{"id":3129,"date":"2025-06-21T09:57:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T09:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3129"},"modified":"2025-06-21T09:57:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T09:57:27","slug":"rethinking-green-investment-for-europes-next-chapter-a-stakeholders-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3129\/rethinking-green-investment-for-europes-next-chapter-a-stakeholders-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking green investment for Europe\u2019s next chapter: a stakeholder\u2019s vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

While Europe\u2019s green agenda faces new pressures, sustainability leader Sandrine Dixson-Decl\u00e8ve outlines why sustainable investment remains vital for economic strength, planetary health and future resilience.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Horizon Magazine staff<\/p>\n

As Europe faces growing security and trade challenges, the momentum behind sustainable policies, and especially green finance, has come under increasing pressure.<\/p>\n

Sandrine Dixson-Decl\u00e8ve, a leading voice in climate action and sustainable finance, will be a speaker at the conference on Research & Innovation for a Competitive Green Transition<\/a> in Brussels, Belgium, on 23-24 June 2025, to shed light on why green investment must remain at the heart of Europe\u2019s economic and environmental agenda.<\/p>\n

Dixson-Decl\u00e8ve is the executive chair of Earth4All and co-founder of the Systems Transformation Hub in Brussels. She was also the president of the Club of Rome from 2018 to November 2024, a non-profit group of academic, former government and business leaders addressing pressing global issues since 1968.<\/p>\n

Earth4All is an international initiative launched by the Club of Rome that combines cutting-edge scientific modelling and new economic thinking to outline how we can achieve prosperity for all within planetary limits. The\u00a0Systems Transformation Hub aims to help EU institutions embed systemic approaches into policymaking, investment and strategy.<\/p>\n

The conference is taking place as a satellite event of the upcoming European Research and Innovation (R&I) Days in September, and will present concrete solutions for Europe\u2019s green transition to improve quality of life and boost economic competitiveness, while facilitating the implementation of the European Green Deal.<\/p>\n

In the following interview, Dixson-Decl\u00e8ve discusses the need to prioritise sustainable investment, rethink circular economy strategies, and reconnect environmental protection with our wellbeing so we can secure the prosperity and stability of our planet for generations to come.<\/p>\n

Read the interview to discover her insights on the need to champion green finance and build a circular economy that deals with the entire value chain.<\/em><\/p>\n

The EU aims to mobilise around one trillion euros for sustainable investment by 2030. What do we need to do to make this ambition a reality?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, we need to prioritise. We need to identify the most important big shifts that we want to see in the next 3, 5, 10 years. And this is the biggest problem \u2013 everyone has their pet idea. Where does Europe need to truly be the most sustainable in order to ensure that we adapt to future crises \u2013 whether it be pandemics or climate impacts?<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s very important that we do a proper assessment. We need to think through where the priorities are and then properly communicate this to citizens. Then also put in place the right fiscal structures and economic structures to help us make this work. So, it\u2019s the policy, working with finance and economics and the right communication tools, that will enable us to really move forward.<\/p>\n

How can we persuade financial institutions and policymakers that it is really essential to prioritise investment in circular economy models?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know the European Commission remains committed to advancing circularity \u2013 and I fully support that. But it\u2019s important to remember that circularity doesn\u2019t begin with recycling, it begins with rethinking consumption. And this is fundamental.<\/p>\n

Too often, circularity is framed narrowly, as if it\u2019s just about waste management or materials reuse. But the real transformation lies in\u00a0reducing consumption at the source\u00a0and embracing systemic changes that keep us within the planet\u2019s safe operating boundaries.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re serious about building a truly sustainable economy, we need to\u00a0look upstream\u00a0\u2013 to where materials come from, how they\u2019re used, and how we can lower demand. Our access to natural resources is predicted to decrease, so taking a full life-cycle view of circularity isn\u2019t just important \u2013 it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n

As we celebrated World Environment Day this month, what is your key message to EU leaders and financial institutions about the importance and urgency of investing in a green future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My key message is that we must stop separating people from the environment. Protecting nature is not some niche, off-the-cuff idea. It\u2019s a necessity. We are nature, and nature is us. Our survival depends on a healthy planet and on our ability to withstand the shocks and stresses of climate change.<\/p>\n

The greatest existential threat to humanity is our failure to take care of nature and the planet. And the second is our failure to address growing social tensions and inequality. The good news? We already have many solutions \u2013 policy tools, new technologies, new governance models and fiscal strategies.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use them \u2013 wisely and urgently \u2013 to secure a thriving society on a healthy planet.<\/p>\n

The views of the interviewee don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

More info<\/p>\n