— Written by Camryn Kirk

It’s Time to Unpack NYCW So Far ⌛

New York Climate Week has kicked off with some heat! The programming commenced with an opening ceremony on Sunday, September 22 from 2-6 pm. This ceremony included a synopsis of the week’s upcoming general themes and topics including major announcements. This year’s NYCW theme is “It’s Time”, meaning we must urgently find ways to mitigate climate change before it’s too late. It’s Time to put our words into action and develop global plans to drive climate action. 2023 broke the annual average of 1.5 degrees C temperature rise for the first time. 2023 was also plagued with wildfires, droughts, flooding, heat waves, and many more natural disasters.

NYCW believes that in 2024, It’s Time to scale the energy transition to renewables. The opening ceremony captured three parts in its agenda: “It’s Time to course correct”, “It’s Time to speed up”, and “It’s Time to finish the race”. 

Staying in theme, the rest of the week’s programming includes panel discussions such as, “It’s Time for a new era of climate leadership and ambition”, “It’s Time to deliver on climate finance and power sustainable growth”, and “It’s Time to unleash the power of innovation and technology to achieve net zero”.

How to Navigate 🗺️

Saying that NYCW is overwhelming to navigate is like saying climate change can be so. The official NYCW is put on by the non-profit Climate Group, but that programming represents only a tiny fraction of the events. In reality, Climate Week is a decentralized, triple-booked, frenetic jamboree of climate stakeholders. Over the years, we’ve relied on a few tools to help us find our way. 

CTVC in partnership with Sightline Climate and Planeteer Capital manages this public-facing events tracker.

Our friend Steven Zhang created a crowd-sourced list of attendees so we know who else is in town! Check it out here.

And finally, here is the NYCW official events calendar. 

What’s Still Coming Up? 🗓️

Here are a few events we recommend attending:

• Circular Economy Futures 2050: Shaping the action agenda 🌀

  • This in-person event is hosted on Thursday, September 26th from 7:30 am-12 pm and will cover the future of circularity and understanding the quickest pathways to implementing circular business models. The event will cover the policy paper “Circular Economy Futures 2050”. The draft version can be found here.

• Virtual Screening: Underwater Projects 📹

  • This virtual event is hosted on Thursday, September 26th from 10-11:45 am and is a free showing of a film about Norfolk, Virginia’s flooding and the environmental justice issues the local residents face.

• Prospect Park Birding with Gabriel Willow (9/27)- Free 🐣

  • This in-person event is hosted on Friday, September 27th from 9-11 am and it is an opportunity to understand “Brooklyn’s Backyard”, or the species inhabiting Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. This free event is a fun way to learn about Brooklyn’s landscape and meet fellow environmentalists.

What Will Come of NYCW? 🗞️

As well as events are going so far, we can’t say for sure just yet the exact impact and result of NYCW 2024. Regardless, this week is a great time to network, collaborate, and meet with climate-conscious individuals. As many say, all press is good press! Let’s hope the NYCW press is focused on actionable insights from the week’s coverage. 📰🧑‍💻

Feel free to follow along with the latest NYCW updates here.

Want to learn more about NYCW? Drop a reply and let us know!

What We’re Watching 🎥, Reading 📚, and Listening to 🎧

Searching for more positive and informative climate content? Look no further!

• 🎥 It’s Time To Course Correct | NYCW Livestream

• 📰 Two Years In, US Clean Energy Manufacturing Boom Is Still Going Strong | Keaton Peters

• 🎧 'Twisters' Got One Thing Right: We Can Change The Weather! | Seeing A Scientist- Kate Biberdorf

In Case You Missed It 👀

Overcoming Dilemmas In the Green Transition

TED Countdown is hosting a day two event (October 29-30th) at the EGG in Brussels, Belgium with over 20 expert speakers gathering to discuss the roadblocks and path forward for the transition to a sustainable economy. To learn more about how to attend the discussions, click here.

Climate Vine: Members in Climate Vine’s diverse, curated network accelerate their impact through personalized mastermind groups, off-the-record conversations, and action-driven collaborations. Check out upcoming events, learn more about what members have to say, and apply here for the next cohort before Sep 27th for an October 9th onboarding. *L&D budgets often cover part or all of the membership & need-based scholarships are available.