Dean Polly Trottenberg and Governor Helder Barbalho of Pará, Brazil, Sign Memorandum of Understanding
As part of Climate Week NYC 2025, NYU Wagner Dean Polly Trottenberg and Governor Helder Barbalho of the State of Pará, Brazil, signed a memorandum of understanding, on September 24, signifying continued partnership between Wagner and Pará.
Barbalho has become well known for advancing sustainable development policies in Pará, which governs about 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest biome. The Amazon accounts for an estimated 10 percent of the world’s total carbon, affects weather patterns across the Americas, and is home to robust biodiversity across nine South American countries, putting it at the center of global conversations around climate change and sustainability. Since 2019, Barbalho and his administration have moved towards a “bioeconomy” model, which aims to demonstrate the economic value of forest regeneration and preservation.
Barbalho was joined at Wagner by Pará’s Secretary of Environment Raul Protázio Romão, who leads the state’s environmental policy implementation, and several other members of their teams. The group was in New York City for Climate Week 2025, as Brazil prepares to host the UN’s Global Climate Summit (COP30) in Belém, the capital of Pará, this November. Governor Barbalho hopes the partnership with Wagner can be a part of realizing his vision of a dynamic innovation ecosystem centered on forest-friendly enterprises.
“I’m thrilled to sign this memorandum of understanding, and I really look forward to a remarkable partnership,” Trottenberg told Barbalho. “It’s so terrific that we’re here on Climate Week in New York, and thank you for all your work and leadership on behalf of Brazil and the Amazon.”
NYU Wagner Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Service Salo Coslovsky, whose research focuses on forest-friendly economic development in his native Brazil, has continued to help develop connections like this between Wagner and Brazilian climate leaders. Last year, he helped organize Climate Politics and Climate Science: The Road to COP30 as part of NYU’s Climate Week. In 2025, NYU Wagner is hosting six Climate Week events in its own space at 105 E 17th Street, including Climate Crossroads — From Forests and Food Systems to Finance and Carbon Markets, a full-day event that featured six panel discussions with climate leaders from around the world; and Climate Solutions from and for the Amazon Region: Radical Collaboration Based on Science, Business, Local Knowledge and Networks.
The memorandum of understanding acknowledges Pará’s leading contributions to sustainable development in the global arena and positions Wagner to continue its engagement with this impactful geographic area. The memorandum also encourages continued future partnership and collaboration in educational initiatives between Wagner and Pará.
