Aire Rihe
aHead of Soil Protection, Land Use, and Land Take at the Ministry of Climate in Estonia.
With over 12 years of experience in policymaking, she has focused on topics such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Environment Programme, and the regulation of environmental usage and its disturbances (environmental fees). She has played a key role in shaping circular economy policies, developing funding strategies for environmental and climate-related sectors, and advancing sustainable finance. Aire has also contributed to assessing the external impacts of environmental usage in Estonia.
She has been a leading figure in promoting eco-innovation and sustainable product policies and has led negotiations for a globally binding agreement on plastics. Aire is one of the initiators and authors of the UN Environment Assembly resolution that established the definition of nature-based solutions and launched a comprehensive action plan in collaboration with all UN member states.
Aire holds a master’s degree in macroeconomics and financial management from the University of Tartu, which she has effectively applied in bridging economic and sustainability goals within the environmental and climate sectors. Her current priority lies in the holistic development of soil and land use, including land take, by integrating science, innovation, environmental sustainability, and economics to achieve long-term balanced growth.