What To Expect At Climate Week NYC 2024

4 months ago

This week-long event is happening later this month

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Later this month, changemakers and innovators from across the globe will gather across the Atlantic to talk all things climate solutions. Here’s exactly what to expect from Climate Week NYC – plus how to watch the action from home.

What Is Climate Week NYC?

Climate Week NYC – aka New York Climate Week – is an annual charity event held in the United States’ largest city. With a purpose to inspire climate action, the week-long event sees business leaders, politicians, local decision makers, academics, tech innovators and civil society representatives come together to consider climate positive solutions.

Having first taken place in 2009, Climate Week NYC is held alongside the United Nations General Assembly every September, inviting governmental figures to attend and participate.

The Opening Ceremony launches Climate Week NYC 2023 in New York, New York, on Sept. 17, 2023. Panel: Putting people at the heart of the green transition panel Moderator: Angela Barranco Speakers: Sadiq Khan, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Axel von Trotsenburg.

What Happens At Climate Week?

Every year, Climate Week NYC brings more than 600 virtual and in-person events to New York City, inviting society representatives and changemakers of all ages and backgrounds to the city from across the globe, aiming to catalyse change, speed up progress and champion change that’s already underway.

The most high-profile event of the week is the Opening Ceremony, featuring a range of announcements, discussions and interviews with international leaders from the worlds of business, government and climate. Past speakers have included Tim Cook, Jacinda Ardern, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and our very own King Charles. In 2024, this will take place on 22 September, with the following featured speakers:

Angela Barranco, Executive Director – North America, Climate Group
Benoit Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Saint-Gobain
Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Sustainability Officer, L’Oréal Groupe
Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization
Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group
The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Kamal Kishore, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Mark Patel, Senior Partner, McKinsey
Lorena Dellagiovanna, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, Hitachi, Ltd.
The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General
Priscilla Sims-Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank
Jessica Anderen, CEO, IKEA Foundation
The Honourable Philip E. Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
Stephanie Abrams, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

Thus begins Hub Live, which spans 23–24 September and draws more than 1,000 influential people together to discuss key climate issues. The themes on the agenda this time around are:

The New Industrial Revolution: the shift from a fossil fuel-based society to a green economy, and all the challenges that will arise as a result.
The Energy and Transport Transition: Anticipating the challenges that will arise as the energy and transport sectors push to decarbonise.
Nature, Food Systems and Health: Climate change is the largest public health crisis of our times, and nature plays a crucial role in mitigating this.
Leadership and Green Growth: Considering the finance that already exists, new models that could be created and ways of collaboration between governments and the private sector to speed up the green transition and ensure it is fair and just.

As well as this, there are 10 key themes that any talk will fall under: energy, environmental justice, finance, food, health, heavy industry, nature, policy, sustainable living, and transport.

After Hub Live, the general public is invited to the Official Events Programme, with more than 500 events taking place across the remaining five days. You can see the full calendar of events at climateweeknyc.org

The Opening Ceremony launches Climate Week NYC 2023 in New York, New York, on Sept. 17, 2023. Panel Discussion: Driving systems change collaboration Moderator: Bill Ritter. Speakers: Bob Moritz, Alexandra Palt, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.

When Is It?

In 2024, Climate Week will be held from 22–29 September.

What’s The Theme?

The 2024 Climate Week NYC theme is ‘It’s Time’, which the organisation launched in a clock-themed trailer, with a dial crossing the screen almost like a windscreen wiper. ‘It’s Time to speed up climate action, ignite progress and go fast,’ Climate Group writers. ‘It’s Time to make a call on fossil fuels – we need to “phase out”, instead of “transition away”. It’s Time to chisel climate into the heart of our national policies and international agreements and hold our elected officials to account. It’s Time to invest in scalable innovation, in energy storage, grid infrastructure, steel and concrete decarbonization, and finance. And It’s Time to level the playing field for the Global South and fund a just transition.

‘In short, It’s Time,’ the statement concludes. You can watch the trailer below.

Can Anyone Go To Climate Week NYC?

Yes, anyone is free to attend any of the Climate Week NYC events in the Official Events Programme from 25–29 September. This excludes the Opening Ceremony and the two-day-long Hub Live (which are by invitation only), but includes more than 500 events across New York City and online. That said, the Opening Ceremony and many events in Hub Live will be streamed live for free.

Is It Free To Visit?

Most events and activities on the Climate Week NYC agenda are free to attend, whether that’s in person or virtually, though some events may charge a ticket free. If you need to pay to attend, this will be made clear when you register to attend.