Climate Week NYC: “We Can. We Will.”

Corporate leaders from around the world gathered in New York City last week to meet, learn and talk about actions taken towards a brighter climate future. Climate Week NYC 2023 was extensive and more immersive than ever, centered on the theme “We Can. We Will.” Not only did the Climate Group host collective discussions around decarbonization and forestation, equity supply chain, finance, technology, policy and permitting, they also included art shows, movie releases, youth challenges, clean up opportunities on the Hudson and more to help attendees connect to the myriad dimensions of the climate agenda.

The Weber Shandwick Collective Senior Advisor Sasha Mackler, the Executive Director of Energy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, noted some key trends emerging from the dialogue. He’ll be on the lookout for developments that indicate further momentum around the clean energy transition. “This Climate Week was bigger than ever before,” said Mackler. “That said, it’s clearly going to be hard to hit net zero in three decades. Finding the path that balances costs and security while driving deep emissions reductions will require a combination of strong policy and corporate leadership. The federal government has put forward a massive down payment on clean energy. Now the business community must do its part to create the market signals to scale them up. Decarbonization is a team sport.”

The substance of the week can be summarized in three takeaways:

1. Implementation at all levels is critical. At the state level, California Governor Newsom stressed the importance of public sector transparency and Maryland Governor Moore elevated the importance of economic justice within the energy transition. At the federal level, the Biden Administration jumpstarted the move for U.S. companies to set goals and actions towards 2030 — and companies are moving slowly towards those goals. To further progress, actions discussed and amplified need to be real. This is a tremendous opportunity for companies to not only give a progress report but tell their transformation story on how they are improving their overall business. Bottom line: make it real, make it actionable, make it forward moving.
2. Engage stakeholders early and often. Communities and activists organize quickly and take action. Public and private sector actors should consider how to partner with groups in formal and informal ways, such as holding listening sessions and integrating feedback into the approach to further long-term gains for local projects. Companies that reach out may not always agree with community partners, but the willingness to communicate and engage can help strengthen credibility and stakeholder support.
3. The collective is important. The events of the week highlighted an “all-in” approach to address the climate crisis. One type of renewable or a single voice is not going to foster lasting change. A collaborative environment among energy industries, encouraging a culture of innovation where collective efforts effectively lead to positive change for future energy success is the goal.

The themes of Climate Week NYC are a preview of the dialogue to come at COP28 later this year. It’s clear the climate progress to date varies for 2030 targets and each sector has a distinct role to play in accelerating action towards collective goals — and bringing all stakeholders along on that journey is a critical first step.

By Teressa Wykpisz-Lee, SVP, Public Affairs