilience are critical drivers of competitive advantage.

Brazil emerged as a central focus, given its role as host of COP30 in Belém, providing an opportunity to demonstrate global leadership in sustainable practices.

Innovative financing mechanisms, including the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) and EcoInvest, were highlighted as pioneering approaches capable of mobilizing billions in blended capital to reward forest conservation and regeneration while supporting sustainable, resilient supply chains.

"Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility takes a new and innovative approach to climate finance and forest protection. But while additional funding mechanisms are critical, business, government, communities and other stakeholders must be at the table to turn ambition into impact," said Diane Holdorf of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

"At WBCSD, we see COP30 as a turning point from pledges to delivery. The TFFF is a unique vehicle to align finance, policy, and business action at scale, and we must seize it together."

The Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes (AARL) and Landscape Accelerator Brazil (LAB) were showcased as successful models of multistakeholder collaboration, demonstrating alignment across policy, finance, and metrics to accelerate Brazil’s regenerative transition while identifying gaps.

Panels and breakout discussions explored strategies to unlock investment, expand farmer-focused solutions, and emphasize public-private collaboration.

At the WBCSD Council Meeting, members examined ways to stabilize supply chains, align business strategies with policy, and scale sustainable solutions, with ADM presenting LAB and the Soft Commodities Forum (SCF) as leading examples of scalable initiatives promoting deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains.

At the Brazil Climate Summit, the Soft Commodities Forum highlighted co-investment opportunities through the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership (SLP), demonstrating how blended finance and collaboration can accelerate regenerative, deforestation-free production systems.

Insights from Climate Week NYC reaffirm that collective action, innovative finance, and public-private alignment are essential to turning ambition into action on the road to COP30, positioning Brazil’s regenerative landscapes as a model for scalable, systemic solutions worldwide.

Photo Credit: istock-fangxianuo