Sustainability in September: SEC Newgate UK has touched down at Climate Week New York City!

SEC Newgate UK has touched down in New York City!

Tim Le Couilliard gives us his update: New York is bustling this Monday morning as two major events get underway – the United Nations General Assembly meeting and Climate Week New York City (NYC). Originally established as a side event to the General Assembly meeting, Climate Week NYC is now one of the leading global conferences for environmental action. Global leaders from the political and climate worlds are here (with a Venn diagram that, fortunately, has a significantly overlapping centre). As we walk around the city, what strikes you is the scale of everything here – from the food, the side walks, to the buildings. But its also the scale that the USA is acting on climate finance – with the unprecedented and unrivalled $1.6 trillion Inflation Reduction Act on clear display and corporates keen to show their climate leadership. Cranes and building sites are aplenty, developing and retrofitting buildings for the future, whilst EV's are seemingly everywhere (albeit stuck in traffic much of the time).

With scepticism being already levelled at COP29, which kicks off in just over a month, its gatherings such as Climate Week NYC where the conversations are taking place, with some of the biggest players in climate finance and solutions keen to open their doors, hosting events, science fairs, receptions and talks. Its clear to see why Bloomberg Green describes Climate Week NYC as “the unofficial climate summit of the year”.

John Kerry (former US Climate Envoy), Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission President), Ali Zaidi (US National Climate Adviser to President Joe Biden) and Jennifer Morgan (German Climate Envoy) are amongst those delivering key speeches today. Corporates such as JP Morgan, and usually closed door media majors such as Washington Post, are welcoming (at least some) delegates to their New York HQs for talks today. Some iconic New York skyline features will also be on show, with a key climate fair being hosted at The High Line. It’s a packed agenda, and that’s before you even consider the numerous closed-door meetings and introductions being made at Climate Week NYC.

Tim also has his eye on a new form of climate networking that is on the agenda this year – “Central Park climate 5k's”. Let’s see if this year’s Climate Week NYC can set some "personal bests", as well as a much needed “world records" on climate commitments and announcements.