New York Climate Week (NYCW) is almost upon us, providing an opportunity for governments, businesses, investors and many more to engage in discussions on key topics ahead of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Taking place from 19 to 25 September, NYCW is now in its fourteenth year and the theme, ‘getting it done,’ draws influential leaders from across the world to the financial capital of the United States.
To help members who plan to participate – either on the ground in New York or virtually – IIGCC has put together a list of key events and discussions which could be useful to investors on their own climate journeys.
An international call-to-action
Ahead of Climate Week, on 13 September more than 500 investors delivered a message to governments attending the UN General Assembly, urging them to step up their climate policy ambitions ahead of COP27.
‘The Global Investor Statement to Governments on the Climate Crisis’ has become a major tool in mobilising investor voices on climate policy action. IIGCC CEO and Chair of the Investor Agenda Steering Committee, Stephanie Pfeifer, hosted a global webinar to mark the launch on 15 September, joined by speakers from across the international investing community.
More investors are expected to add their support to the statement ahead of its formal delivery to world leader at COP27 in November.
IIGCC in New York
IIGCC will be playing an active role in a number of events and meetings taking place in New York, representing our members and furthering discussions on the most urgent issues needed to help limit global temperatures in line with the Paris Agreement.
One of our key focuses this year is on how best to build climate resilience and adaptation to physical climate risk – a fast-growing challenge affecting every investor’s fiduciary duty in protecting their clients’ and beneficiaries’ assets and the world in which they are valued.
Look out for more on this topic from IIGCC in the coming weeks.
Finance for Adaptation Solutions and Technologies Roundtable (FASTR), 20 September 10:00-12:00 ET
Continuing the conversation on climate resilience, Danielle Boyd, IGCC Investor Practices Senior Programme Manager, joins a roundtable in New York alongside speakers from McKinsey, BlackRock, The Lightsmith Group and the US Department of State.
The event will feature keynote statements from the panel of experts, followed by two multiskilled panels focused on ‘investors and stakeholders’ and ‘companies and technologies.’
IIGCC members can register for the webinar here.
United Nations Climate Action: Race to Zero and Resilience Forum, 21 September
On 21 September, IIGCC CEO Stephanie Pfeifer joins the ‘United Nations Climate Action: Race to Zero and Resilience Forum’ as part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) breakout, representing both the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative and Paris Aligned Asset Owners group.
The event, hosted by Bloomberg, intends to ‘shine a light on the need to accelerate the mobilization of capital, to continue reducing emissions without exacerbating debt, and to build climate adaptive and resilience communities across all corners of the world.’
More details on the event and supporting press release can be found on the Bloomberg Philanthropies website.
Sustainable Investment Forum North America 2022, 22 September
Stephanie will also be speaking at the Sustainable Investment Forum, hosted by Climate Action in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative. This full-day event boasts a raft of speakers and experts from the climate change ecosystem, discussing the energy and cost of living crisis facing many nations in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As part of this partnership, IIGCC has several complementary VIP passes available to members attending in New York – please contact us if you would like to attend.
Other interesting events during NYCW
The official New York Climate Week programme of activity, coordinated by the Climate Group, begins with the opening ceremony at 09:00 ET on Monday 19 September. ‘Climate in the geopolitical context of today’ promises to ask leaders to do more; register to watch here.
On Tuesday 20 September Nigel Topping, the COP26 UN High-Level Climate Action Champion, hosts an in-person only event, ‘financing resilience alongside net zero’ with Moody’s from 08:30-12:00 ET.
The event begins with a keynote on the opportunities to rebuild after the global pandemic, followed by three open learning forums on climate risk exposure, metrics and measurement, and financing net zero. Register here if you can attend in person.
‘Accounting for Climate’ with Carbon Tracker and Ceres takes place on Wednesday 21 September, asking how companies can better assess the impacts of climate-related risks in their financial statements. Speakers include Mark Campanale, Founder and Executive Chairman of Carbon Tracker, and Gilly Lord, Global Leader, Public Policy & Regulation at PwC. Register here to join the session.
Across Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 September, the Climate Group hosts a series of executive roundtables with event partner PwC, including an ‘Action after Impacts’ workshop with Race to Zero.
A mixture of closed-door and broadcasted discussions, The Hub Live brings together ‘1,000 international decision makers and leaders from business, policy and civil society to drive climate action, fast.’ Register for free to access all broadcasted discussions.
Real estate is a key focus for IIGCC in 2022 and Carbon Strategy hosts a relevant discussion on ‘The ABCs of Net Zero Real Estate: Strategies for Investors’ from 08:30-10:30 ET on Thursday 22 September. The event offers practical advice for investors at each stage of the property lifecycle, with case studies and an audience Q&A. Register here to join the session remotely.
That’s not all
The following week, US-based Ceres hosts an all-day event, ‘Financing a Net Zero Economy,’ aiming to help banks align their climate strategies with business strategy to implement net zero commitments.
Taking place on Wednesday 28 September, attendees will hear from leaders in global climate finance and gain a better understanding of the risks and opportunities for banks and their investors. This is especially relevant to IIGCC’s ongoing work with the banking sector, as outlined in its recent investor-led framework of pilot indicators to assess banks on the transition to net zero. Find out more about the Ceres event here.
Stay tuned on social
Be sure to follow IIGCC on Twitter and LinkedIn for all the latest news and updates from across #ClimateWeekNYC. If you’d like to know more about IIGCC membership please do email our membership manager, Charlie Bevan.