The environmental community has an opportunity to galvanize action, and NRDC is proud to host a strong lineup of events this year. By Manish Bapna, President & Chief Executive Officer, NRDC Climate Week arrives at a moment of extraordinary geopolitical and economic turbulence. Energy insecurity and rising costs are straining households, communities, and countries around the world. In the United States, the rapid growth of AI data centers is driving new electricity demand and raising concerns about the impacts on communities and the environment. Scientists warn that sustained warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the dangerous red line they have long warned against, is likely to be reached in the late 2020s or early 2030s. Yet there are powerful reasons for hope. Across the globe, from China and India to Europe, from small island nations to states and cities across the United States, the clean energy transition is already underway. The momentum is clear: Clean energy is increasingly the cheapest, fastest, and healthiest path forward, strengthening economies while improving energy security and cutting climate pollution. EV adoption is accelerating at a pace few would have predicted a decade ago, while reforestation and ecosystem restoration efforts are expanding across the world. Together, these trends are a reminder that when innovation, policy, and public demand align, change can happen faster than we imagine. The question is no longer whether the transition will happen. The question is how fast we move, who leads, and whether we make the transition fair, equitable, and durable. That is what NRDC will be spotlighting during Climate Week. As the world looks ahead to COP31, progress is urgently needed: accelerating clean energy while phasing down fossil fuels; scaling climate finance; protecting natural climate solutions, such as forests and oceans; helping communities adapt to escalating climate impacts; and demonstrating that international cooperation can deliver real, lasting progress. These priorities are deeply interconnected. Moving beyond fossil fuels reduces exposure to volatile energy prices and strengthens energy security. Climate finance turns ambition into real projects and measurable progress. Protecting forests and oceans is essential for tackling both biodiversity loss and climate change. And adaptation can no longer be treated as tomorrow’s challenge when communities are already facing deadly heat, fires, floods, and storms. The task before us is immense. We must build clean energy and the infrastructure that supports it at a speed and scale unprecedented in human history while ensuring that what we build improves people’s lives, protects nature, and strengthens communities. Climate Week is an opportunity to advance that work together. Throughout the week, NRDC experts will join leaders, advocates, policymakers, and partners from around the world to share solutions, forge partnerships, and build momentum for action. Explore NRDC’s Climate Week events below. NRDC-hosted events We hope you’ll join us and be part of the conversations, partnerships, and solutions that will help shape what comes next. We look forward to seeing you there. Taming Traffic: How Congestion Pricing Became a Breath of Fresh Air for New York12 p.m. ET REGISTER NOW Powering Equity: Data Centers and Building a Just Digital FutureCohosted with NAACP1 p.m. ETRegistration info coming soon! Protecting Workers on the Frontlines of Extreme Heat: What Changemakers and Investors Need to Know2:30 p.m. ET REGISTER NOW Dispelling Scope 2 Myths: Companies, Experts, and Leaders Share Why and How to Achieve GHG Protocol Reforms5 p.m. ET REGISTER NOW Data Centers, Electricity and Clean, Affordable Power9 a.m. ETBy invitation only Winning the Fight Against Global LNG Expansion9:30 a.m. ETBy invitation only Meeting the Moment: Building Durable Environmental Progress in a Changing World12 p.m. ETRegistration info coming soon! Powering a Responsible Digital Future: A Working Session on Global Data Center Development2 p.m.By invitation only Creating a Shared Path for Disaster Resilience2:30 p.m.By invitation only Football for Future: How the Beautiful Game Can Drive Global Climate Adaptation5:30 p.m. ETIn-person attendance: By invitation onlyVirtual attendance: Open to public REGISTER NOW Democracy in Action: Advancing Environmental Justice Through Democratic Reform9 a.m. ETBy invitation only Seeking Justice: An Oral History of Building a Principled PartnershipCohosted with the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform9 a.m. ETBy invitation only The Lines We Live On: Movement-Driven Storytelling Project to Grow Community Power12 p.m.Registration info coming soon! AI and the Future of Environmental Advocacy12 p.m. ETBy invitation only Scaling Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling in India: Strengthening Pathways for Local ImplementationCohosted with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water; the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center; and the H.T. Parekh Foundation9:30 a.m. ETBy invitation only FINI Community of Practice12 p.m. ETBy invitation only Reimagining Science for All of Us: From Vision to Design1 p.m. ET REGISTER NOW Before the Next Disaster: Financing Retrofits that Keep Homes Insurable and Affordable3 p.m. ETBy invitation only From Runoff to Reform: Rethinking Fertilizer Policy4 p.m. ETRegistration info coming soon! External events Saving Science in the Age of Distrust with Nine Orchard7:30 p.m.9 Orchard St. REGISTER NOW Solving Food Waste: A Key Solution to the Climate Crisis9 a.m.–12:10 p.m. ETThe Greene Space, WNYC NPR Studios, 44 Charlton Street, New York REGISTER NOW Uplifting Frontline Voices in Research: A Panel Conversation3:30–4:30 p.m. ETFordham Lincoln Center REGISTER NOW Bioenergy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly9 a.m.–12 p.m. ETRegistration info coming soon! Mexico’s Energy Transition: An Evaluation Two Years into the Sheinbaum Administration12–2:30 p.m. ETRegistration info coming soon! Super Pollutant Action Summit9 a.m.–5 p.m.Convene, 360 Madison AvenueRegistration info coming soon! From Ideas to Impact: A Decade of Climate Solutions with Grist5:30 p.m. ET2537 Broadway REGISTER NOW Industrial N2O Action as a Climate Emergency Brake9–10 a.m ETNew York UniversityBy invitation only Enchanted Forest at Climate Week7 p.m. ETNew York Public Library, Astor Hall and Celeste Bartos ForumFifth Ave. and 42nd St. REGISTER NOW Featured image by Leonhard Niederwimmer from Pixabay Article from NRDC.
