We’re day four or five (depending on how early you started your event hopping) into this year’s New York Climate Week. Brumidi Group has played a role in Climate Week for the last four years, both helping our clients plan events and connecting clients with NGOs, corporates, and foundations where there’s alignment.
A few observations thus far into our packed agenda from this year’s Climate Week:
Voluntary carbon markets are here to stay. Last year’s Climate Week, the issue du jour focused on voluntary carbon markets credibility, often discussed with a healthy dose of skepticism. While this year’s conversations certainly carry over this sentiment, the broad consensus seems to be that carbon credits are moving in the right direction and companies must continue to spend time and resources investing in credible projects.
IRA impacts are visible. From venture capital to state government officials to startups, a theme of this week is that the Inflation Reduction Act has significantly moved the needle on climate. There are still many questions about how to spend the remaining money to make it count and how to keep momentum going with IRA funds runout. However, there is overall optimism about the role the federal government can play in affecting progress.
AI is top of mind. AI is either going to save and destroy the planet depending on who you ask. For every story about how companies are utilizing AI to enhance their climate goals, there’s a story about the grid not being able to keep up with data centers’ energy needs. It’s clear this will be an ongoing conversation for many Climate Weeks to come.
Some groups are still notably absent. For the thousands of people who join the many conversations about climate change, some groups are notably absent. There are not nearly enough Indigenous groups sharing their best practices for combating the climate crisis. Additionally, there needs to be many more conversations about the role of water conservation and wildfire than currently exist.
As Climate Week grows, groups are falling back into their comfortable echo chambers. With all of the benefits that come with more people attending Climate Week, we’ve noticed more organizations scattered throughout the city as they host events. This means the Nest, Climate Week’s central hub, serves less of a unifying location and chance to meet new people. Instead, “off campus” events are dominating the schedule meaning that there is more likelihood that organizations will spend the week talking with groups that they already engage with throughout the year.
Overall, this is always a gratifying week to see the many different types of organizations who show up eager to make a difference. Brumidi Group is proud to support our clients actively working on climate policy. We plan to continue to show up at New York Climate Week. Reach out if you’re interested in engaging next year.
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