Join the Movement: Experience Climate Week in New York City!

New York City—As I prepared for Climate Week NYC 2025, I reached out to a climate tech entrepreneur for advice. They told me to drink plenty of water and make time for breaks. This changed how I viewed Climate Week: it’s not just a conference; it’s a vibrant festival. From September 21 to 28, individuals and organizations tackling climate change came together for over 1,000 events across the city. The nonprofit Climate Group estimates that about 100,000 people attended.

The city’s large scale created a unique atmosphere. As I traveled between various events, I found each session buzzing with attendees eager to learn, network, and innovate. Many discussions became so crowded that people had to stand, making it tough to capture some interviews I’d planned.

Stepping outside, the atmosphere shifted. Attendees mingled seamlessly with approximately 8.5 million New Yorkers and 175,000 daily visitors. Conversations with local bartenders and hotel staff showed they were aware of Climate Week and appreciated the focus on climate issues without feeling overwhelmed by the crowds.

Climate Week includes events organized by anyone who wants to take part. One signature event is the Hub Live, which covers business and policy-related environmental topics. Here, financing climate solutions emerged as a hot topic. Nancy Mahon, Chief Sustainability Officer at Estée Lauder, shared her insights about carbon credits. Estée Lauder aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, focusing on investments in forestry projects, as they resonate more with consumers than some complex technologies.

Interestingly, many large companies are pursuing carbon credits because their internal sustainability innovations are developing more slowly than anticipated. Garet Rembert from Cajun Well Solutions mentioned that many at the Hub Live were seeking corporate clients for CO₂ reduction projects. While tree-planting initiatives offer quick results, they may divert funds from startups innovating new solutions.

Rembert pointed to methane leaks, which the International Energy Agency estimates account for 30% of the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution. This showcases an area ripe for innovation. However, there are concerns over the integrity of carbon offset projects. Investor Rob Majteles highlighted issues with fraudulent credits and questioned whether voluntary carbon markets can thrive given recent scandals.

Participants voiced fatigue over the U.S. government’s shifting support for clean technologies. Andrew Gollach from Hax expressed hesitancy to invest in companies relying on the 45Q tax credit, citing uncertainty about its future.

Nonetheless, innovative solutions continue to emerge. Merritt Dailey from Carbon Direct Capital emphasized the importance of smaller-scale CO₂ capture technologies as a more reliable investment strategy. She noted that while federal funding may wane, there are still opportunities through philanthropic support.

Throughout Climate Week, numerous startups showcased their innovations. For example, FAST Metals focuses on extracting valuable minerals from industrial waste—a project that enjoys bipartisan backing. Others, like Found Energy, are working on energy storage solutions, while Heliotrope Photonics offers solar cell coatings that improve efficiency.

This week highlighted that people from diverse backgrounds are eager to engage in climate action. I met artists, designers, and financiers, all seeing climate change as an opportunity for growth despite political challenges. A gathering organized by Scientista featured meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky, who captured a prevalent sentiment: “We have science and public opinion on our side.”

Climate Week NYC showcased not only the urgency of tackling climate change but also the collaborative spirit needed to drive meaningful change.

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