A decade after the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted, the aspiration to improve lives globally while coexisting with our planet faces unprecedented challenges. Their establishment marked a significant moment of global solidarity, which stands in stark contrast to today’s more fragmented world.

However, despite the current political divisions, the narrative of green growth and development is far from concluded. Instead, a new period is emerging—one influenced less by overarching international agreements and more by markets, technology, and innovative partnerships and collaborations.

Tangible progress has been achieved. Without commitments to decarbonization, global warming was projected by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to exceed by 2100. We are now instead on track for less than half that increase. Alongside this, significant achievements have been made, such as , where it was also agreed to triple financing for developing nations. Businesses have responded by making sustainability central to their strategies, driven not only by regulatory requirements but also by risk management, consumer demand, and shareholder expectations.

International negotiations alone cannot provide the necessary speed of change. The surrounding the COP process highlights the increasing complexity of the international landscape. National priorities are shifting, creating a challenging environment for proactive, collaborative policy initiatives.

While envisioning major international agreements on the scale of the SDGs seems difficult, change is foreseeable. There isn’t a single optimal path forward, but four key transformations are likely to have a substantial impact. First, the private sector will play a larger role, particularly through public-private collaboration; second, diverse forms of dialogue, trust-building, and non-government organizations will generate momentum for progress both bilaterally and within regional blocs; third, increasingly strong connections will form between the green transition and digital technologies; and fourth, nature will emerge as a new strategic investment frontier.

Policy actions remain crucial, but energy is shifting towards networks of businesses, industries, and regions that perceive opportunities in boldly leading the green growth agenda. We are likely to observe localized activities where businesses, industries, and sectors recognize the value in being aligned. An excellent example of this is the , a global alliance of businesses committed to using their purchasing power to decarbonize the world’s heavy-emitting industrial sectors. These businesses are both dedicated and sufficiently large to share risks and position themselves at the forefront of change. 

From this has evolved an associated initiative, the , whose goal is to accelerate the adoption of sustainable production methods and technologies for agricultural commodities. This holds particular relevance for COP30 host Brazil, where of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are linked to land use change. Another development is the expansion of , where multiple industries develop localized clean energy value chains for shared benefit.

Environmental regulation has seen exponential growth over the past decade, and businesses are on the frontline of navigating these requirements. This generates pressure for change, which non-government entities will increasingly help satisfy. Carbon accounting standards serve as an example. Earlier in September, the organizations responsible for two major sets of tools—the GHG protocol and the ISO 1406x series— to create a unified set of tools, establishing a universal benchmark and common language for measuring GHG emissions. This instance could mark the beginning of standard and tool consolidation, leading to greater consistency, transparency, and uniformity. This is precisely the kind of evolution that enables markets to scale solutions.

And then there is technology. The last decade has witnessed extraordinary advancements, but convergence is the true catalyst. This aspect of technology convergence is not only transforming industries but also 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 reduce pollution, improve health, and lower costs. The speed and scale of what these tools can achieve are fundamentally changing the equation. A look at this year’s underscores this—and the level of granularity achieved—with applications as diverse as osmotic power systems and autonomous biochemical sensing.

However, the pursuit of sustainable prosperity is not solely to be achieved through technology – investment into greener infrastructure, and nature-based solutions is also growing. Private funding for nature surpassed in 2024. Among the notable transactions is , the MENA region’s first corporate blue bond issuance. It directs capital towards blue economy priorities including sustainable shipping, greener port infrastructure, pollution reduction, and initiatives that safeguard marine and water ecosystems. The sector is nascent, but its direction is clear. More effort is needed to establish tools and strategies that mitigate the financial risks and uncertainties associated with investing in this sector, as well as to stimulate market demand, but the coming decade is expected to herald a dramatic re-evaluation of nature’s worth and its opportunities.

According to the World Economic Forum’s latest , the most severe threats over the next decade are environmental, ranging from extreme weather and biodiversity loss to resource shortages and pollution. Yet the responses of the past decade offer optimism. 

The narrative of the next decade will not revolve around a single treaty or a moment of collective unity. Instead, it will be written by coalitions, innovators, and businesses that choose to lead. They will establish the pace, seize the opportunities, and demonstrate that action on climate and nature is not merely about survival—it is a strategic imperative.