On the busy streets of New York, youth are leading marches, art installations are being set up in parks. The city has been flooded with nonprofit groups, experts, activists, artists, leaders, young people, and speakers all concerned with the looming specter of climate change.
The groups and individuals are here for Climate Week NYC 2024, a massive conference running from September 22 through September 29. Organized by Climate Group, a global nonprofit focused on accelerating climate action, in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly and the City of New York, Climate Week NYC has over 600 planned events across the city and is expected to reach tens of thousands of people. Some events require registration while others are free to attend and open to public. Many other events are being livestreamed.
The conference’s size alone is intimidating, as is its spread throughout various buildings, monuments, parks, bridges, and public spaces of New York. With such a full slate of programming and with opportunities to participate in the conversations virtually, where should workers and leaders in the nonprofit sphere direct their attention?
NPQ breaks down some of the events, actions, and presentations of Climate Week NYC 2024, with a focus on livestreamed and virtual programming everyone can experience from home.
It’s Time
The theme of Climate Week NYC 2024 is “It’s Time.” As the event’s website notes, “We’re in the age of urgency. People and companies are waking up to the fact that we need to act, fast, as they see the effects of climate change all around them. Yet we’re still not going fast enough.” How is this theme reflected in Climate Week’s programming? NPQ readers may want to pay special attention to the first flagship session of Climate Week, on the pressing need for new climate leadership and renewed ambition when it comes to climate action now. The session is available for streaming and will be accessible to watch on the web after the event.
Youth Leadership
All of us need to pay close attention to the youngest attendees of Climate Week NYC 2024, many of whom are not only participants but also experienced leaders in the movement. Youth in the climate justice movement are kicking off the week with a march across the Brooklyn Bridge and a rally of speakers, part of an international day of action calling for polluters, funders, and other leaders to divest from fossil fuels. A climate science fair will be held on the High Line, in partnership with the Emerson Collective, and speakers at Climate Week include Maria Marshall, a UNICEF Youth Advocate.
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Shifts to a Green Economy
What are the cultural shifts of a fossil fuel-based society to a green economy, and how is the transition being prioritized for companies and housing? Find out more about climate-forward architecture on the panel “The Nature-Based Industrial Revolution: Redefining Future-Forward Architecture.” If you’re in New York, take an interactive, climate justice-based walk on the tour “Environmental Justice Through Block By Block Microclimates In North Brooklyn.”
Financing and New Models
Climate Week NYC 2024 features multiple events on leadership in the area of green growth, including the financing that currently exists, new models of financing, ways of collaborating between governments and the private sector, and the importance of a fair and just transition. Among the events that will be livestreamed—and available to watch from home later—is a session on powering sustainable growth and climate finance, and one on innovation and climate technology.
New York Times Livestreamed Interviews
Free livestream access is also available for interviews conducted by New York Times journalists with a variety of speakers, both expected and surprising. Among the interviewees: Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace; and Ali Zaidi, President Biden’s national climate advisor. So too is Dr. Kevin D. Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, which created the controversial conservative agenda Project 2025.
Art and Fashion
Multiple films will be screened at Climate Week NYC 2024, including Samuel Pigott’s documentary film, How to Get Away with Greenwashing. Climate justice also interacts with art in multiple installations throughout the city, such as a photo booth truck in Roosevelt Park. People can recycle their used clothing at Hyer Goods, and those interested in fashion’s carbon footprint and contributions to the climate crisis can attend a panel called “Forward Food and Fashion.”
