7 key messages from New York Climate Week 2024

Each September, leaders working at the forefront of the nature and climate crisis descend on New York for Climate Week.

This year, the eight-day event launched with the Summit of the Future with high-profile leaders in attendance and was followed by various activities throughout the city, including at Solutions House under the banner “Answers Only” and the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, to name a few.

Here are my seven takeaways from the week.

Activist, social entrepreneur, Global Shaper and co-founder of the Creators Academy in Brazil, Kamila Camilo spoke eloquently about how not every action is right for everyone during the session: Collectively Triggering Positive Tipping Points.

Camilo – who works on the frontlines with local and Indigenous communities as a bridge between the voiceless and those with a voice, including the global leaders seeking to do good – highlighted that a measured approach is needed as not every action will be right for everyone. A greater understanding of the intended and unintended consequences of decisions on grassroots communities is key, she said.

We live in the age of misinformation and disinformation, which has previously fuelled the “climate hoax” narrative. However, now propagandists have moved from seeding doubt in the existence of the climate crisis to casting doubt on proven solutions, for example, by saying that “solar panels are worse for the environment than fossil fuels.”

We must be able to identify such narratives, which will in turn help us train future generations to do the same. For instance, while solar panels do require rare earth minerals, the social and environmental cost of this extraction and use is far lower than the burning of fossil fuels, the heat from which is propelling Earth system tipping points into states of no-return.

After 20 years of work, scientists can finally assess the climate impact of storms like Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Orlando, Florida, midweek. They can indicate in real time the degree to which they are propelled by global warming and the frequency and severity amplifiers. This helps to inform impacted communities in a way that allows them to make different choices in their day-to-day lives including their decisions in elections.

In bold collaborations, academics and marketing experts are determining what messages resonate most effectively with audiences and how to build bridges of understanding on the climate crisis, creating open-source resource hubs.

Indigenous peoples and local communities worldwide shared a unified message this week representing their collective needs: We are one people living in our one and only home, planet Earth. The lives of humans and our natural relatives are on the line. This is the sixth mass extinction and we humans are not immune to its effects.

These communities need direct access to long-term patient funding yet to trickle down to them. They need a meaningful seat at the table in world fora, including the Conference of Parties (COPs) on climate, nature and desertification to represent nearly 500 million people from First Nations who ought to have a leading voice in shaping policies that impact their land and lives.

Their historical resilience and deep connection to nature position these communities as vital leaders in tackling environmental challenges. During the gathering, they shared harrowing stories, such as Indigenous villagers battling forest fires with flip-flops and the account of Hopi and Akimel O’odham defender Jacob Johns, who survived being shot during a peaceful demonstration. He urged us to transform this pain into meaningful action.

As the 2024 COP16 in Colombia and 2025 COP30 in Brazil approach, Indigenous voices are advocating for nature-centric decision-making, emphasizing that half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Their solutions, grounded in centuries of ecological stewardship, are essential for shaping a sustainable future for all.

Another side effect of the battle between credible and false information is that companies are risk averse. In an increasingly fractured context where they will be attacked for anything they do, they prefer to avoid disclosure than risk attack.

Communication department resources are being diverted from storytelling to fact-checking. In this wake, accusations of greenwashing have led to greenhushing, where companies don’t talk publicly about their projects, learnings and success stories. This is a major information hazard—without transparency around progress and learning paths, companies fall deeper into the pit of accusations, while others evade accountability.

We have also experienced a step change in the nature and scale of innovation at UN Climate Week this week. One Chief Sustainability Officer shared that she was most heartened to see how mature the “pilots” and “tests” of previous years have become. They are gaining global traction and offering public services in the public good on a scale we have not yet seen. The trust, transparency, precision and open sourcing of new information and communication tools is globally insightful.

Forward-thinking companies committed to transparency are pursuing ambitious actions to address the climate crisis, walking the path of informed optimism. The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, after years of monitoring, has reported a 10% reduction in absolute emissions from 2019 to 2022 – surpassing the targets set by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and outperforming major global economies.

During this same period, the alliance also reduced emissions intensity by 12%, while achieving an 18% growth in revenues, significantly outpacing global GDP. These results underscore that businesses doing good can also thrive.

More companies are recognizing the need to integrate nature and climate strategies, acknowledging that nature-based solutions can deliver both climate benefits and positive impacts for local communities.

They are empowering Chief Sustainability Officers, sharing lessons from their setbacks to guide others, and promoting collaboration across industries and regions. By being transparent about both successes and challenges, these businesses are leading the way in creating sustainable and profitable strategies for the future.

As we think about evolution, the common phrase that comes to mind is “competition of the fittest.” My final takeaway from this week is that evolutionary biology reminds us that the most collaborative have historically survived.

From the grasses to the funghi and our own microbiome – symbiosis is a primary driver of fitness. And whilst competition is stark – those that make it in the long-term are those who know how to see beyond their short-term self interests, be courageous in their values and deliver their vision despite resistance.

Rather than the tragedy of the commons, we are building stewardship for the commons. It is our imperative not to waste this crisis – and rather to do as our ancestors have done before us and evolve even more rapidly to collectively decarbonize, support nature and grow our common resilience in these times of change.