Climate Week draws tens of thousands of people to New York City each year who are eager to share, debate, and drive investment in innovative climate-related ideas.
The Exchange is transforming Governors Island into the most important new hub for Climate Week engagement. Drawing on expertise from our partners and other leading global voices, we will be hosting more than 20 events that showcase cutting-edge climate tech, compare the most effective urban resilience strategies, and unlock climate financing at scale.
September 21-28, 2025
Climate Week NYC
Governors Island is the place to be during Climate Week if you’re looking to move beyond the same old panel discussions. Our goal is to broaden the number and type of people who enjoy and engage in Climate Week. From nature-focused films to fireside chats with leading authors to climate trivia, we’re doing Climate Week differently.
RSVP below or click here to learn more about getting to Governors Island!
OBSERVER Film Screening
“Maybe the superpower is the desire to look more deeply.”
This Climate Week NYC, The Exchange, in partnership with Stony Brook University and the Science Communication Lab/Wonder Collaborative, will be sharing the new film OBSERVER.
After the screening, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with each other and the world around them and participate in activities that apply the learnings of the film. RSVP HERE.
Presented as part of "Power Down & Get Outside," a Climate Week 2025 Culmination on Governors Island. Details >>
Heritage & Sustainability as a Living Memory
Cultural heritage is often imagined as something fixed: artifacts behind glass, recipes preserved unchanged, stories told exactly as they were. Join Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), The New York Climate Exchange, and The Climate Museum for a multidisciplinary panel that explores what it means to treat heritage as a catalyst, rather than a relic. The panel will take place online and in-person at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Art Center on Governors Island on Friday, September 26 at 1PM as part of their Climate Week celebrations.
Bringing together artists, chefs, scholars, and cultural organizers, the conversation will highlight concrete examples—from reviving indigenous foodways and regenerative craft practices to creating digital storytelling platforms and participatory exhibitions. Together, we’ll ask: What is the potential of tangible and intangible heritage to inspire new meanings and more sustainable ways of living? And how can institutions help steward—not fossilize—these evolving traditions?
Join us on Governors Island during Climate Week for a conversation that celebrates memory and heritage not as something we inherit unchanged, but as something we shape, share, and transform.
Presented as part of "Power Down & Get Outside," a Climate Week 2025 Culmination on Governors Island. Details >>
Human Nature: A Climate Mindfulness Experience with Kate Marvel
Don't miss climate scientist and author Kate Marvel, The New York Climate Exchange, Pratt Institute, and the Climate Mental Health Network on Friday during Climate Week NYC. All ages are invited to gather for an outdoor, hands-on event designed to help us reflect, recharge, and connect with others on Governors Island. This event will blend mindfulness, art, and emotional curiosity—inviting participants into a shared, restorative space where we individually explore the climate emotions that Kate presents in Human Nature.
Presented as part of "Power Down & Get Outside," a Climate Week 2025 Culmination on Governors Island. Details >>
Cool Down & Connect: Pop-Up Shade Experience
Join us to experience and learn about the Pop-Up Cooling Shade, a prototype designed to create cool, safe, and welcoming spaces where neighbors can find relief from the heat, relax, and connect. Developed through Resilient Cities Catalyst’s (RCC) Neighborhood Small Business Climate Resilience Program, in partnership with Street Lab and the Pitkin Avenue BID in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the system combines shade sails, misting, and modular seating to transform streets and plazas into vibrant, welcoming community spaces—while also boosting foot traffic for nearby small businesses.
RCC and partners tested the pop-up shade four times this summer during Heat Resilience Activations in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Corona, Queens, turning plazas and underused dead-end spaces into lively, safe, and cool areas for families, neighbors, and small businesses. Come learn about the design, functionality, and community impact of this innovative pop-up shade!
Urban Ecology through Community & Culture
Join The New York Climate Exchange and Latinxs in Sustainability—alongside professionals across urban ecology and planning—for a dynamic breakfast and discussion exploring sustainability through the lens of the Latinx community. This intersectional conversation will explore how identity and lived experience shape our relationship with the environment.
The Climate Story Project: Climate Resilience in Action
Join us during Climate Week for the launch of The Climate Story Project!
The Climate Story Project is an initiative led by The New York Climate Exchange, supported by the Wellcome Trust, to record, archive and share real personal stories about climate change to inspire action and connection. This is a living archive that captures a snapshot of life in the midst of climate change—offering people space to reflect on the past, connect in the present, and imagine possible futures.
The project will launch during Climate Week with two public pop ups where you can listen to stories from our network and record your own climate story.
Climate Resilience in Action
The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday September 25 at 7pm.
As climate change reshapes our cities, communities, and health, New York stands at a crossroads—an international city with a responsibility to lead and an opportunity to act.
The evening will open with music by Madame Gandhi, an electronic music producer, artist, and activist recognized as a TED Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30, and BBC 100 Women honoree. In her lecture demonstration, she will share her experience recording sounds from nature, integrating them into her music, and including nature in royalties.
A series of Lightning Lectures will highlight on-the-ground work by local organizations across the boroughs, from rooftop farming and urban forestry to public cooling infrastructure and community organizing.
A keynote presentation by Rohit T. Aggarwala, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the City’s Chief Climate Officer, will highlight how New York City is advancing its climate and sustainability goals, offering insight into how local governments are preparing for the growing challenges of climate change.
AMNH Climate Assembly
As climate change reshapes our cities, communities, and health, New York stands at a crossroads—an international city with a responsibility to lead and an opportunity to act.
Urban Battery Forum
Join The New York Climate Exchange and Global Battery Alliance (GBA) during Climate Week NYC 2025 for an invite-only session on building a sustainable, circular, and resilient battery value chain.
Marine Debt-for-Nature Swaps: What is Needed to Scale Blue Finance?
Marine debt-for-nature swaps are gaining traction as a way for countries to turn portions of their national debt into long-term funding for ocean conservation. These deals have already unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars, putting debt finance at the crossroads of marine conservation and climate resilience. Still, these transactions face long-standing challenges.
Join Duke University and The New York Climate Exchange for an engaging event exploring how marine debt-for-nature swaps can deliver strong outcomes for ocean conservation, climate resilience, and coastal communities.
During a public panel, experts will dig into these challenges by examining several recent marine debt swaps they helped design. They’ll also look ahead, exploring how to improve future swaps and considering other innovative ways to mobilize private-sector finance for nature and climate goals.
This will be followed by a closed-door workshop bringing together practitioners, researchers, and funders. Picking up on the challenges raised in the panel, this interactive workshop will explore how the newly released Practice Standards for Debt Conversion Projects for Nature, Resilience, and People can help improve the design and implementation of debt-for-nature swaps and other debt conversion projects.
In small groups, workshop attendees will inform efforts to operationalize these guidelines for broader use:
Probing the relevance of the standards to the challenges identified in the panel,
Providing feedback on the standards and their application, and,
Identifying key research needs to strengthen the standards' use.
Moderated by: Mercy Berman DeMenno, Duke University
Speakers include:
Leah Carriere, The Nature Conservancy
Angelique Pouponneau, Alliance of Small Island States
Ramzi Issa, Enosis Capital
Due to space constraints, registration for the workshop will require approval from the organizers.
Aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment and with Climate Week NYC’s themes of Finance, Nature, and Communities, this workshop contributes to global goals under SDG 14 and the 30x30 target.
Sauna Diplomacy from Finland: Hot Data for Cool Climate Solutions
Finnish sauna diplomacy comes to NYC—inviting climate experts, data professionals, investors and changemakers to step into the heat for bold, solution-driven dialogue.
Rooted in Finland’s tradition of sauna diplomacy, this unique Climate Week event creates a space for open, equal, and honest conversations on climate action. At the heart of this year’s gathering is clean data, highlighted as a key enabler for effective climate solutions. Attendees, as both data users and providers, will explore the vital role of trusted, high-quality climate data in shaping policy, innovation, and action while experiencing the heat of the sauna.
Achieving Zero Waste: Moving the Circular Economy from Idea to Practical Implementation
This event, presented in partnership with The New York Climate Exchange and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, starts with the premise that waste is a design flaw—in packaging, products, and the design and operation of our buildings and communities.
Speakers from the Center for Zero Waste Design, the U.S. Green Building Council, and CET, will lead a conversation sharing concrete steps architects, builders, building owners, and operators can take to eliminate waste and implement the circular economy in the built environment.
Climate Data Conversation
Climate and environmental data are foundational to how we understand and respond to a rapidly changing world. These data support everything from resilient infrastructure and public health to agricultural planning, energy forecasting, and climate innovation.
Led by The Exchange, this is a tactical working session designed for key climate data professionals and strategic advisors. The session aims to provide an overview of recent progress on its data initiatives and facilitate a collaborative discussion to guide program strategies for The Exchange and how it connects to other related climate data efforts. Attendees include experts in climate science, data infrastructure, public-sector innovation, disaster preparedness, and information integrity.
Given space constraints, this event is invitation-only. If you have questions about invitations, please contact RMusello-Kelliher@nyclimateexchange.org.
Accelerating Climate Action through Global Trade
This Climate Week NYC event, co-hosted by the Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCAN), Pace University, and The New York Climate Exchange, seeks to reframe the false choise between economic imperatives and climate ambition.
Sustainable Solutions Challenge: Finalist Showcase
Join The New York Climate Exchange during Climate Week 2025 for a showcase of the winning innovations from the organization's Sustainable Solutions Challenge—a global call for bold, scalable ideas in climate-resilient design, infrastructure systems, and building technologies. Each selected solution has the potential to shape our groundbreaking climate campus on Governors Island and transform cities worldwide.
The program, presented with support from AWS and Intel, VELUX, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, will feature:
Finalist Presentations – Rapid-fire pitches from winning teams, sharing their solutions.
Industry Panel – Leaders in development, design, engineering, policy, and investment discuss what’s needed to accelerate adoption of sustainable building products and approaches.
Networking & Tours – Connect with innovators, interact with product samples and demonstrations from Challenge Finalists and join guided tours of the future Exchange site.
Whether you’re an innovator, developer, architect, policymaker, investor, or climate advocate, this is your chance to engage with the people and ideas reshaping the built environment. RSVP now.
Island(ing) Adaptations: Leveraging data to inform resilience
Co-hosted by Pratt Institute School of Architecture & The New York Climate Exchange
Islands don’t just adapt to rising seas - ideally they innovate with them. From Manhattan’s waterfront neighborhoods reimagining their relationship with the New York Harbor, to Singapore's historic integrated water management practices and future off-shore artificial barrier islands to Helsinki’s bold experiments with living shorelines in the Baltic, island cities are writing the playbook for climate resilience.
Island(ing) Adaptations brings together visionaries from government, design, finance, academia and policy who are gathering critical environmental data and turning water into opportunities across three key archipelagos. They will engage in a series of flash talks and moderated discussion focused on the interrelationships between data, design and implementation ranging in subjects from the deployment of instrumentation to the use of Artificial Intelligence and their combined importance in amphibious human/non-human environments.
Join leaders from UN Water, Arcadis, NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress, Singapore University of Technology and Design’s Center for Climate Adaptation, University of Helsinki’s Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center ACCC and Pratt Institute as they share and discuss breakthrough strategies that keep communities rooted while embracing an uncertain future, that we can work together to make more hopeful. This isn’t just about surviving climate change - it's about island ingenuity showing the world how to thrive.
The event marks the practical launch of the Governors Island Environmental Observatory, in collaboration with the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC) at the University of Helsinki and will conclude with a networking reception hosted by the Consul-General of Finland.
Cultivating Climate Resilience of Urban Agriculture in NYC
Join The Exchange and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Ag Climate Resiliency Program, New York Soil Health, and Harvest NY for a Soil Health Field Day in Governors Island.
This event focuses on best practices for building climate resilience on urban farms and is part of the 2025 Soil Health and Climate Resilience Field Days. It will offer a farm tour, as well as valuable insights and hands-on demonstrations to enhance soil health through biochar applications. RSVP HERE.
From Insight to Impact: Driving Agricultural Innovation with AI
Co-hosted by IBM and The Exchange, this session spotlights a pioneering collaboration between the IBM Impact Accelerator and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Designed to democratize access to critical water and soil insights, SWAT VEXA (Soil & Water Assessment Tool Virtual Extension Assistant) empowers farmers, researchers, policymakers, and land managers with tailored, data-driven guidance to support sustainable decision-making. This session will explore how cutting-edge AI is being harnessed to drive a paradigm shift in agricultural resilience, enabling smarter resource management. RSVP Here.
Climate Mayors Leadership Forum
We are at a critical turning point in our country. The past few months have seen dramatic rollbacks and threats to programs that our communities rely on to lower energy bills and create jobs in the growing clean energy economy. As mayors, it is critical for us to come together to pave a new path forward. We must work together to find innovative solutions that build a prosperous future for cities and that is anchored in household affordability, safer communities and a robust economy.
Climate Tech Showcase: Supporting Early-Stage Innovation
Meet and hear from The Exchange’s Climate Tech Fellows. These early-stage innovators, emerging from The Exchange’s university partner network, are advancing their innovations in areas such as grid resilience, hydrogen storage, coral restoration, real-time wildfire prediction, and more. This showcase offers a first look at their work and the sustainable future they are helping to advance.
Innovations for a Changing Climate: Weathering the Future
Please join AECOM New York Metro, the Municipal Art Society and the New York Climate Exchange for a half-day symposium featuring a keynote by Brad Lander, who, during his tenure as New York City Comptroller, has strengthened efforts to combat the climate crisis and increased public infrastructure investment.
Also featuring intelligent weather presentations by Meteomatics and NVIDIA, as well as panels on Built for the Weather and Conquering Cloudbursts.
Speakers include:
Karen Appell, Vice President & Climate Change Lead, New York Metro, AECOM
Keri Butler, President, Municipal Art Society of New York
Nick Cardillicchio, Vice President, Partnerships & Government Relations, Meteomatics
Martin Fengler, PhD, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Meteomatics
Victoria Cerullo, Director of Urban Engagement, New York Climate Exchange
Mark Chambers, Former White House Senior Director for Buildings and Community Resilience
Susanne DesRoches, Senior Vice President, Clean and Resilient Buildings, NYSERDA
Rob Freudenberg, Vice President, Energy & Environment, RPA
Dion Harris, Senior Director of Accelerated Data Center Solutions, NVIDIA
Angela Licata, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Sustainability, NYC DEP
Samantha Maldonado, Senior Reporter, THE CITY
John Mandyck, CEO, Urban Green Council
Tarek Rakha, Co-Founder & CEO, Lamarr.AI
Paul Storella, Senior Vice President & Water Lead, New York Metro, AECOM
Iris Tien, Williams Family Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Built for the Weather
As extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity—from record-breaking heatwaves to debilitating flooding—the built environment faces unprecedented challenges. Since buildings both contribute to climate change and are vulnerable to its impacts, decarbonization strategies must integrate resilience while also accommodating increasing energy demands from building electrification and smart technologies, including AI. How do we balance the competing demands of efficiency and innovation while meeting our goal of reducing operational carbon emissions?
Conquering Cloudbursts
Intense rain events, specifically cloudbursts or enormous amounts of precipitation in short periods of time, have become increasingly common and pose significant challenges for cities. Complex urban infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to excessive rainfall, which can overwhelm existing drainage systems, causing flooding, more frequent sewage overflow, and utility damage. Understanding these impacts and implementing effective solutions—from green and grey infrastructure and permeable surfaces to innovative technologies, like physics-based computational numerical analysis (CNA) and AI-driven prediction models, and smart drainage sensors—is critical to fostering resilient urban environments.
The Climate Story Project: Science & Society: Heat Advisory
Join us during Climate Week for the launch of The Climate Story Project!
The Climate Story Project is an initiative led by The New York Climate Exchange, supported by the Wellcome Trust, to record, archive and share real personal stories about climate change to inspire action and connection. This is a living archive that captures a snapshot of life in the midst of climate change—offering people space to reflect on the past, connect in the present, and imagine possible futures.
The project will launch during Climate Week with two public pop ups where you can listen to stories from our network and record your own climate story. The first is Science and Society: Heat Advisory, at Pioneer Works on Tuesday September 23 at 7pm!
Pioneer Works and Wellcome co-present Heat Week including this special episode of Science & Society, bringing health to the heart of Climate Week NYC.
The Earth is hotter now than at any other point in human history. As fossil fuels burn and ecosystems are destroyed, heat is driving increasingly extreme weather—turbo-charging hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts. By 2070, one-fifth of the planet could be as scorchingly hot as the (rapidly expanding) Sahara Desert, and up to 3.5 billion people may have to move as their homes become inhospitable.
Extreme heat is a public health threat that leads to school closures, workplace injuries, droughts, famine, mental health crises, and increased domestic violence. In the United States, heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths—killing more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined. Those among us with the fewest resources are disproportionally affected—specifically, people of color, low-income people, children, and the elderly.
Put simply, we now live in an entirely new climate era—one that is hotter and more unpredictable—and we are inadequately prepared for the unavoidable consequences. Heat-related illnesses and deaths are largely preventable with proper planning, education, and action. So, how do we make our homes, neighborhoods, and cities cooler? How do we design and build for the future, with heat adaptation and risk prevention in mind? How do we care for our vulnerable populations? How do we craft policies to advance climate solutions and human well-being?
For a conversation grappling with how we might adapt to and live in a warming world, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will host journalist and writer Jeff Goodell and climate resilience expert Jainey Bavishi for Science & Society: Heat Advisory. Brad Einstein will offer a comedic introduction (with puppets).
Finance for the Future: Unlocking NYC’s Building Decarbonization
Decarbonizing buildings is crucial for the city’s future, and for this transformation to take place at scale, financing is key. Private investment, public funding, and innovative financing mechanisms must be aligned to drive these projects forward. This event will delve into the key financing strategies required to support the decarbonization of New York City’s buildings. Key topics will include financing decarbonization of buildings, as well as an overview of established and emerging infrastructure funds focused on climate resilience playing an increasingly important role in financing the transition to a low carbon built environment.
NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants Showcase
This Climate Week we are excited to invite you to the NYCHA Resident Climate Action Grants Showcase, presented by the Public Housing Community Fund and The New York Climate Exchange in partnership with Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, taking place on Tuesday, September 23rd, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
The event will highlight the inspiring efforts of our resident-led projects to combat climate change and promote sustainability in NYCHA communities across all five boroughs. Please feel free to share the invite - all are welcome.
Guests will have the opportunity to network while enjoying light bites provided, join tours of the Garden grounds, and enjoy a special performance. Throughout the evening, we will showcase the remarkable outcomes of these climate action initiatives, celebrate the successes of our grantees, and reflect on their contributions to building resilient, sustainable communities.
Super South: The Next Stage of Clean Tech Innovation
Join Super South, Georgia Institute of Technology, Tech Square Ventures, Engage, Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber (MAC), Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub and Georgia Climate Project on September 23 for a showcase of sustainable technologies and solutions at the flagship Rivian showroom in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District during New York City Climate Week 2025.
The event will highlight the surge of sustainable innovation and capital investment opportunity emerging across Southeast — the Super South — and bring together early-stage clean tech companies, established enterprises pioneering sustainable innovation and global visionaries driving transformative and resilient solutions.
Register today to join!
A series of company showcase presentations, a facilitated panel discussion and hosted reception will showcase how entrepreneurs, researchers and established enterprises in the Super South are driving commercial adoption, scaling new technologies and creating one of the fastest-growing innovation markets in the world.
Learn more Super South at supersouth.org.
U.S. Clean Energy & Industrial Innovation – Report Launch & Climate Week Kick-Off
The United States is at a pivotal moment in its transition to a resilient, innovation-powered net-zero economy. With shifting political priorities and evolving economic conditions, the landscape for clean energy and industrial innovation is rapidly transforming.
Net Zero Insights (NZI) brings unmatched data and intelligence to map this change. Our proprietary database tracks more than 18,000 U.S. companies and 4,000 investors in the clean energy and industrial innovation space, providing unparalleled visibility into where capital is flowing, which technologies are scaling, and what these shifts mean for industry leaders.
At this exclusive event for investors, corporate innovation leaders, utilities, and government representatives, NZI will launch their new report — the most comprehensive analysis of the U.S. innovation ecosystem to date. The report uncovers regional hotspots, sector breakthroughs, and critical market gaps shaping the country’s competitiveness in the clean energy transition.
Hosted at Braze in New York, this Climate Week kick-off will feature a presentation of the report’s key findings, two expert panel discussions, and a high-quality networking reception designed to spark important conversations and forge lasting business relationships.
We’ve partnered with leading ecosystem organizations to bring this event to life:
Greentown Labs – The world's largest climatetech and energy incubator, accelerating climatetech innovation and commercialization by empowering entrepreneurs and enabling collaboration.
The New York Climate Exchange – A new nonprofit designed to accelerate climate solutions through a diverse coalition of partners from academia, the private sector, and community organizations. Anchored by Stony Brook University and headquartered on Governors Island, The Exchange delivers impactful education, cutting-edge research, world-class convenings, and scalable technology solutions—extending its reach and influence into NYC and across the globe.
Ad Hoc Group – Helps early- and late-stage startups translate policy and regulatory insight into business returns, design and execute go-to-market strategies, and source and close deals.
Carta – The equity management platform that helps thousands of startups and investors scale with transparency and efficiency.
Latitude Media – Covers the new frontiers of the energy transition through in-depth B2B news, research, events, and podcasts.
2025 Green Skills Summit: Resilient City, Resilient Workforce
You're invited to join us for the 2025 Green Skills Summit, hosted by the NY Climate Exchange and the Brooklyn Navy Yard this September—just ahead of Climate Week NYC. As New York’s premier green workforce event, the Summit will bring together educators, training providers, labor leaders, employers, policymakers, and more to explore the skills and partnerships needed to meet our decarbonization and resiliency goals. With NYC’s green economy expected to nearly triple by 2040, now is the time to align talent, training, and opportunity. Don’t miss this inspiring day of sector-focused panels, real-world insights, and impactful networking that will shape the future of climate jobs across the city.