Climate Week NYC 2023 - virtual registration

Sunday, September 17

The Opening Ceremony is the most high-profile moment of the week. it will feature major announcements, discussions, and interviews with international leadership from business, government, and the climate community. The live stream will be split into three sections throughout the afternoon:

2:00pm – 3:15pm - Our window of opportunity is closing fast.

• What's the stark reality of the challenge we face?
• Where must investment be channelled?
• Which vested interests need to be held accountable?  

3:40pm – 4:35pm - We Can.

• Billions is being invested to boost green technology and energy security.
• Supranational institutions are stepping up to champion a roadmap for emission reduction and a just transition. 
• We have the solutions but how do we ensure they are implemented?

5:10pm – 6:30pm - We Will.

• We Can keep going. We Will speed up the transition to net zero. 
• Where have we picked up our biggest wins so far?
• How can we use the collective will of the climate community to remain inspired, stay the course and continue to drive climate action, fast?

Monday & Tuesday, September 18-19

The Hub Live is all about overcoming the barriers to our climate goals. It's a series of inspiring sessions where you'll have the chance to learn about the innovative solutions, technologies and ideas accelerating progress. Three plenary flagship events and four streams of a variety of sessions shape The Hub Live. The themes for the streams are:

• The New Industrial Revolution
  The revolutionary changes underway to deliver net zero industry and construction.  

• The Energy and Transport Transition
  Accelerating zero-emission, smarter energy and transport systems, removing the roadblocks. 

• Nature, Food Systems and Health
  Achieving a just transition in agriculture and nature, engaging food supply chains and enhancing environmental health.

• Financing the Green Economy
  Driving growth in investment that’s equitable and fair. 

Climate action is not moving fast enough across the globe and those in positions of  power have a responsibility to act without delay. What is the stark reality of the challenge we face, where must investment be channelled, and which vested interests need to be held accountable? 

We have made huge strides. The US, China and the EU are investing billions to boost green technology and energy security and supranational institutions are stepping up to champion a roadmap for emission reduction and a just transition. We know we have the solutions to the climate crisis. But how do we ensure they are implemented?

We Can keep going. We Will speed up the transition to net-zero. The leading voices in government, business and civil society are making positive, impactful progress and moving from pledge to practice. Where have we picked up our biggest wins so far and how can we use the collective will of the climate community to remain inspired, stay the course and continue to drive climate action, fast.

The political and economic reality of climate action is fast evolving, and new challenges are arising from many directions. We have witnessed bold and strong leadership from business, government and communities in keeping climate top of the agenda, establishing new frontiers in policy to strengthen investment in green manufacturing, and promote positive communication and resilience in the face of backlash. This session explores the biggest and most impactful strides which have been made to drive forward action and keep us on track

The climate tech landscape is evolving faster than ever before. From the promise of AI for smart energy to floating wind farms and battery innovations and recycling. The transformation is speeding-up but also bringing forth new risks. We will need to ensure that the highest emitting sectors can benefit at scale to drive down emission reduction and ensure that business, policy and finance unite to ensure innovation and investment is made where it is needed the most – including the Global South and communities most impacted by climate change.

Energy efficiency is back in vogue. It helped Europe keep the lights-on last winter and US citizens are now buying more heat pumps than gas furnaces. But progress is still eclipsed by the scale of what’s required. 

We’ll be asking and debating:

• Could the world now ignite a renovation revolution? 
• Will the Inflation Reduction Act deliver the opportunities needed in the US? 
• For the leading jurisdictions, what are the policy and business-led secrets to success?  
• How can the laggards catch-up with the leaders?

We know we need to accelerate the energy transition. We are committed to ambitious targets. We started to implement our plans, but we need to pick up the pace. Join us as we discuss with players across the ecosystem what is holding us back and how do we overcome these challenges, being it supply chain, talent or infrastructure. How do we manage the trade-offs of the ‘energy trilemma’? From utilities, industrial players, policy makers and investors, we will hone in on concrete actions and practical steps to move faster.

We will explore:

• What constraints and challenges do utilities, renewable developers, industrial players and investors see in executing their plans ‘on-the-ground’?
• What are practical ways to overcome these constraints and challenges? 
• How do various players manage the trade-offs of energy affordability, security and sustainability, or in other words the ‘energy trilemma’?

Even before COVID and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, global hunger was on the rise - almost 830 million people are undernourished, nearly 10% of the global population. There is a twin challenge around food: while hunger and food insecurity are growing, affected by a heating climate, the food system itself is one of the main drivers of climate change, contributing a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and consuming almost a third of the world’s total energy demand. To achieve our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 with greater prosperity for all, we need to rethink how the world produces, processes, distributes and consumes food.

We'll discuss and propose actionable solutions on the following: 

• How can we tackle the twin challenges of food production and emissions reduction? 
• What does it take to make food supply chains more (energy) efficient? 
• How can actors in the food supply chains collaborate more effectively and efficiently? 
• What are the roles for farmers, manufacturers and retailers? 
• What are the most promising scalable and actionable approaches we can adopt? 

How do we build resiliency for people and planet, while also ensuring a just, equitable, and inclusive transition? Major capital investments remain focused on the big climate technologies and innovations aimed at decarbonization, but there is a meaningful role for private sector investments in community-led climate solutions, circular innovations and nature-based solutions.

In this session we’ll explore:

• How do nations, organizations and corporations help ensure equity and access at the community-level in the transition to a more sustainable economy?
• How do we prioritize investments in things like nature-based solutions, circularity, or social inclusion programs when we still haven’t fully realized the financial benefits of renewables?
• Can circular innovations or nature-based solutions ever be seen as key contributors to a net-zero future?
• What role do different financing mechanisms, like philanthropy or impact investing, play in advancing social impact?

Steel is the world’s most widely used material – a vital part of the infrastructure we will need in the net-zero cities of the future, yet at the same time one of the biggest sources of CO2 emissions worldwide. The last few years have seen an upsurge in low carbon innovation in the sector and technological investment yet a host of barriers from technical challenges, to companies facing significant commercial and structural barriers continue to hamper progress. Climate Group’s SteelZero initiative sends a signal to steel makers that demand for green steel is growing – but there is a long way to go.  

We’ll be asking, what will the future hold for net-zero steel amid an increasingly fragmented supply chain. 

• What can governments, policy makers and business leaders do to support demand? 
• How can we collectively promote investment in zero-carbon steel making technology around the world?

Road transport is responsible for 15% of CO2 emissions worldwide. As we increase the speed of transport electrification, we must make sure the switch to EVs happens globally and the benefits to air quality and health are distributed equally. Looking to Latin America and India, it’s clear that the switch presents both challenges and opportunities. Collaboration between governments and the private sector will be critical to the Global South’s electrification journey.  

We'll explore: 

• How are governments and private companies coming together to bridge the divide between North and South? 
• What can we learn from pioneering work already taking place across Latin America and India? 
• How can we avoid repeating injustices and ensure a just transition to EVs across the globe?

Food systems and forests have a crucial role to play in addressing the intersection of climate, economic, and health challenges afflicting our world today. This session will explore the transformative role of policy, technology, and inter-sectoral cooperation as promising avenues for addressing the transformation of food systems to reverse climate change and biodiversity and forest loss.  

Bringing together indigenous communities, governments and the private sector, this session will consider: 

• How are governments working to reform food systems and halt deforestation? How are they currently collaborating with indigenous communities? 
• What is the role of digital technologies and other innovations to accelerate a sustainable and inclusive transformation of agriculture and food systems? 
• How are investors/international cooperation playing a role in shifting sustainable consumption? 

The societies and communities most impacted by the effects of climate change are often those that did the least to contribute to the issue and grappling with socio-economic inequality, poverty and governance challenges. Despite this, these countries struggle to get adequate funds for climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. More problematically, where the scale of climate damage is irreversible, there are little to no funds to support those communities.  

We'll consider:  

• How do we accelerate global support on the delicate issue of loss and damage?    
• Can a debt cancellation help developing nations to widen their scope to act on climate?   
• What are the main blocks/barriers to these agendas and how can they be addressed?

This session will focus on the climate crisis, the largest public health crisis of our time. The WHO estimates that nearly 1 in 4 deaths are attributable to preventable environmental causes. Today, we are seeing a steep rise in heart conditions, cancers, respiratory illnesses and infectious diseases linked to environmental factors, with vulnerable populations most affected. This bears an enormous burden not only on patient populations, but also on our societies and economies, with poor health estimated to cost the global economy 15% of global GDP.

Expert speakers will identify scalable action and opportunities to mitigate the climate crisis and help systems adapt to the significant health challenges we face now and in the future. Best practices of public-private partnerships will be shared, demonstrating that the transition to sustainable, equitable, and resilient health systems can be achieved.

Key questions to be addressed will include the following, including through audience Q&A:

• How does climate change affect health and vice versa?
• What are the economic and social impacts of the climate-health nexus?
• What actions must be taken to strengthen the resilience of health systems, and what best practices can be scaled?

The heavy-duty road freight sector represents 4% of vehicles on the road globally, yet is responsible for 5% of all CO2 emissions. That's greater than the contribution of the aviation and ocean shipping sectors combined, with highly negative consequences for the climate and our health. This session will convene players from across the sector – manufacturers, transport shippers, transport buyers and the public sector – that all have a vital role in the future of clean transport.  

We’ll discuss: 

• What are the operational benefits that are being captured by business leaders today?  
• How do we identify the outstanding barriers and the regulation that can help to accelerate action? 

Today’s young people experience the impact of climate change every day. As a result, eco-anxiety—the fear of environmental doom—is rife among young people around the world. At the same time, the world is looking to this generation to come up with solutions to save our future.

A new global survey on eco-anxiety found that while many are talking about the fear that young people have around climate change, few are telling the story of the optimism and action that define how they want to deal with it. The survey found that instead of despair, this generation is making a choice to be optimistic, realistic, and resilient.

In this session, we’ll discuss:

• What are young people’s view on this ever-changing world and what they need from leaders to turn resilience into action?
• How can we leverage youth optimism and turn it into action—for young people, but also to build climate resilience for all of us?

Climate action requires significant investment but this is challenging in a landscape characterised by inflationary pressures and economic uncertainties. Inflationary pressures can put stress on climate related infrastructure projects, renewable energy initiatives and sustainable business ventures. Yet doing nothing is not an option. Derisking climate investment is essential for driving forward the green transition, bolster climate resilience and unlock sustainable investments. To do so, will require greater partnership between public and private sector actors.

This session will explore: 

• How can investors, financial institutions and governments effectively manage inflationary risks while pursuing climate aligned investments? 
• What are the strategies and tools available to businesses and governments to derisk climate investments? 
• How do we better leverage public finances to attract private investment for speedier implementation? 

We are in a time of unprecedented investment in energy infrastructure as a route to tackle climate change, and simultaneously demanding the resources and expertise of business and government. Facing this complexity, can communications be the answer to accelerating collaboration, innovation and action? This session will look at the role communications can play in forging new narratives for change and unblocking the misunderstandings that can exist in major projects which blend together public and private sectors with government agencies, local groups and experts.  

We'll ask:

• What are the biggest blockers to infrastructure deployment? 
• How can we confront the danger of misinformation? 
• Is it possible to build a united front in the face of increasing levels of politicization faced in the United States?  

Solar is now the cheapest electricity, battery prices have dropped by over 80% in the last two decades, and electric vehicles are disrupting the utility sector. But connecting these solutions together across buildings, fleets and grids can deliver climate and commercial benefits that far exceed anything done in isolation. This session will challenge and inspire industry professionals, policymakers, and green power enthusiasts to take a systems-thinking approach to transform our energy systems at scale.  

We’ll be asking: 

• What’s the energy security and grid resilience pay off for integrated energy systems? 
• How can businesses and utilities work together while unlocking new revenue streams? 
• What role must policy play to create the right enabling environment and which governments and leading the charge? 
• Can we define common principles and implementation plans for scaling up integrated energy solutions at speed? 

Long overshadowed by discussions on renewable energy and emissions reduction, the restoration, conservation, and protection of biodiversity has emerged as a central pillar in the fight against global warming. The adoption of the far-reaching Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights at COP15 in Montreal marked an important step.  

However, with an agreed set of solutions far from implementation, we'll ask: 

• How close are we teering towards irreversible biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse? 
• How can nature-based solution implementation be driven rapidly and effectively to avoid the dangerous 'tipping point' scenario? 
• How will technology be part of the equation and which solutions are likely to play a central role? 

Finance is a critical enabler to accelerate the world’s transition to a net-zero future. By some estimates, getting the world to net zero by 2050 will require over US$9 trillion of investment a year, but today, that number stands at just US$5.7 trillion. We will need unprecedented amounts of capital, innovative financing solutions and radical collaboration across the ecosystem.

Yet the current climate financing landscape, while valuable in some respects, is inherently flawed and insufficient to tackle the enormity of the climate crisis. Limited funding, bureaucratic complexities, and the dominance of short-term interests often obstruct meaningful progress.

In this session, we will seek to answer the following questions:

• How can we foster systemic change, enabling nations and businesses to move away from fossil fuels and embrace green, sustainable technologies?
• What are the novel and disruptive financing models that can help scale the dollars that are starting to pour into sustainable solutions?
• How do carbon pricing mechanisms and public-private partnerships play a role, and what are the potential risks and rewards of these approaches?

Progress on phasing out fossil fuels is alarmingly slow, and global emissions continue to rise. This is despite huge strides in clean investment over the past year. As a united climate community, we must drive a rapid and just fossil-fuel phase out and illuminate every path to cut global emissions by 2025 and halve them by 2030. This session will outline the combination of infrastructure investment, divestment, regulation and high impact interventions needed to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Join global climate leaders from across sectors to unwind and network after a busy day at The Hub Live. Celebrate climate progress, and debate the bold agenda needed for global climate action. We Can. We Will explore new opportunities and break down barriers together. It may not be easy, but it’s vital.

The climate tech landscape is evolving faster than ever before. From the promise of AI for smart energy to floating wind farms and battery innovations and recycling. The transformation is speeding-up but also bringing forth new risks. We will need to ensure that the highest emitting sectors can benefit at scale to drive down emission reduction and ensure that business, policy and finance unite to ensure innovation and investment is made where it is needed the most – including the Global South and communities most impacted by climate change. 

The United States is on a mission to revolutionize its energy landscape by embracing low and zero-carbon solutions. Yet, unlocking the full potential of clean energy infrastructure requires breaking down barriers that impede swift implementation. How can we navigate the regulatory complexities, secure necessary financing, and overcome technical challenges to propel climate-friendly projects forward?  

We'll join forces to: 

• Unpack the current landscape of federal support for clean energy infrastructure and exploring opportunities and obstacles for effective implementation 
• Showcase real-world success stories and distilling valuable lessons from innovative clean energy projects within the United States and beyond 
• Ignite creativity through cutting-edge solutions and partnerships that expedite the deployment of clean energy infrastructure, foster job creation, economic growth, and enhance resilience 
• Spotlight the pivotal roles of state and local governments, utilities, investors, developers, and civil society in driving the clean energy agenda forward, while ensuring equitable access and community engagement 

ConcreteZero is a global market initiative driven by the twin ambition to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C. With the focus on scope 3 emissions and demystifying the complexities within concrete supply chain we are developing best practice on net-zero concrete implementation. 

In this session, we will: 

• Examine how pioneering private sector leaders are adopting ConcreteZero targets in their projects 
• Discuss how to unify demand and create a strong vibrant market for net zero concrete 
• Explore how ConcreteZero members are working together to optimize available solutions and minimize  
  scope 3 emissions
• Unpack a range of tools and guides to help deliver best practice and challenge BAU 

To power the world with renewable energy, we must prioritize updating digital infrastructure of the grid and connecting diverse, decentralized sources of clean energy, as well as empowering communities to adapt to evolving landscapes due to climate change. The International Energy Agency states that digital technologies can save $1.8 trillion of grid investment globally through 2050. The transformation of the grid plays a critical role in companies’ ability to reduce Scope 3 emissions which the UN Global Compact found accounts for 70% of the average corporate value chain’s total emissions.

This session will consider:

• Why do we need to digitize the grid?
• How can we ensure that resilient digital grid infrastructure is available in all markets?
• What role can technology play in accelerating the grid transformation?
• What role could policy play in catalyzing grid digitalization and decarbonization?

Climate change remains one of the greatest threats to global public health, and communities that are already vulnerable are being hit the hardest. With extreme heat and weather disasters becoming a regular occurrence around the world, the need for equitable and reliable access to healthcare is more important than ever. There is no overarching solution - having a meaningful and long-lasting impact often requires local insights and tailored approaches to meet the unique needs of different communities.

In this session we’ll discuss:

• How can we advance tangible, community-based approaches to climate adaptation, resilience and care?
• What steps are needed to bolster climate resilience in community healthcare clinics and support frontline healthcare providers to care for patients experiencing climate-related health impacts?
• What role can business leaders, health workers and health equity advocates play in leading the change?

While deep decarbonization of direct emissions remains a key goal of climate mitigation, it is equally important to address indirect emissions along the value chain.  Investing in targeted supply chain engagement can deliver tangible impact and unlock shared opportunities for climate-resilient commercial innovation.

In this session, we will discuss:

o    How can business better work across the supply chain to further decarbonization?

o    New regulatory requirements will only increase the need for data transparency. Why is more data transparency a positive thing and how can it shift behaviors up and down the value chain?

o    What role does innovation play in addressing Scope 3 emissions and how can businesses scale impact?

2023 marks the sixth year of the RE100 Members Forum - an exclusive global members-only meeting for RE100 companies. With over 400 corporates now part of the initiative, the RE100 Members Forum is an opportunity to hear how campaign strategy and impact is progressing - sharing key successes from the past year, and direction for the coming months. During the session we will hear from members about their own procurement journeys, and deep dive into a few key topics across policy work, ambition and leadership!

The question of how to achieve sustainable built environment is time critical with a focus on embodied emissions energising efforts to decarbonize material supply chain fast. Together, we must ‘bust the myth’ that concrete is hard to decarbonise, and champion the work of innovators and private sector pioneers leading in the development and deployment of low carbon concrete solutions.  

In this session, we will explore: 

• How can cross-sector collaboration support the specification, purchase, and manufacture of lower embodied carbon concrete technologies at scale? 
• Which promising low-carbon concrete practices are currently available to scale, and what do these need to deploy faster? 
• How do we close the scalability gap? 
• How fast can we move beyond GBBS and ensure lower carbon concrete is the standard on all projects? 

With the twin policies of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Green Deal Industrial Plan sparking a green subsidy manufacturing race in the Global North, the ground is set for clean technology to supercharge the transition to a net-zero economy. But, can we rely on technology, in some cases, unproven, unfunded and unscalable to save the planet?

We’ll be asking and debating, how do we select which clean technologies are game changing and drive scalability and implementation?

• What are the biggest inhibitors to the scaling of cleantech – and which industries are facing the most difficulty?
• How can cleantech businesses best position themselves to benefit for the ‘great unlock’ of finance driven by policy in the United States, China and the European Union?
• How can we ensure the benefit of cleantech is felt across the globe in equal measure

The RE100 Leadership Awards celebrate the RE100 members who are at the forefront of the transition to renewable electricity. This awards event covers six categories and offers members the chance to showcase their achievements as they work towards their 100% target. Judged by an independent panel of experts, each category highlights a key pillar of the RE100 campaign.

All sessions will be recorded and will be available to watch on-demand shortly after the event finishes.

Eastern Time (ET).

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