NY Climate Tech: October 3 - October 9

Diverse Representation in Climate and a Fall Full of Climate Optimism!

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Oct 03, 2022

Hi all,

We hope you’ve rested from Climate Week NYC! Dozens of events, hundreds of conversations, and thousands of emails later, we are fired up and ready to go!

Personally for the two of us, it was exciting to meet many of our friends and colleagues from across the globe IRL, and we are thrilled to see the NY Climate Tech community grow leaps and bounds here at home (you know our sector has ‘made it’ when there’s a 400+ person line to get into a climate tech cocktails event in Union Square). One of our newest members, Sophia Moloo, has penned a guest post on her takeaways from Climate Week NYC below and it leaves us full of optimism as we head into the fall!

On the docket for this week: start off your Monday with a deep dive on the future of coastal cities at the Pioneer Works art studio in Red Hook. Take a mid-week break and then head to the Climate Tech Innovation Showcase hosted by the Canadian Consulate on Thursday. On Friday, learn about wildlife conservation in Africa at the Roosevelt House or raise your voice and be heard on a discussion about representation as we collectively address the climate crisis. The rest of the month has a series of events as our city marks the 10-yr anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. We’ve made quite a bit of progress - but there’s more to go - and we’re glad that all of you are on board for the good fight ahead!

Cheers,
Alec and Sonam

Hot Take: Climate Week NYC - Birthday Wishes For a Better Planet

I decided to spend my 18th birthday at Climate Week NYC. A birthday that for many prompts thoughts of the future: What will the world REALLY look like in 2050? Do politicians have the willpower to implement the changes we need, and quickly? How do we stay optimistic in the face of such a daunting challenge? Given the state of world affairs, eco-anxiety was high on my list as I traversed the streets of New York, a global center of commerce and culture that’s also one of the cities most at risk from climate change.

Frankie the Dino joined us on the green roof of the Javits center with one key message: #Don’tChooseExtinction. Right you are, my friend.

Getting it Done

Thankfully, after spending my birthday at Climate Week NYC, my thoughts of the impending doom of our planet were replaced by a more optimistic outlook and motivation to take action.

Climate Week NYC is one of the largest climate events in the world, bringing together thousands of global leaders, businesses, and NGOs to discuss the impact of climate change in our local communities (here’s some history for the curious!). Being surrounded by passionate individuals working hard to build a sustainable planet was inspiring, and I felt more hopeful about the future of the planet (and my own!).

Climate Week NYC’s theme was “Getting It Done” - we all know climate change is an issue and we understand that urgent action is necessary, but the question is, how do we get there? Here’s a round up of some key learnings and recurring themes from the week.

Policy Meets Technology and Creates New Markets

Whether it was Activate’s Entrepreneur Showcase or HolonIQ’s Global Impact Summit, It was impossible to attend a climate tech event without hearing the promises of the most significant piece of US climate legislation ever passed - the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Several talks at The Nest Summit explained how the IRA is providing an opportunity for carbon capture and storage (CCS) to become a reality.

The Nest Summit – Today’s Carbon Capture and Storage: Practical. Scalable. Commercial.

The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that CCS is “vital for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial emissions...and in the near-term CCS is the only feasible solution.” It has been identified as a key technology in reducing the carbon intensity of fossil fuels for industrial uses, such as cement and steel, that make up approximately a quarter of emissions in the U.S. The enhancement of the 45Q tax credit from $50/ton of CO2 captured and stored to $85/ton, allows for CCS projects to become economically feasible and opens up a new market for investors, building on the momentum generated by the launch of Frontier’s advance market commitment to advance carbon removal.

But: the key question with carbon markets - whether its removal or offsets - isn’t always about price. It’s about trust. Credit Suisse shared the incredible growth potential of carbon markets, expecting that the carbon market will be more valuable than oil by 2030.

The Global Carbon Market Annual Trading Value from 2012-2021. Source: Refinitiv, Credit Suisse

However, if you’ve recently indulged in an episode of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, you may think that a company “getting a sign-off from a carbon registry is like winning a Kids Choice Award. It doesn’t really mean much, but it will help you temporarily look a little bit cleaner.” Corporates such as JPMorgan, Disney, and Blackrock often purchase offsets with no additionality – reminding us of the importance of data transparency. This is where companies like Context Labs and Gramener come into play – AI driven analytics are instrumental to understanding and monitoring carbon markets.

Sharing What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why

Whether it’s markets or policy, the common theme of the week was the need for us to proactively share data - ahead of time, not after the fact. This is the key for policymakers, businesses, and local communities to make informed decisions on how to best adapt to a warming world. Traditional communication hierarchies promote siloed work within distinct organizations. For rapid iteration, adopting a horizontal communication model could create a space where people can experiment, share their experiences, and learn from one another across sectors.

This is where organizations such as Parachute come in - a content and storytelling platform that showcases cities' climate solutions so that individuals, communities, and organizations can share success stories, failures, and everything in between. Stay tuned for their coverage on circular city models from across the globe, including highlights from our friends from Copenhagen who regaled us with VR experiences and artistic performances at the Citizen Sustainability Summit hosted by The Consulate General of Denmark on the High Line!

Designing the Irresistible Circular City at the Citizen Sustainability Summit

Climate Optimism: Where there’s chaos, there’s room for transformation

Climate Week NYC built momentum and drive that will be funneled into COP27 – but we can’t stop there. Action is initiated at these events, but the efforts and intentions must persist in our own streets and neighborhoods to create meaningful change.

I’ll leave you with some inspiring words from Anne Therese Gennari, author of the Climate Optimist Handbook.

Anne Therese Gennari and Lindsay Nunez’s fireside chat at the Women in Climate Celebration

The narrative around climate change is often negative and she is determined to change the narrative by encouraging others to lead with curiosity and excitement, instead of fear and despair. She explained “Where there’s chaos, there’s room for transformation. When there is pain there is room to heal.” In the long-term, optimism is what will allow us to believe that we can make a difference and motivate us to take action. Coming out of Climate Week NYC, I’m ready to flip the script!

By NY Climate Tech Member Sophia Moloo

🌊 Science & Society: The Future of Coastal Cities

When: Mon, October 3, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Where: Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

So many forces collide around coastal cities—ocean and climate, ecosystems and infrastructure, and millions of people. Dramatic events like hurricanes and incremental events like sea-level rise have demonstrated how tenuous things already are, and what more may come as climate change intensifies.
For a conversation grappling with how we might envision and achieve a thriving future for coastal cities and all who call them home, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson hosts landscape architect Kate Orff and design justice pioneer Bryan Lee for Science and Society: The Future of Coastal Cities.

👩🏻‍🔬 ClimateTech Innovation Showcase

When: Thu, October 6, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Where: Consulate General of Canada in New York, 466 Lexington Ave 20th floor, New York, NY 10017

Scale for ClimateTech and the Consulate General of Canada in New York is pleased to invite you to the ClimateTech Innovation Showcase - a full day dedicated to celebrating ClimateTech innovators. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear pitches and presentations, see products and solutions on display, network, and engage with ecosystem players and New York State manufacturers.
This event will highlight the successes of our Scale for ClimateTech’s Cohort 4, the MaRS Women in CleanTech Accelerator cohorts and alumni as they showcase their hardware products and software solutions. By showcasing together, we aim to reinforce our joint dedication in supporting the growth of climate technologies and the founders that push us towards a more robust and equitable climate future across North America and beyond.
This will also include a $20,000 Manufacturing Pitch Competition where elected hardware innovators will pitch to a panel of judges in the manufacturing space who will determine the feasibility of startups’ manufacturing roadmap to commercialization. Find out more here.

🦒 Wildlife Conservation in Africa: Mitigating Climate Change

When: Fri, October 7, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Where: Roosevelt House, 47-49 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065

African Symposium has partnered with conservationists, non-profits, thought leaders, and activists to discuss key conservation topics and foster lively debate on current and future action. This annual event, now in its third year, aims to encourage political and cultural advocacy that is inclusive of the local communities at the forefront of conservation efforts and support grassroots action to protect biodiversity and safeguard endangered species while protecting local livelihoods. Each year, the Forum showcases conservation efforts focused on a particular species and work by artists that center the highlighted animals.

🙋🏽‍♀️ BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Women & the Climate Crisis: Why Representation Matters

When: Fri, October 7, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Where: The Guild For Good (Prime Produce), 424 West 54th Street New York, NY 10019

Join GROW Externships in a moderated panel exploring BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+ and women's perspectives on the climate crisis and how intersectional ways of thinking and doing can inform and enhance our collective response to the climate crisis.

Submit Events

We know all of you are cooking up great events across New York that highlight the latest and greatest in our collective effort to save our city - and our planet! 🌍 We would love to spread the word. Please share any event details and we'll add them to the list.

Volunteer

We're excited to grow the Climate Tech community in cities across the globe - starting right here in our hometown of New York! 🗽 What started as an 8-person mid-pandemic outdoor dinner has since morphed into a 2,500+ strong and ever-growing group of rockstars trying to change the world. We're looking for volunteers to help us expand our programming into a full roster of community-wide meetups, subject-specific events, mentorship programs, site visits, and more. We aim to be a community resource - built for and by our community. Share your thoughts and we look forward to working with you!

NY Climate Tech: October 3 - October 9

Diverse Representation in Climate and a Fall Full of Climate Optimism!

Hot Take: Climate Week NYC - Birthday Wishes For a Better Planet

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