Semida Silveira, professor of practice in systems engineering at Cornell, was among the senior representatives from government, industry, finance and academia to join the Global Green Industrialization Dialogue 2025, held July 7-8 in Vienna, Austria, under the auspices of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The talks aimed to chart practical strategies for a just, inclusive and sustainable green energy transition, particularly in developing countries.
The two-day event featured plenary talks and eight thematic roundtables aimed at advancing the Global Green Industrialization Pact, a voluntary framework that aligns industrial policy with climate goals, tracks progress and fosters cooperation. Structured around four pillars - finance, technology and innovation, people and resilient cleantech supply chains - the dialogue focused on accelerating the speed and scale of climate finance, enhancing cleantech diffusion and innovation, reskilling and empowering people for the green economy of tomorrow, and building resilient cleantech supply chains.
Silveira, one of four Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition representatives invited to the talks, spoke at "Roundtable 5: Tomorrow's Talent: Skills for the Next Generation of Green Industry." She emphasized the need to distinguish between skills, which generate jobs and inclusion, and knowledge which empowers and consolidates development, according to Silveira. Both, she said, are essential but differ in timing and purpose.
Silveira stressed that capacity‑building must be a shared responsibility, strengthened through partnerships between academia and the private sector, as well as collaborations within the Global South and between north and south. These partnerships, she noted, can adapt technologies to local contexts, expand applied research and amplify the impact of investments.
"Digitization brings opportunities," she added, "but without energy access, the digital divide will grow. A systems approach is essential to address infrastructure and institutional gaps, empowering developing countries to participate meaningfully in the green transition and tackle climate-related disruptions."
Keynote speakers underscored the urgency of the green industrial transition. Austria's foreign minister, Beate Meinl‑Reisinger, called industrial decarbonization "one of the most challenging and transformative tasks of our time." Brazil's ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Eduardo Paes Saboia, urged global coordination of energy, trade, and industrial policy, while the European Commission's Kurt Vandenberghe stressed the need for long‑term investment strategies and market stability.
Participants in the dialogue agreed that as the world enters new era of industrialization shaped by digitalization, circularity and the transition to a decarbonized economy, decarbonization must be a driver of sustainable development. Achieving this goal will require political will, accessible finance in developing economies, coordinated international action, and investment in skills and innovation ecosystems. These goals align closely with the U.N.'s mission to deliver tangible solutions that improve livelihoods, expand energy access, promote innovation in the Global South and strengthen green leadership.
"Looking forward, momentum is building for COP30, the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change," said Silveira. "In the past, Cornell has been a leader at worldwide initiatives surrounding climate action, and we expect to be present at COP30, too."
