Conservation International CEO on making the case for nature in the boardroom

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, the new CEO of Conservation International explains how protecting and restoring nature is key to solving the challenge of climate change. "Nature is actually our best ally to address climate change," Dr. Sebastian Troëng tells us at his first Climate Week NYC since being named CEO in February. Conservation International is a nonprofit that partners with communities, governments and businesses to help protect and restore nature while improving human wellbeing. In the interview, Sebastian explains how companies can articulate the economic value of nature in a way that resonates with corporate decisionmakers. "What boardrooms need to understand is if they want to continue to have a revenue flow in the future, they need to contribute to conserve that nature that allows them to have a business model," he says. Sebastian outlines examples of where he's seen nature-based solutions scale effectively — and why he sees a big runway for further investment from the private sector. He also explains why constrained public budgets are creating a more conducive environment for collaboration. "We're seeing a greater appetite for coming up with innovative ways of combining government support, private investment, philanthropy to collectively achieve greater impact," Sebastian says. "People realize that the challenges the planet is facing are too big for any one sector or any one organization to solve on their own." As part of a multi-year philanthropic grants program the S&P Global Foundation launched in 2024, Conservation International is a Signature Grant Partner in the focus area of creating environmental resilience and will receive $2.5 million over five years. We conducted this interview at The Nest Campus in New York City, where the All Things Sustainable is an official media partner. Listen to all our Climate Week NYC coverage: As Climate Week NYC kicks off, energy, climate and national security converge PRI interim CEO talks changing landscape for responsible investment New York bank CEO talks affordability, AI and climate solutions at Climate Week NYC Tech giant NVIDIA talks AI's sustainability risks and opportunities Why JPMorgan is looking at climate, energy and food system risks through a resilience lens Copyright ©2026 by S&P Global DISCLAIMER By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights). This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.