Now is the time to drive climate action that helps build healthy, resilient, and thriving communities today and for generations to come.
This year at Climate Week NYC, global leaders from across business, government, and civil society will converge to share information, challenge the status quo, and advance bold ideas on climate.
Today, climate action is an engine that drives sustainable development and strengthens economies. Now is the time to push for ambitious climate action that centers people, improves public health, and saves lives.
ClimateWorks Foundation helps philanthropy drive change by collaborating with implementing partners from around the world to advance transformative climate solutions that benefit people and the planet. From September 22 to 29, 2024, ClimateWorks will join a vast network of change-making partners in New York for Climate Week to listen, lead, and participate in a variety of Climate Week sessions. Below, we highlight a selection of events that we recommend following — whether you’re attending in person or participating online.
ClimateWorks and partners at Climate Week:
Opening Ceremony
Sunday, Sept 22; 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT – more information
The Opening Ceremony launches Climate Week NYC each year and is attended by hundreds of world-leading politicians, business executives, and civil society representatives. They’ll share their global outlook on driving climate action and igniting progress through engaging interviews, discussions, and major announcements. The live-streamed event is free and open to all and will feature multiple members of our community including Jessica Anderen, the CEO of IKEA Foundation, in a discussion about ClimateWorks’ Drive Electric Campaign Leapfrogging Partnership.
Strengthening Civic Engagement and Public Institutions for the Common Good
Monday, Sept 23; 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT – more information
2024 is a pivotal year. Nearly half the world’s population is headed to the polls for national elections. The results will have a significant impact on civic space, governance, and the role of institutions for years to come. However, as essential as elections are to build a just and inclusive society, they are a blunt and episodic tool. Looking beyond the election year, how can we redefine the relationship between ordinary citizens and public institutions — from one of fear or disaffection to one of hope and engagement? What does it take to defend democratic norms and processes in a time of closing civic space and rising mistrust in public institutions? What is the local and global infrastructure we need to deepen democracy?
We invite you to join a forward-looking dialogue with leaders on the frontlines of protecting and strengthening democracy. We will look at how civil society engages with state institutions, strategies that work to reimagine the relationship, and concrete ways to strengthen movements for justice and democracy.
Hosted by Namati
Donors Collaborative In-person Workshop
Monday, Sept 23; 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT
This annual workshop offers a unique chance to discover Youth Climate Justice Fund’s (YCJF) impactful efforts, engage with a vibrant community of over 15 funders, as well as exchange insights and best practices on supporting youth-led socio-environmental initiatives.
Hosted by Youth Climate Justice Fund
A Digital Backbone for Climate Data: A Collaborative Summit
Monday, Sept 23; 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT – more information
The lack of useful, publicly available data is a major roadblock holding back climate action. For example, after 20 years of climate action, cities cannot make sense of their progress or promising trends based on their data. Access to finance, coordinated multilateral action, and communicating progress all rely on access to data and information that is able to be combined together for insights. ClimateWorks’ Jean-Charles Seghers will moderate a panel.
Hosted by Climate Champions Team
Enlisting Sunlight in the Fight Against Climate Change
Monday, Sept 23; 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT – more information
Climate Resolve is hosting a breakthrough event on the global and local benefits of deploying cool surfaces (roofs, walls, and pavement). “Enlisting Sunlight in the Fight Against Climate Change” will cover the potential for cool surface deployment in our built environment to (1) improve the Earth’s global energy budget by reflecting sunlight back to space, mitigating the greenhouse effect; and (2) protect public health by cooling temperatures at the local scale, lessening the urban heat island effect. Axum Teferra, ClimateWorks’ Senior Associate Director of the Clean Cooling Collaborative, will moderate a panel.
Hosted by Climate Resolve
Just Bumps in the Road? – How Can Leadership in EVs Smooth the Transition to Clean Transport
Monday, Sept 23; 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT – more information
While electric vehicles are on the rise globally, the fastest growth is in places with strong and clear government policies. Communities in emerging markets across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia are already experiencing these benefits thanks to innovative business models and ambitious government commitments to clean vehicles of all kinds.
This event, part of Climate Week’s The Hub Live, will include Drive Electric Campaign Director Rebecca Fisher speaking to how the Leapfrogging Partnership works with regional and local leaders to enable strong government policies that can close the gap between leading and emerging markets, supercharging the shift to zero-emissions transport.
Hosted by The Climate Group, sponsored by ClimateWorks’ Drive Electric Campaign
Mobilizing Financing for Electric Two- and Three-Wheelers
Monday, Sept 23; 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT – more information
This event gathers stakeholders such as multilateral development banks (MDBs), philanthropists, corporate fleet platforms, regional financiers, and creditors to identify ways to mobilize financing for the electric two- and three-wheeler (e2/3W) transition. It explores financing solutions to increase the supply of e2/3Ws for all purposes including high mileage rideshare and cargo use and examines how innovative financing can reduce costs for e2/3W consumers. Discussions highlight pioneering financial approaches to make e2/3Ws more affordable and readily available, emphasizing the roles of stakeholders in driving investment and supporting the electric mobility transition. They also focus on involving local financiers to create lasting solutions and manage currency risk effectively. The insights gained aim to inform policymaking and the development of financial products to expand the supply and demand for e2/3Ws.
Hosted by RMI and Uber
Stocktake on Just Transition: How is South Africa Doing?
Tuesday, Sept 24; 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM EDT
This is a funder-focused panel and discussion on meaningful progress and emergent challenges on just transition planning and implementation in South Africa followed by an exploration of the potential pathways for philanthropy to support success in South Africa’s just transition efforts.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and the Ford Foundation
RMI at Climate Week NYC: It’s Time to Re-Energize
Tuesday, Sept 24; 8:45 AM – 3:15 PM EDT – more information
Four story-sharing sessions will be held: how the private sector, in partnership with RMI, is leading climate action; how slashing methane can solve short-term climate goals; how communities in the United States are benefiting from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); and how we can change hearts and minds in the fight against climate change. This dynamic program will feature RMI experts and partners from across industry, government, philanthropy, and community-based organizations.
Hosted by RMI
Trade and Climate: Scanning the Horizon for Emerging Geopolitical Signals
Tuesday, Sept 24; 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
This event will explore recent findings at the intersection of trade and climate (including topics such as the impacts of tariffs, investment treaties, and imported emissions) and how geopolitical dynamics are shaping and shifting the landscape of international trade. Attendees will have the opportunity to dive deeper into the implications of emerging geopolitical signals of change on a handful of trade-related topics in small groups.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and European Climate Foundation
Launch celebration: Whose planet? The climate justice podcast
Tuesday, Sept 24; 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT – more information
Systemic Justice and Greenpeace Netherlands are excited to invite you to the launch celebration of a new podcast series, “Whose planet? The climate justice podcast.”
At the event, we will bring together community activists, thought leaders, and the voices featured in the podcast to discuss the urgent issue of climate justice. The series centers on Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour perspectives, highlighting how those most affected by climate harms are leading the fight for a just and equitable future. The event will also be live-streamed; English captioning, BSL, ASL, and French and Spanish interpretation will be available.
Hosted by Systemic Justice and Greenpeace Netherlands
Grid Development – The Hidden Priority for Charging Infrastructure Deployment
Tuesday, Sept 24; 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT – more information
Reliable charging infrastructure networks are the lifeblood of EVs. As the global transition to clean transportation gathers pace, it’s imperative that we focus on and invest in energy grids to ensure they develop at the same rate and can power the ever-growing number of EVs on the road.
This session will ask what coordination, planning, and investments are needed to address the challenges many regions are already experiencing as they build out charging infrastructure.
Hosted by The Climate Group
Hot Financing-Cool Investment: A timely conversation on sustainable cooling finance for Southeast Asia
Tuesday, September 24; 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
This lunch roundtable provides a current look at the status and opportunities for financing sustainable cooling in Southeast Asia. We will share findings from a recent cooling finance “pulse check” from the investment community and hear from investors about promising financial products and technologies that can help scale sustainable cooling.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and Climate Resilience for All (CRA)
Adaptation and Resilience Funder Collaborative Convening
Tuesday, Sept 24; 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT
Part 1 will spotlight partners to showcase success stories and engage funders on key issues. This will include a facilitated discussion and a presentation showing common threads across sectors like heat, water, health, and migration. Part 2 will then be a presentation of the Adaptation and Resilience strategy final draft, in collaboration with Dalberg, to receive feedback and buy-in. ClimateWorks’ President and CEO Helen Mountford will be a featured speaker.
Hosted by ClimateWorks
From Local to Global: Enhancing NDCs through subnational action
Tuesday, Sept 24; 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT
The period between Climate Week NYC and COP29 represents the last chance to exert pressure to ratchet the ambition of the next round of NDCs, due in early 2025. Climate Group, as Secretariat to the Under2 Coalition, mobilizes over 200 of the world’s most ambitious subnational governments from across 35 countries. These states and regions are commonly raising the bar for climate action in advance of the pace of their respective national governments. Advocating for their strong role — and harnessing their jurisdictional powers on critical systems such as energy, transport, industry, and agriculture — can provide stimulus for national governments to increase their ambition via the 2035 NDCs and drive towards 60% in global emissions reductions by 2035.
ClimateWorks and The Climate Group will host a high-level roundtable session, with a particular focus on convening select high-ambition states and regions from target countries including Brazil, the United States, India, Australia, and China, alongside hand-picked corporates from key industrial sectors. The aim of the discussion will be to draw out examples of high ambition, alongside key asks to national governments and advocacy strategies that can be implemented in the short window between Climate Week NYC and the NDC submissions in February 2025.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and The Climate Group
Charging Ahead: Global Strategies for Bus Electrification
Tuesday, Sept 24; 3:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT – more information
By getting drivers out of cars and into reliable, all-electric bus systems, cities can lower housing and transport costs for residents, cut pollution, enhance livability, promote equity, and limit global heating. At this event, policymakers, sustainable transportation experts, and climate funders will share how they collaborate to overcome political, financial, and technological challenges. The event will include inspiring stories from Asia, Latin America, Africa, and North America, where electric bus systems are effectively cutting carbon emissions while delivering affordable, accessible, world-class transportation to rapidly growing cities, charting the path to electric transport for all.
Hosted by Crux Alliance, ICCT, ITDP, NY Climate Exchange, Aspen Global Change Institute, Regulatory Assistance Project, ClimateWorks’ Drive Electric Campaign
Big Meat and Dairy narratives to derail climate action: can you tell fake from fact?
Tuesday, Sept 24; 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EDT – more information
Join us for our eye-opening event at New York Climate Week, taking place at Pier Sixty, Pier 60 Chelsea Piers New York, NY 10011. Learn from our expert panel about the narratives that Big Meat and Dairy want you to believe to maintain the status quo. Can you separate fake from fact? Let’s dive in and uncover the truth together.
Hosted by Changing Markets Foundation
Truck Stop Truth Sandwich: Serving Electric by 2035
Tuesday, Sept 24; 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EDT – more information
You’re invited to take a bite out of electric truck myths at Climate Week 2024 in NYC! While big trucks make up just 10% of the vehicles on the road, they account for more than 25% of climate pollution in the transportation sector. Latino/e communities and other communities of color often bear disproportionate impacts of exposure to air pollution. With the industry doing its best to push misinformation about truck electrification, GreenLatinos is using a new messaging strategy to compile an infographic report that serves up the facts — truth sandwiches! See how they address misinformation without unintentionally furthering its spread.
Hosted by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and CLUA
Plant-Powered: How Leading Retailers and Brands are Leaning Into Plant-Based to Achieve Climate Goals
Tuesday, Sept 24; 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT – more information
Madre Brava and the Plant Based Foods Association will curate a conversation focused on how leading brands and retailers are playing a central role in catalyzing the protein transition. By leaning into plant-based to leverage their sustainability goals, leading companies are supporting a shift in consumer demand towards more plants and less animal proteins. During this panel discussion, leading representatives and civil society advocates will discuss the successes and challenges in implementing plant-forward strategies, innovations in the market and how we can continue to raise the ambition amongst private sector champions of the protein transition.
Hosted by The Plant Based Foods Association and Madre Brava
Leveraging Defaults & Narrative Change for Climate and Health
Tuesday, Sept 24; 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT – more information
Join us to hear from representatives from Food for Climate League (FCL), Greener by Default (GBD), the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, and Good Eating Company (GEC) of Sodexo talk about small changes that have an outsized impact on eater health and sustainability. Hear from panelists who will review real-world case studies that illustrate the transformative potential of choice architecture and narrative as tactics to reduce carbon emissions and improve public health, all while serving tasty meals that continue to delight eaters.
Hosted by Food for Climate League (FCL), Greener by Default (GBD), the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, and Good Eating Company (GEC) of Sodexo
Mapping Engagement Opportunities in the Corporate Political Responsibility Space
Wednesday, Sept 25; 8:45 AM – 1:00 PM EDT
Companies, including investors, are critical actors in the policy-making process, including on climate change and wider sustainability issues. This session will bring together over 50 partners and funders to explore key opportunities to collaborate and leverage work on corporate political responsibility, as part of wider efforts on corporate accountability for climate action. Discussions will focus on data and information needs, the role of regulation and other levers for accountability, and opportunities to shift trade and industry associations.
Hosted by ClimateWorks, Porticus, and KR Foundation
Road to Action – Towards Accelerated Truck Electrification
Wednesday, Sept 25; 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT – more information
Truck electrification is one of the most effective strategies to decarbonize road freight. This session explores how stakeholders are joining forces in collaborative initiatives to accelerate vehicle supply, charging infrastructure, and finance, as well as explore current and upcoming opportunities for electric truck projects in various regions, including North America, Europe, China, and India. The conversation will also provide insights into the role of private sector involvement and policy leadership in advancing electric truck pilots globally.
Hosted by Smart Freight Centre
A closer look at the intersections of mitigation and adaptation and climate-proofing philanthropic strategies
Wednesday, Sept 25; 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM EDT
Up to this point, science, policy, and projects have separated climate change mitigation efforts and climate change adaptation and resilience efforts. However, the distinct lines that have been drawn between mitigation and adaptation/resilience are in many cases porous, and increasingly, ambitious climate action requires more integration between the two. Furthermore, the science is clear that even with the most stringent mitigation efforts, we cannot avoid further impacts of climate change in the next few decades, meaning that mitigation and adaptation/resilience funders alike will need to develop and implement strategies for a climate-impacted world. This funder-focused event aims to shift the narrative by highlighting work at the intersection of mitigation and adaptation/resilience and creating a space for funders to think about climate action more holistically, where there are interconnected objectives and common themes. During this session, we will hear from several funders who are approaching dual-outcome work in different ways — from fully integrated strategies to developing strategies with co-benefits. We will also hear examples of projects with dual outcomes.
Hosted by ClimateWorks
Artivism and Climate Justice – A Global Conversation
Wednesday, Sept 25; 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
This event will showcase key insights from the recent Global Artivism Conference in South Africa, focusing on the role of art, narrative, and storytelling in advancing climate justice. The session will feature renowned activist Dr. Kumi Naidoo and explore how the power of arts and culture can address communication gaps between activists, frontline communities, and governments — ensuring the messages for change reach those most affected by the climate crisis.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and Waverley Street Foundation
Collective for Clean Transport Finance 2024 C-Level and Investor’s Roundtable
Wednesday, Sept 25; 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT
The roundtable will convene high-level public officials, corporate chief executive officers, and finance leaders who aspire to accelerate the adoption of clean transport technologies and infrastructure and familiarize themselves with investment opportunities in green road freight corridors in selected geographies. Special guests and others in the international community will participate in the conversation, helping to build the foundation for navigating present challenges and devising results-oriented and innovative solutions.
Hosted by The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Remaking International Trade to Drive Climate Action
Wednesday, Sept 25; 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM EDT
As momentum builds for remaking the trading system as a critical point of policy leverage for climate change progress, the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project invites you to a special Climate Week session regarding developments on trade system reform as sketched out in the Villars Framework for a Sustainable Global Trade System, Version 2.0. In the context of ongoing worldwide enthusiasm about this work, the emergence of the Biden Administration’s National Trade-Climate Task Force, and the convening of the 2024 Summit of the Future, we are looking forward to a lively discussion among the top trade-climate thought leaders, US government officials, and World Trade Organization leaders.
Hosted by Remaking Trade Project
BNEF Global Energy and Industry Event
Thursday, Sept 26; 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT – more information
Join BloombergNEF’s event to discuss the future of US energy policy and pathways to decarbonization. You will hear from industry leaders, policymakers, financiers, and innovative thinkers as they dive into strategies to mobilize capital and accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions. This session will feature the launch of three exclusive research insights focused on scaling renewables, zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), and our US New Energy Outlook.
Hosted by Bloomberg NEF
From Global to Local Transition Analysis: The Next Step to Unlock Climate Action
Thursday, Sept 26; 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
To meet ambitious climate targets, we need localized and granular transition analysis. While many parts of the world are suffering from extreme heat and drought, others are threatened by devastating flooding. The transition to a climate-resilient future is a global challenge, but action needs to be localized to ensure impact. This workshop will focus on addressing four interconnected challenges in localizing climate transition assessment: local pathways, analysis based on asset-level and value chain data, deployment of climate solutions metrics, and integration of physical risk and resilience. We will also zoom in on key sectors that are wrestling with all four of these issues (among others), including food, land, and agriculture. The goal will be to come up with a clear understanding of what is needed to solve these challenges in an integrated way and the types of capacity and investment needed to make this a reality.
Hosted by ClimateWorks and ClimateArc
Eyes on the Electric Road: Corporate EV Alliance Stakeholder Workshop
Thursday, Sept 26; 1:00 PM – 2:50 PM EDT – more information
This session will discuss the status of corporate fleet electrification and charging infrastructure build-out in the United States with stakeholders in the EV industry, including members of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA) and representatives from the power sector and original equipment manufacturers.
In a panel discussion and breakout groups, participants will discuss the status of corporate fleet electrification and charging infrastructure build-out in the United States, identify and workshop solutions for existing market hurdles to an accelerated EV transition, and explore policy and regulatory wins, including taking advantage of the historic EV incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Hosted by Ceres
Transparency in Motion: Holding Automakers Accountable for Responsible Policy Engagement
Thursday, Sept 26; 3:05 PM – 5:00 PM EDT – more information
While most companies in the transportation sector and other high-emitting sectors have publicly committed to supporting Paris-aligned climate policies, Ceres’ research shows that they have engaged in lobbying practices and through their trade associations that have undercut supply-side regulations. The good news is some automakers are beginning to hold their trade associations accountable while more investors hold companies to their climate lobbying practices. In this session, participants will explore this growing accountability trend and examine the recent actions of companies to hold their associations accountable.
Hosted by Ceres
G20 Brazil to South Africa philanthropic approach to climate action: funders and partners G20 coordination meeting
Friday, Sept 25; 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
In this session, we will brief funders and partners on ongoing cooperation between the African Climate Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, and Instituto Clima e Sociedade, share and seek feedback on the strategy to support the incoming South African G20 Presidency (including delivery mechanism/governance and coordination), discuss plans for continued philanthropic engagement and coordination on G20, and discuss plans to link and support partners across the Presidencies.
Hosted by ClimateWorks, Instituto Clima e Sociedade, and Africa Climate Foundation