Climate Week NYC will soon bring together climate leaders from around the world to confront the complex challenges of climate change and accelerate meaningful progress. Running from September 20 to 27, it is the largest global climate event of its kind, convening members of the public, businesses, academia, governments, nonprofits and a worldwide audience for conversations focused on practical solutions and collective action.
Organized by the international nonprofit Climate Group, which has helped propel climate action for more than two decades, Climate Week has become a critical forum for turning ambition into action. Last year’s Climate Week marked the biggest turnout in the event’s history, and this year’s gathering is expected to surpass it, underscoring the growing urgency, visibility and momentum around climate action.
The Columbia Climate School is excited to again serve as Climate Group’s education partner and host a full lineup of events on and off campus throughout the week. The school’s participation is central to the spirit and success of Climate Week: bringing together scientific expertise, policy insight, student engagement and community-centered work at a moment when climate knowledge must be translated into decisions that improve lives.
“Climate Week is powerful because it brings so many parts of the climate conversation into the same room,” said Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson. “At the Climate School, our role is to help connect those conversations to evidence, to solutions and to the next generation of climate leaders. We are proud to contribute events that reflect the urgency of this moment and the work needed to meet it.”
Highlighted Events
September 19: Rethink Waste. Reduce Emissions. Unlock Value.
To kick off Climate Week, leaders from the public and private sectors will explore practical solutions and emerging innovations in the pursuit of a more circular economy, including lessons learned and challenges that remain. Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson will open the event, and Climate School Professor Sandra Goldmark will moderate a conversation with Anu Mänty, senior lead of international programs at Sitra; John Muir, head of USA at 3stepIT; and Miia Rantanen, consul general of Finland in New York. This special event will be co-hosted by Columbia Climate School and Scandinavia House.
September 21: Columbia Fashion, Energy, and Climate Summit
The Columbia Fashion, Energy, and Climate Summit will bring together leaders from fashion, energy, climate, technology, business, academia, policy and design. This year’s theme is “Fashion and the Climate Future,” with discussions focused on how energy systems, materials, markets, finance, regulation, trade and culture are transforming the industry, and what it will take to build a more resilient, competitive, circular and climate-conscious fashion system. The summit is co-hosted by the Fashion, Energy and Climate Network at Columbia Climate School and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
September 22: Envisioning the Future of the Environmental Justice Movement
As communities across the country confront new environmental and climate challenges, this full-day convening will celebrate the accomplishments of the environmental justice movement while bringing together leaders, advocates, researchers, policymakers, students and community members to share lessons learned, envision the future of the movement and chart the path forward. The event is organized by WE ACT for Environmental Justice, in partnership with Columbia Climate School and Beyond Petrochemicals.
September 22: Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy Symposium: Sustainable Energy, Resource, and Environmental Solutions
This focused half-day convening will bring together leaders from industry, research and government to examine how the United States can rebuild secure, end-to-end mineral supply chains and deliver the dependable, affordable energy that domestic manufacturing and energy-intensive industries require. The program will center on two priority discussions shaping national resource and industrial strategy.
September 22 to September 24: Disaster Readiness Summit with National Center for Disaster Preparedness
This multi-day summit, hosted by Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, will focus on strengthening disaster readiness across communities. Morning and afternoon sessions will explore AI for resiliency, trauma and disasters, and how to create a lasting culture of preparedness. The summit is sponsored by Teachers College, with sessions led by partners including the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative, NEC Labs, Twilio, Google, AT&T and others.
September 23: Cities, Energy Affordability, and Climate Action
This event will convene city leaders and faculty to discuss the choices cities are making, the challenges they are navigating and the lessons that can be shared across communities. Speakers include Christopher Taylor, mayor of Ann Arbor; Chandra Farley, chief sustainability officer for the City of Atlanta; Annel Hernandez, Public Utility Advocate for the City of New York; Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson; and Sheila Foster, professor of climate at the Climate School. The event is hosted by Columbia Climate School and the Climate & Sustainability Alumni Network.
September 24: Beyond the Forecast: What El Niño Reveals About Science, Society, and Action
This event will bring together perspectives from science, policy, business, arts and culture through a conversation with Columbia Climate School Distinguished Fellows about how climate knowledge moves from scientific forecasts into real-world decisions. Speakers include Justin Brice Guariglia, visual artist and environmental storyteller, and Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, entrepreneur and advocate for sustainable business and cultural preservation. Dean Abramson and Senior Vice Dean Jeffrey Shaman will also join the event, with Shaman providing a scientific overview of El Niño and moderating the conversation.
September 24: LA Times Studios Presents: Boiling Point Live
This Climate Week conversation and live taping of the Boiling Point podcast will feature David Gelles, climate reporter at The New York Times and author of the Climate Fwd newsletter; Bill McKibben, environmentalist, activist and author; and Woo Qiyun, senior communications manager of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group. Boiling Point’s Miranda Green will host.
September 24: From Antalya to Addis Ababa: Making COP32 Deliver
As governments prepare for COP31 in Antalya this November and Ethiopia looks ahead to hosting COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027, this high-level conversation will explore how the COP process can accelerate climate action in the years ahead. Featuring Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Columbia Climate School, the discussion will explore how governments, international institutions, business, civil society and other actors can work alongside the COP process to mobilize finance, advance practical solutions and build the momentum needed for COP32 to translate ambition into action at greater scale and speed. Moderated by Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, the event will also include remarks from Dean Alexis Abramson.
For more events, visit the Columbia Climate School’s Climate Week website.
