The Climate Pledge began with an audacious and ambitious “What if?” As the stark realities of the climate crisis change the world immeasurably, the evidence is clear: now is our time.
As Climate Week NYC 2020 ends, we want to highlight reasons to be inspired and stay motivated to drive climate action. We’ve all experienced tumultuous months of the pandemic, and it is important to remember our reasons for continued action. We asked four climate and sustainability activists to understand what empowers people to take climate action and what visions of a just net-zero future look like.
There is no one formula for climate action. From conscious consumption and composting to starting a conversation and voting, climate action takes many different forms.
By Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability, The Estée Lauder Companies
By Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman & CEO, L’Oréal
This year has been a wake-up call for our world. The cascading effects of the Covid-19 crisis and the alarming advancement of global climate change demand an urgent and bold response. With this response comes opportunity.
There has always been a moral and ethical case for environmental sustainability. The much questioned “business case” for respecting the earth’s natural limits is now as clear and compelling as ever.
Today in the midst of the biggest Climate Week NYC event in the world, Governor Gavin Newsom of California announced that the state will phase out sales of internal combustion engines. By 2035, every new car and passenger truck sold in California will be a zero-emissions vehicle, in order to green and decarbonize the transport sector.
Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America of international non-profit, the Climate Group, organizers of Climate Week NYC said:
**Full recording of the event is available on the Climate Week NYC media portal**
Monday, September 21 2020, New York City – During a discussion at Climate Week NYC today, Christiana Figueres, Former Executive-Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) told Alok Sharma, COP26 President and UK Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), that he’d “won the lottery” as he will preside over the Paris Agreement’s first global stocktake.
In response to the climate announcement today by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the UN 75th UNGA, Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at international nonprofit, the Climate Group, said:
"The significant announcement by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the UN General Assembly and in the midst of Climate Week NYC is very welcome.
By Jakob Askou Bøss, Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, Ørsted and Jennifer Layke, Director of Global Energy Program, World Resources Institute
The technologies and the capital are available to accelerate the green energy transition, but the global transformation from fossil fuels to clean energy is not moving forward quickly enough. Governments need to adjust their institutional and regulatory framework to pave the way for the necessary private investments to get the job done.
**Full recording of the Opening Ceremony will be available on the Climate Week NYC media portal at 11:45 AM EDT**
There are over 450 events happening during Climate Week NYC, hosted from 20+ different countries.
September 20, 2020, New York City – This evening, New York City’s iconic buildings went green for the launch of the biggest and most global Climate Week NYC yet (September 20-27, 2020).
By Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart
Every journey begins for a reason.
By We Are Still In
To date, ‘We Are Still In’ is the largest cross section of the American economy and societal leadership yet assembled in pursuit of climate action. Since forming in 2017 to demonstrate America’s enduring commitment to delivering on the promise of the Paris Agreement and America’s contribution to it, the We Are Still In coalition has grown to over 3,900 members spanning red and blue regions across all 50 states and representing over half the American population and two thirds of the US economy.
By S&P Global
Our vision of the coming climate disaster is limited by political, practical, and professional horizons—which limit foresight to, at best, a decade. The tragedy of this limited horizon is that our planning cycles are out of sync with the systemic risks of global climate change.
In a 2015 speech at Lloyd’s of London, Mark Carney, the economist and then Governor of the Bank of England evoked the metaphor of the horizon to describe the market’s relationship with long term threats like climate change.
At AT&T, we understand climate risks all too well. With the growing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, climate change threatens our infrastructure and adds hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of disaster recovery.
New York, NY – September 16, 2020 – Climate Week NYC is partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund on the Finance, Investment, and Jobs program to deliver a series of events on what countries, and the private sector, must do over the next year to address the climate challenge.
Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at the Climate Group, said:
As Climate Week NYC prepares to get underway, JinkoSolar, a member of RE100 from China, shares its vision of a clean, solar-powered future.
The largest global economies are responsible for three quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Yet they are also aware that it is down to them, to save the planet from the effects of global warming.
This commitment to climate change has not always been the case. In the past, there were few alternative methods to replace the burning of fossil fuels. Consequently, our economies grew within this unsustainable model.
September 16 2020, New York City – More Americans think climate change poses a long-term threat to society than COVID-19 – 55% versus 44% respectively.
By Nat Keohane, Senior VP Climate, Environmental Defense Fund
At a time when multiple immediate crises – Covid-19, economic recession, and systemic racism and injustice – threaten to crowd the climate crisis off the world’s agenda, Climate Week NYC 2020 needs to be a wake-up call.
I live and work in Manhattan, so when Climate Week NYC comes around every September, it feels like the climate world is coming to me. This year, of course, the climate world is coming together online – but that doesn’t diminish the urgency.
Facebook has announced its ambitious goal to reach net-zero emission for their value chain and operations in 2030. This is in addition to the launch of their new Climate Science Information Center to connect people to factual and up-to information and tackle climate misinformation.
Helen Clarkson, CEO of international non-profit, the Climate Group, organizer of Climate Week NYC said:
New York, NY – September 14, 2020 – For the second year, Climate Week NYC and NYC & Company are partnering on the Sustainable Travel and Tourism program to discuss how travel and tourism can be an ally in sustainable development. From supporting local sustainable businesses to rediscovering local attractions, Climate Week NYC 2020 is focused on building a better future for all.
Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at the Climate Group, said:
As the RE100 initiative continues to expand around the world, LONGi is joining up with fellow members to promote 100% renewable electricity consumption in China.
RE100 members LONGi, Envision, and Sungrow—in partnership with the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of China Energy Research Association and the Photovoltaic Special Committee of China Green Supply Chain Alliance—have jointly initiated and signed the ‘RE100 China Pathfinder Pledge’.
By Professor Jason Snape, Global Head of Environmental Protection at AstraZeneca
The COVID-19 pandemic has, in a short time, inflicted huge personal suffering and had a long-lasting economic and social impact in every country around the world. As our attention starts to shift to the future and to economic recovery, how can we begin to move forward?
Connecting healthy business, people and planet
Download the new mobile app on iOS and Android
The Climate Week NYC app is a guide for the program of 350+ events taking place as part of Climate Week NYC. Bringing together the digital events taking place around the world, this free app provides everything you need to know on how to get involved with Climate Week NYC and support climate action.
By Hauke Engel, Partner at McKinsey & Company and Dickon Pinner, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company
As policymakers take measures to repair the economic damage caused by COVID-19, they can also accelerate the significant emission reductions needed to halt climate change. Such an approach comes with fewer tradeoffs than conventional wisdom might suggest. These three charts highlight the advantages of a low-carbon economic recovery.
By NYC & Company, Sustainable Travel and Tourism program partner
By Justin Winters, Co-Founder and Executive Director of One Earth
Although climate change is a complex, global problem, it will ultimately be solved by action on the ground; on the land where forests thrive, in the neighborhoods where energy is generated, on the soil where our food is grown. It’s clear that frontline communities and nature are vital to solve the climate crisis, but their importance has been underestimated for too long. Now, we must radically scale support for the groups on the ground leading change.
September 9, 2020, New York City – International non-profit the Climate Group has today announced that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will deliver a virtual keynote speech at the Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony on Monday, September 21.
New York, NY – September 8, 2020 – Climate Week NYC is partnering with the American Museum of Natural History on the Nature and Science program to explore the role of natural resources in climate action. The event program aims to build a deeper connection between humans and nature.
By Amer Jandali, Founder, Future Meets Present
World’s Fairs are magical events that demonstrate the power of vision in achieving the impossible.
New York, New York – September 4, 2020 – Today, the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA announced a partnership with Climate Week NYC 2020, focused on addressing the climate crisis from a policy perspective.
September 4, 2020, New York City – Climate Week NYC is teaming up with Global Citizen for the second year to promote youth-led and grassroots climate action. Global Citizen is the Youth, Public Mobilization and Justice program partner for Climate Week NYC, where they will engage citizens to create systemic change through collective action.
Global leaders from business and government including Alok Sharma, COP26 President and UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg LP & Bloomberg Philanthropies, 108th Mayor of New York City; Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone; Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont, CEO, Charoen Pokphand Group (C.P. Group) and Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L’Oreal, among confirmed participants
Members of Climate Week NYC’s ‘Climate Action is our Business’ campaign have gone above and beyond to face the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in their communities. From the start, sustainable eateries and businesses have given new meaning to the phrase ‘New York Strong’ by answering calls for help whenever they came, from the frontlines to the homes of elderly New Yorkers.
By Saskia Randle, Arts Marketing Coordinator, Climate Museum and Bram Ziltzer, Operations Coordinator, Climate Museum
August 13 2020, New York City – International non-profit the Climate Group has today announced more than 15 new additions to its stellar speaker lineup of global business and government leaders for The Hub Live at Climate Week NYC next month (September 21-27) – the only major climate summit to take place in 2020.
The Hub Live (Tuesday, September 22 – Thursday, September 24)
The official Climate Week NYC 2020 events program is now live. For the first time ever, Climate Week NYC now includes virtual events from all over the world and we’ve invited a global audience. The week will be filled with dynamic conversations to drive climate action. From virtual ocean odysseys and climate ballets to sustainable investment workshops and TED talks, Climate Week NYC brings together a diverse range of events.
By Stephen Donofrio, Principal & Founder of GreenPoint Innovations / GreenPoint EARTH
We’re at a critical turning point for people and the planet. People all around the world are taking to the streets and joining in solidarity, alongside government, businesses, and a diverse mix of organizations for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine a better future for all.
By Sandra Noonan, Chief Sustainability Officer, Just Salad and Leigh Anne Statuto, MBA in Sustainability Candidate at Bard College and Summer 2020 Sustainability Fellow, Just Salad
“A calorie label simply isn’t enough anymore – we need to know how our food choices affect our well-being at a planetary level,” says Sandra Noonan, Chief Sustainability Officer of Just Salad.
Virtual events are now accepted as part of the official Climate Week NYC events program.
June 13 2020, New York City – With 100 days to go until Climate Week NYC (September 21-27), The Climate Group has today announced its first raft of speakers for the Opening Ceremony, which includes a stellar lineup of global business leadership committed to building a better future.
Climate Week NYC 2020 Calls on the Global Community
June 13, 2020 – New York, NY – With 100 days to go until the biggest climate event of 2020, today Climate Week NYC launches registration for organizations, communities, and individuals to be part of the official events program. Taking place September 21-27, Climate Week NYC 2020 is the time and place for the world to come together and drive momentum for action.
To celebrate 100 days until #ClimateWeekNYC, we've pulled together a list of the top 100 inspiring Twitter accounts using the platform to fight for a net zero future.
Admittedly, selecting the top 100 Twitter accounts from across the globe that you can follow to be informed, engaged and excited about climate action was not an easy task. Given the diverse range of actors – journalists, politicians, scientists, campaigners, etc – in the climate space, we decided to sort alphabetically by name – not in order of preference.
Looking for ways to get involved with Earth Day from home? Climate Week NYC is now bringing you Earth Day programming!
New York’s most famous buildings will go green on the eve of the Opening Ceremony of Climate Week NYC, Sunday September 23, 2018.
By Paulette Frank
How can we inspire more action to protect planetary health at the pace and scale the world needs? Paulette Frank, Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Vice President for Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability, asserts that public health could be the unifying motivator to tackle both air pollution and climate change simultaneously.
Climate Diplomacy Project Coordinator, Camilla Munkedal, shares her thoughts on what’s required to accelerate global climate action
How can each of us, as individuals, get involved with accelerating climate action?
The Rt. Hon Jacinda Ardern MP, Prime Minister of New Zealand; President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Costa Rica; President Hilda Heine, Marshall Islands; and President Martín Vizcarra, Peru have all been announced to speak in the first session of the Opening Ceremony on September 24. They will be joining President Jovenel Moïse, Republic of Haiti, who was announced earlier this year.
The world’s largest climate week – Climate Week NYC – will be upon us in a mere handful of weeks.
New York City: The Climate Group has announced that a number of senior figures from the world of business and government will be speaking at the Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony on Monday, 24 September 2018. The announcement comes following Mayor de Blasio publicly welcoming the biggest Climate Week event in the world for its tenth year in NYC.
For the first time, Climate Week NYC, now in its 10th year, is giving you the opportunity to tell New York City why climate action is your business too. Buy a window decal here.
Today, Saturday 16th June 2018, Climate Week NYC is launching its 100-day countdown. The event, which is the largest climate week in the world, launches on 24 September 2018, with an Opening Ceremony to be held at the The Times Center, in Manhattan. Climate Week NYC is endorsed by the UN, and coincides with the United Nations General Assembly. Previous speakers at our Opening Ceremony include Tim Cook, Tony Blair, Christiana Figureres and California Governor Jerry Brown.
The 10th Climate Week NYC will shine a spotlight on businesses and governments from around the world as they deliver - at a greater scale than ever before - the Paris Agreement on climate.
Join key US and international actors at the inaugural Climate Week NYC Hub, as we come together behind a message of ‘stepping-up’ – collectively taking climate leadership to the next level.
Amy Davidsen, US Executive Director, The Climate Group, reflects on the past decade of Climate Week NYC events ahead of its 10th year Anniversary – and explains why 2018 is more important than ever for leaders to come together and accelerate climate action.
The Climate Group is proud to announce the 10th Anniversary of Climate Week NYC. Taking place at a critical point in the global response to climate change, join us on September 24-30, 2018 in New York City, to accelerate real action.
At the annual global summit, which was founded in 2009 by The Climate Group, witness how businesses and governments around the world are making efforts to deliver – at a greater scale than ever before – the Paris Agreement on climate.
LONDON: A rapidly growing group of ambitious multinational businesses are actively reshaping the energy market through their global investment decisions and accelerating a zero emissions economy, a new report release today (Tuesday January 23) shows.
Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, reflects on some of our campaign successes in 2017, and looks ahead to 2018, where our mission is to accelerate climate action.
January is often said to be named after the Roman god Janus: the god of passages, of beginnings and ends, who looks backwards and forwards at the same time. It’s more likely to be named after the goddess Juno, but let’s stick with Janus and ask what he might be thinking of the state of the climate right now.
NEW YORK: Nike will soon achieve more than half of its RE100 commitment by sourcing 100% renewable energy across North America thanks to a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the company has just announced.
As 2017 draws to a close, Mike Peirce, Corporate Partnerships Director at The Climate Group reflects on growing corporate action on energy and climate change – and looks ahead to 2018.
BONN: Today, 16 new jurisdictions have been announced to the Under2 Coalition, the global pact of state and regional governments committing to tackle climate change and help implement the Paris Climate Agreement. The Coalition now encompasses 205 jurisdictions, from across 43 countries and collectively represents 1.3 billion of the world’s population and almost 40% of global GDP (US$30 trillion GDP).
Climate Week NYC 2017 brought together global leaders from business and government across New York City from September 18-24 to showcase the unstoppable force for action on climate change. Over 140 official affiliate events were also hosted throughout the week in a powerful show of support for the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In this blog, Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, looks at the key takeaways from this year's summit.
NEW YORK: “Job creation through clean energy is one of the best bets we can possibly make,” says Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State, in a Climate TV interview filmed at Climate Week NYC in September.
BONN: Virginia has today become the latest US state to commit to action on climate change, becoming a member of the Under2 Coalition of leading sub-national governments at a side event hosted during the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn.
NEW YORK: Community members have “a joint responsibility to take more action” on climate change, says Jenny Bofinger-Schuster, Sustainability Director, Siemens AG, in a Climate TV interview filmed at Climate Week NYC in September.
NEW YORK: The energy market is fast moving towards renewable energy – making it easier for companies to transition towards 100% renewables, says Diane Holdorf, CSO, Kellogg Company.
NEW YORK: Tackling climate change while improving the built environment is “an amazing opportunity from a business standpoint,” says Diane Hoskins, Co-CEO, Gensler, in a Climate TV interview filmed at Climate Week NYC in September.
NEW YORK: The iconic Empire State Building in New York City is going green on Friday September 22 to mark Climate Week NYC 2017 and demonstrate support for global action on climate change.
It is the fourth year in a row that the Empire State Building has been the official Lighting Partner for the summit, which is organized by The Climate Group annually to showcase climate leadership from business and sub-national governments.
NEW YORK: The Climate Group launched a groundbreaking new campaign on electric vehicles (EVs) at Climate Week NYC 2017 on Tuesday at Spring Studios in New York City. EV100 aims to fast track the drive towards electric vehicles; by signing up, companies can use their collective buying power and influence to build demand, cut costs and remove barriers to adoption.
NEW YORK: A new business campaign designed to fast-track the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and infrastructure has been launched by The Climate Group at a unique event in New York today, as business and government leaders gather at Climate Week NYC.
Climate Week NYC 2017 Opening Ceremony, New York, September 18: A new survey finds that a majority of people globally are optimistic about our ability to address climate change, with 64% of global citizens believing we can address climate change if we take action now. Overall, 33% strongly agree this is the case, and 32% tend to agree. Only 11% disagree that we can address climate change if we take action now.
NEW YORK: Days before Climate Week NYC 2017 gets underway in New York City, The Climate Group, organizer of Climate Week NYC, is announcing that The Estée Lauder Companies, Kellogg Company, DBS Bank Ltd and Clif Bar & Company have today joined its RE100 campaign, run in partnership with
NEW YORK: As the first major gathering of international climate leaders since the US announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Climate Week NYC could not come at a more critical time in the global effort to tackle climate change.
NEW YORK: Climate Week NYC 2017 will open in just 90 days. The ninth annual summit, brought to you by The Climate Group, will take place from September 18-24 in New York City and will focus on the themes of innovation, jobs and prosperity.
NEW YORK: The Climate Week NYC 2017 Affiliate Events program is now open for registrations. Annually, businesses, NGOs, civil society groups, academic institutions and others are offered the opportunity to participate in the iconic week, which this year will take place between September 18-24.
By registering for the affiliate events program, organizations can host conferences, panel discussions, exhibitions, concerts, and seminars during the week.
NEW YORK: Demonstrating clear corporate leadership during Climate Week NYC 2017, RE100 member Carlsberg Group has highlighted the importance of working in partnership with others to reduce emissions and address climate change.
NEW YORK: Announced today at Climate Week NYC 2017 in New York, global financial institutions Citi and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have joined The Climate Group’s RE100 campaign with CDP, committing to source 100% renewable powe
NEW YORK: The Climate Group launched Climate Week NYC 2017 at a high-profile Opening Ceremony on Monday, bringing together global climate leaders to demonstrate how a combination of state, city and business commitment will continue to deliver the Paris Agreement.
NEW YORK: The impact from the US decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement could be significantly mitigated thanks to the determined action demonstrated by US states, cities and businesses – a new report shows.
