Powering the Future: Ministers Call for a Nature-Positive Energy Transition at IUCN Congress

The Global Initiative for Grids, Nature and Renewables (GINGR) High-Level Event brought together leaders from Vanuatu, Panama, Japan, Germany, IUCN and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), under the moderation of Tinne Van der Straeten, former Belgian Minister of Energy. 

Opening the session, Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General, underscored the urgency: “The renewable energy transition will define the trajectory of our planet. We must build quickly to meet climate goals — but we cannot afford to sacrifice nature in the process. Energy security, climate stability, and nature conservation are not competing priorities, but interdependent imperatives.” 

A global dialogue on energy, nature, and people 

Speakers recognised the need for smarter, more inclusive planning as renewable energy deployment accelerates — growing by more than 15% each year. 

Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-hazards and Disaster Management, Vanuatu, highlighted the nation’s goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity access by 2030, stressing that “citizens are key” to realising this vision. 

Panama’s Minister of Environment, Juan Carlos Navarro, reminded the audience that “renewables are here to stay”. With nearly 78% of Panama’s electricity already from renewable sources, he called for massive investments in intelligent, AI-driven grids to meet surging global energy demand, including that from data centres. “We need grids that are smarter than we are,” he added, “to provide energy efficiently with minimal environmental impact.” 

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, IUCN Climate Action Commission Chair, World Wildlide Fund Climate & Energy Lead, introduced the country’s guiding principle of “deploying by enhancing” — advancing renewables while strengthening ecosystem protection. He called for an “ecological transition” that connects environmental, energy, and finance ministries and rethinks fossil fuel subsidies and outdated contracts. “We are a tiny piece in a big machinery,” he said. “To succeed, we must reform governance, link biodiversity with energy policy, and bring people into the heart of this transition.” 

From Japan, Wataru Suzuki, Director, Biodiversity Strategy Office, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, emphasised the importance of trust and community participation. “Our environment ministry is small,” he said, “but we must be smart — combining renewable and conservation targets and ensuring that local communities share the benefits .” Japan aims to raise renewables to 50% by 2040, but must navigate the challenge of balancing solar expansion with the protection of cultural landscapes. 

Oliver Conz, Director-General, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, shared lessons from one of the world’s fastest renewable transitions, underscoring the central role of spatial planning and strong biodiversity safeguards. 

“Every dollar spent on planning is an investment in the future,” he said. “Protected areas are no-go zones. Everyone signing a permit must ensure they are not signing the extinction of a species.” 

He also noted that biodiversity challenges predate renewables — and that clean energy is too often blamed for historical declines. “We must acknowledge this and plan renewables where they are most effective,” he said. 

Accelerating the transition wisely 

IRENA’s Deputy Director General, Gauri Singh, warned that while renewable deployment is accelerating by 15% each year, the “sleeping giant” is transmission — the vast expansion of electricity grids needed to connect new power to people. 

“The glamour is in the solar farms and wind turbines,” she said, “but the real challenge is in the grids. Without communities, this is not a revolution that can be sustainable.” 

Singh stressed the need for ministries of environment and energy to “speak the same language,” and called for greater attention to the full lifecycle of renewable infrastructure, including end-of-life management. She noted that GINGR will play a critical role in helping countries apply practical, nature-positive siting guidelines and governance models. 

Across interventions, ministers agreed that the transition must not only be fast — it must also be fair, inclusive, and locally grounded. 

Putting people at the centre 

As Tinne Van der Straeten concluded: “The Swiss knife to break silos is to talk about people — by people, with people. That’s how we change hearts and minds.” 

From Vanuatu’s communities striving for universal access, to Germany’s lessons in planning, the GINGR dialogue underscored that Nature- and People-Positive renewables are not a contradiction — they are the only viable path forward. 

About GINGR: A collaboration between IUCN and the Renewables Grid Initiative, the Global Initiative for Nature, Grids and Renewables (GINGR) accelerates a Nature- and People-Positive   energy transition. By creating global tools for monitoring renewable energy’s impacts, it ensures wind, solar, and grids support both climate goals and biodiversity. Learn more here: https://iucn.org/our-work/climate-change/global-climate-change-and-energy-transition-team/global-initiative-nature