This discussion paper, co-published with WWF, aims to spur reflection on the potential building blocks of a new narrative and policy agenda on international trade that places nature and people at its heart. In so doing, it aims to inform forward-looking strategic dialogue on potential pathways and entry points to support international cooperation, policy, and advocacy on a trade agenda that could reverse biodiversity loss, support the climate agenda, and advance sustainable development in all three of its dimensions—environmental, economic, and social.

The paper begins by reviewing current major shifts (and persistent trends) in international trade relations, narratives, and paradigms, and the implications of these for nature, climate, and sustainable development. It then explores potential opportunities for an equitable, nature-positive, and net-zero trading system that works for sustainable development, prosperity, and climate resilience, while acknowledging the challenges and risks that complicate the prospects for progress and suggesting ways to address them. It concludes with a review of potential elements for new global narratives and policy agendas for an international trading system that delivers for nature and people, with a set of questions for strategic consideration.

Carolyn Deere Birkbeck is Founder and Executive Director, TESS.

-----

Recommended citation: Deere Birkbeck, C. (2025). Accelerating progress on nature, climate change, and sustainable development in a shifting international trading system. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).