{"componentChunkName":"component---src-gatsby-entities-reflection-tsx","path":"/perspectives/responding-with-nexus-solutions-villars-rapporteur-report","result":{"data":{"platform":{"reflection":{"id":"6810a43e34279d2cbf7738c3","slug":"responding-with-nexus-solutions-villars-rapporteur-report","path":"/perspectives/responding-with-nexus-solutions-villars-rapporteur-report","name":"Responding with Nexus Solutions: Villars Rapporteur Report ","name_fr":null,"title":null,"title_fr":null,"pretitle":null,"pretitle_fr":null,"subtitle":null,"subtitle_fr":null,"published":"2025-06-13T09:11:53.21","edited":null,"content":{"plain":"Ideas from the Speakers\nThe session focused on the urgent need for integrated, cross-sectoral responses to global environmental and social crises. Drawing from the IPBES Nexus Assessment, speakers presented a vision that challenges traditional siloed approaches to policymaking. The Assessment emphasizes how climate change, biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, and public health risks are not isolated issues but are all interconnected. One key idea is that current governance systems and economic structures fail to account for the externalities of their actions, costing the global economy up to $25 trillion annually. \nA fundamental shift is needed towards “nexus governments”—governments that recognize how closely linked sectors like agriculture, energy, and fisheries really are. Governments ultimately possess the capacity to stretch beyond their national interests to the greater international goals of sustainability. A key takeaway is the need to find balance, rather than pushing every system to its limit, as illustrated by the nexus model. This approach acts as a scaled-down version of the Sustainable Development Goals, providing 15 real-world “response options” that showcase the potential for coordinated and sustainable development. \nAnother recurring theme was the belief that governments can look beyond short-term national interests, especially when motivated by a shared vision of the common good. Achieving real transformation within this decade will require governments to collaborate across sectors and borders. However, the lack of clear political direction continues to make unified action difficult to achieve. \nA key component of this transformation is inclusive governance, such as integrating youth, women, and Indigenous voices into the policymaking process. Strong focus was placed on the power of legal frameworks and civil society to drive accountability. Change must be driven by accessible storytelling, especially as science faces increasing attacks and misinformation grows. \nThe speakers called for a reevaluation of how we communicate about science—not watering it down but making it relevant and connecting it to other subjects. In doing so, environmental solutions can become not just technically sound but also socially and politically resilient. Transformation is not just about changing policy but also about breaking through silos and moving forward with people’s shared purpose. \nInsights from the Audience\nThe session aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the scale, urgency, and interconnectedness of today’s global issues—and how important it is to address them outside their traditional silos. Using the Nexus Assessment as a framework, participants saw how climate change, biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, and health risks are all linked. Tackling one without considering the others risks repeating past mistakes. The message is simple: we need joined-up thinking and action. \nBesides identifying problems, the session also paved a path for hope and optimism. A participant asked what gives people hope in the face of overwhelming challenges; the answers focused on people themselves. Young people, in particular, are central to the future. They are already thinking about the kind of world they want to live in and are taking action. International cooperation, like the collective fundraising effort during the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in Dubai and new technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, are helping to discover new ways to approach old problems. \nStill, the most powerful reminder was that hope comes through doing. Hope is found in action—you feel it when you’re active. Science-based response options are already working in different parts of the world. The concept of “nexus governments,” institutions that reflect the complexity of our shared challenges, offer a compelling way to imagine future governance. The African perspective adds an important reminder: Africa is home to over a billion people, and climate solutions must take equity seriously. It is not just about deals or targets but about designing systems that work for everyone. Climate finance must be fair and access to resources must be part of any global plan. The audience also reflected on the role of law, noting that courts are increasingly influential in holding actors accountable for climate action. However, they are under pressure, and legal strategies must be supported by public engagement and broader grassroots organizing. \n","text":"## Ideas from the Speakers \n\nThe session focused on the urgent need for integrated, cross-sectoral responses to global environmental and social crises. Drawing from the [IPBES Nexus Assessment](https://www.ipbes.net/nexus-assessment), speakers presented a vision that challenges traditional siloed approaches to policymaking. The Assessment emphasizes how climate change, biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, and public health risks are not isolated issues but are all interconnected. One key idea is that current governance systems and economic structures fail to account for the externalities of their actions, costing the global economy up to $25 trillion annually. \n\nA fundamental shift is needed towards “nexus governments”—governments that recognize how closely linked sectors like agriculture, energy, and fisheries really are. Governments ultimately possess the capacity to stretch beyond their national interests to the greater international goals of sustainability. A key takeaway is the need to find balance, rather than pushing every system to its limit, as illustrated by the nexus model. This approach acts as a scaled-down version of the Sustainable Development Goals, providing 15 real-world “response options” that showcase the potential for coordinated and sustainable development. \n\nAnother recurring theme was the belief that governments can look beyond short-term national interests, especially when motivated by a shared vision of the common good. Achieving real transformation within this decade will require governments to collaborate across sectors and borders. However, the lack of clear political direction continues to make unified action difficult to achieve. \n\nA key component of this transformation is inclusive governance, such as integrating youth, women, and Indigenous voices into the policymaking process. Strong focus was placed on the power of legal frameworks and civil society to drive accountability. Change must be driven by accessible storytelling, especially as science faces increasing attacks and misinformation grows. \n\nThe speakers called for a reevaluation of how we communicate about science—not watering it down but making it relevant and connecting it to other subjects. In doing so, environmental solutions can become not just technically sound but also socially and politically resilient. Transformation is not just about changing policy but also about breaking through silos and moving forward with people’s shared purpose. \n\n## Insights from the Audience \n\nThe session aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the scale, urgency, and interconnectedness of today’s global issues—and how important it is to address them outside their traditional silos. Using the Nexus Assessment as a framework, participants saw how climate change, biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, and health risks are all linked. Tackling one without considering the others risks repeating past mistakes. The message is simple: we need joined-up thinking and action. \n\nBesides identifying problems, the session also paved a path for hope and optimism. A participant asked what gives people hope in the face of overwhelming challenges; the answers focused on people themselves. Young people, in particular, are central to the future. They are already thinking about the kind of world they want to live in and are taking action. International cooperation, like the collective fundraising effort during the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in Dubai and new technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, are helping to discover new ways to approach old problems. \n\nStill, the most powerful reminder was that hope comes through doing. Hope is found in action—you feel it when you’re active. Science-based response options are already working in different parts of the world. The concept of “nexus governments,” institutions that reflect the complexity of our shared challenges, offer a compelling way to imagine future governance. The African perspective adds an important reminder: Africa is home to over a billion people, and climate solutions must take equity seriously. It is not just about deals or targets but about designing systems that work for everyone. Climate finance must be fair and access to resources must be part of any global plan. The audience also reflected on the role of law, noting that courts are increasingly influential in holding actors accountable for climate action. However, they are under pressure, and legal strategies must be supported by public engagement and broader grassroots organizing. "},"content_fr":{"plain":"","text":""},"openGraph":{"title":null,"description":{"plain":"The Nexus Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights that the global economy is losing up to $25 trillion a year as the agriculture, energy, and fishing sectors fail to account for how they impact biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, water scarcity, and human health. This plenary discussion focused on the best options for coordinated action. The following is the rapporteur report of the discussion convened under the Chatham House rule. The authors are Villars Fellows. \n"},"image":{"url2x":null,"thumbnails":{"card":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_480/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg","url2x":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_960/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg"},"mainBanner":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_1440/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg","url2x":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_2880/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg"}}}},"challenge":null,"color":null,"typeLabel":"New View","intro":{"plain":"The Nexus Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights that the global economy is losing up to $25 trillion a year as the agriculture, energy, and fishing sectors fail to account for how they impact biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, water scarcity, and human health. This plenary discussion focused on the best options for coordinated action. The following is the rapporteur report of the discussion convened under the Chatham House rule. The authors are Villars Fellows. \n","text":"The [Nexus Assessment](https://www.ipbes.net/nexus-assessment) of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights that the global economy is losing up to $25 trillion a year as the agriculture, energy, and fishing sectors fail to account for how they impact biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, water scarcity, and human health. This plenary discussion focused on the best options for coordinated action. The following is the rapporteur report of the discussion convened under the Chatham House rule. The authors are Villars Fellows. "},"intro_fr":{"plain":"","text":""},"outro":{"text":"### The Authors \nGabriela Rodrigues de Morais and Amelia Alvazzi are Villars Fellows and were assigned as official rapporteurs of the 2025 Villars Institute Summit."},"outro_fr":{"text":""},"videos":[],"imageAssets":[],"organisations":[],"challenges":[],"authors":[{"id":"65d547fdd5bcca2bcbc9e787","name":"Amelia Alvazzi","slug":"amelia-alvazzi","role":{"id":"rol_m02v21Sk7a2hKGj7","name":"Fellow"},"isMember":true,"bio":{"id":"65d547fdd5bcca2bcbc9e787_bio","text":"Hi! I'm a senior at Phillips Academy Andover who grew up in Switzerland, and now live in Boston. I'm extremely passionate about sustainability, and love collaborating with people around the globe working on sustainability-oriented solutions. \n\nI'm a 2023 Villars fellow and completed the Minerva Systems Leadership Program, where I was introduced to systems thinking as a framework for solving complex problems. In the past, I've worked on a feasibility study to restore a local wetland, lobbied Massachusetts state legislators on climate policy, and worked at the Food Project — a non-profit working towards sustainable and equitable food systems — where I farmed on both suburban and urban plots, grew produce foo communities with limited access to fresh and affordable food, and learned what food access, social justice, and sustainable agriculture meant in a real-life context.\n\n At school, I co-lead the climate lobbying initiative, where we write and advocate for climate policy across local and national levels. Last summer, I was selected as a NSLI-Y scholar through the U.S. Department of State, studying Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan through an intensive cultural immersion program. Outside sustainability, I compete in varsity cross country and track, and serve as my school's outdoor track captain. \n\nI'm always excited to learn about new and ongoing sustainability initiatives around the world — feel free to reach out!","html":"

Hi! I'm a senior at Phillips Academy Andover who grew up in Switzerland, and now live in Boston. I'm extremely passionate about sustainability, and love collaborating with people around the globe working on sustainability-oriented solutions.

\n

I'm a 2023 Villars fellow and completed the Minerva Systems Leadership Program, where I was introduced to systems thinking as a framework for solving complex problems. In the past, I've worked on a feasibility study to restore a local wetland, lobbied Massachusetts state legislators on climate policy, and worked at the Food Project — a non-profit working towards sustainable and equitable food systems — where I farmed on both suburban and urban plots, grew produce foo communities with limited access to fresh and affordable food, and learned what food access, social justice, and sustainable agriculture meant in a real-life context.

\n

At school, I co-lead the climate lobbying initiative, where we write and advocate for climate policy across local and national levels. Last summer, I was selected as a NSLI-Y scholar through the U.S. Department of State, studying Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan through an intensive cultural immersion program. Outside sustainability, I compete in varsity cross country and track, and serve as my school's outdoor track captain.

\n

I'm always excited to learn about new and ongoing sustainability initiatives around the world — feel free to reach out!

\n"},"organisation":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e01b","name":"International School of Zug and Luzern"},"linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-a-12a123240","photo":{"id":"image_villars-institute/person/amelia-alvazzi_photo__Screenshot_2024-07-02_at_15.53.55_mpubml","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1741625786/villars-institute/person/amelia-alvazzi_photo__Screenshot_2024-07-02_at_15.53.55_mpubml.png","url2x":null},"positions":[{"id":"65d547e2d5bcca2bcbc9e3f7","primary":null,"positions":[{"id":"65d54818d5bcca2bcbc9f2ce","name":"Student","name_fr":null}],"organisation":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e01b","name":"International School of Zug and Luzern"}},{"id":"67d1fd59fdabd27d9d4942c2","primary":null,"positions":[{"id":"65d54818d5bcca2bcbc9f2ce","name":"Student","name_fr":null}],"organisation":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e096","name":"Phillips Academy Andover"}}]},{"id":"6616a516e8b4e558b90f7014","name":"Gabriela Rodrigues de Morais","slug":"gabriela-rodrigues-de-morais","role":{"id":"rol_m02v21Sk7a2hKGj7","name":"Fellow"},"isMember":true,"bio":{"id":"6616a516e8b4e558b90f7014_bio","text":"My name is Gabriela, I am from the state of Paraíba in Brazil, which is part of the only (out of 6) biome in the country that is 100% Brazilian! It is the most biodiverse semi-arid region in the world and I feel happy to call it my roots. Because of my big passion about this region and the lack of belonging and pride in the population (for many reasons, such as lack of research about our biodiversity and the Amazon as the main biome in the national media), I am working towards creating a sticker album whose sticker cards are each a different animal in the biome. The data to make it happen will be from SALVE (an amazing platform by the Chico Mendes Institute of Conservation that translates to “Biodiversity Extinction Risk Assessment System). In this album, the more difficult it is to get the card, the more threatened of extinction the animal is in real life. This project aims to develop a sense of belonging to the biome in children, because they do not know much about the biodiversity co-existing with them. This project is very urgent once Caatinga is a biome with many species in danger (proportionally even more than the Amazon Forest).","html":"

My name is Gabriela, I am from the state of Paraíba in Brazil, which is part of the only (out of 6) biome in the country that is 100% Brazilian! It is the most biodiverse semi-arid region in the world and I feel happy to call it my roots. Because of my big passion about this region and the lack of belonging and pride in the population (for many reasons, such as lack of research about our biodiversity and the Amazon as the main biome in the national media), I am working towards creating a sticker album whose sticker cards are each a different animal in the biome. The data to make it happen will be from SALVE (an amazing platform by the Chico Mendes Institute of Conservation that translates to “Biodiversity Extinction Risk Assessment System). In this album, the more difficult it is to get the card, the more threatened of extinction the animal is in real life. This project aims to develop a sense of belonging to the biome in children, because they do not know much about the biodiversity co-existing with them. This project is very urgent once Caatinga is a biome with many species in danger (proportionally even more than the Amazon Forest).

\n"},"organisation":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e152","name":"UWC Atlantic College"},"linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielarodriguesdemorais/","photo":{"id":"image_villars-institute/person/gabriela-rodrigues-de-morais_photo__Gabi_1_kcgv1b","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1716490228/villars-institute/person/gabriela-rodrigues-de-morais_photo__Gabi_1_kcgv1b.jpg","url2x":null},"positions":[{"id":"6630b7f644301a2dc7778aed","primary":null,"positions":[{"id":"65d54818d5bcca2bcbc9f1b3","name":"Fellow","name_fr":null}],"organisation":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e152","name":"UWC Atlantic College"}}]}],"people":[],"embeds":{"citations":[],"advertisements":[],"pages":[],"people":[],"imageAssets":[]},"banner":{"id":"6810a3cb34279d2cbf7738c0","name":"h","slug":"h-2","title":null,"description":{"text":""},"alternateText":null,"image":{"id":"image_villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg","url2x":null,"width":2048,"height":1152,"thumbnails":{"id":"thumbnails-file_villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk","mainBanner":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_1440/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg","url2x":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_2880/v1745920966/villars-institute/banner/h-2_image__54400732195_e604e0511d_k_ulfkgk.jpg"}}}}}}},"pageContext":{"lang":{"id":"en","path":"","iso":"en","name":"English","label":"English"},"availableEntities":["Challenge","Page","Post","Reflection","Video","Podcast","Event"],"detailEntities":["Challenge","Page","Post","Reflection","Video"],"site":{"id":"683e8bff7c32c7910387b3d5","slug":"villars-review","name":"Villars Review","url":"https://villarsreview.org","title":null,"twitter":"https://twitter.com/VillarsIdeas","threads":null,"facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/villarsinstitute","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-villars-institute/","instagram":"https://www.instagram.com/villarsinstitute/","flickr":"https://www.flickr.com/people/195926075@N05/","tiktok":"https://www.tiktok.com/@villarsinstitute","youtube":null,"ownerName":"Villars Institute","recaptchaKey":"6Lc7c1crAAAAADUXSkkV_0zMMbEZ2qQMtw2gMAVM","googleSiteVerification":"GqkDXBfnLuGbzO9gmQM8_4BpSOVP4ZPITWqdFJibuww","platformName":"The Villars Institute Community Platform","platformUrl":"https://community.villarsinstitute.org","supportEmail":null,"contactEmail":null,"mainMenu":{"id":"6840fbbed6341c85fc259cdf","slug":"villars-review-navigation"},"linearMenu":null,"entityViews":[],"entityAppViews":[],"entityOnboardingViews":[],"gptLanguages":[],"gptQuestionTemplate":null,"advertisements":[],"logoVerticalOffset":null,"logoHorizontalOffset":null,"logoVerticalOffsetMobile":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetMobile":null,"logoVerticalOffsetTablet":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetTablet":null,"logoVerticalOffsetDesktop":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetDesktop":null,"logoHeightMobile":null,"logoHeightTablet":null,"logoHeightDesktop":null,"headerHeightMobile":null,"headerHeightTablet":null,"headerHeightDesktop":null,"logo":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1749086205/villars-institute/site/villars-review_logo__villars-logo_dsjrab.png","type":"image/png","width":708,"height":207},"logoInverted":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1749086215/villars-institute/site/villars-review_logoInverted__villars-logo-inverted_mi8gbd.png","type":"image/png","width":708,"height":207},"footerMenu":{"id":"6840fbbed6341c85fc259cdf","slug":"villars-review-navigation"},"footerSecondaryMenu":null,"footerContent":{"text":""},"creator":null,"poweredBy":{"id":"65d547d5d5bcca2bcbc9e0d0","name":"Shapeable","slug":"shapeable","url":"https://shapeable.ai","logo":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1684216592/villars/organisation/shapeable_logo__shapeable-logo_yd2tkk.png.png","type":"image/png","width":612,"height":186},"logoInverted":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1684216599/villars/organisation/shapeable_logoInverted__shapeable-logo-inverted_mltax4.png.png","type":"image/png","width":612,"height":186},"logoSubtle":null},"poweredByLabel":null,"poweredByContent":{"text":""},"explorerPage":null,"termsPage":{"name":"Terms Of Use - 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