My unsolicited thoughts about the 2024 NYC Climate Week

It's been a bit more than a week since I came back from NYC Climate Week - and for NYC CW I mean the colossal amount of climate events happening around 17-29/09, and not the Conference hosted by the Climate Group - and I feel I am still digesting what I saw/experienced there. I confess I hesitated about even writing something about it, as I have been following Queen Elizabeth II's rule of thumb about public manifestations (The Crown, S5 E4 “Annus Horribilis"):

Before urging to say something, let's first answer these questions:

• Does it need saying?
• Does it need to be said now?
• Does it need to be said by me?

After replying yes, yes, and maybe, I decided to challenge myself and share my thoughts and impressions. These views are my own, as are everything I post here.

First, I came across many nice posts and week summaries, but 2 texts have especially caught my attention (and somehow inspired me to say something too):

1: On Climate Week and Toxic Positivity, by Amy Westervelt :

"First, the climate movement tends to be out of touch with marginalized and working-class communities, and second, funder interests have far too much influence over what the movement is pursuing at any given time. (...) This insistence that everything is normal and fine when it is so clearly not is something of a hallmark of the climate movement in my experience, particularly amongst those with power and money. People need good news and hope, I know, and amidst cascading crises people are absolutely desperate to feel like things are 'normal,' but does toxic positivity and censorship of criticism accomplish that? (...)

And over and over again in rooms teeming with white Global Northerners, I heard earnest pleas to center the voices of the Global South. It was a real 'actions speak louder than words' kinda week for me. You want positive stories? Take the action required to generate real improvement and stop over-hyping incrementalism! You want to knock disinformation on its head? Fund investigative journalism! You want to center Global South voices? The bodies those voices inhabit need to be in the dang room!"

2: ??’?? ?????????? ???? ?????? ????: ?????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ???? ??????, by Phil Weiner :

"Why? Because the industries that need to change and the people that will be affected by those changes the most aren’t in the room—they’re not being invited. (...) ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ??????????????????, ????????????-???????? ?????????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ??????, ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????????????????????????? ??????????. ???? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?? ???????? ????????????, ???? ???????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ??????????—???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ????????????. (...) I’m seeing the same faces—just with different company name tags (...) That’s not how we change the world. We shouldn’t be seeing the same people, and Climate Week shouldn’t be in NYC, SF, or London anymore."

A person working in the field for decades described feeling unease with a fancy cocktail put together by a large international NGO. Is using (huge amounts of) grant money to buy alcohol for middle-aged people from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) societies the best use of our resources? Or would this money be best used if given directly to Indigenous peoples at the forefront of the climate crisis? And I will not even bring up the costs of accommodation, flights, and event venues.

We are missing trillions in climate finance, but as important as securing them, is ensuring they will go to the most impactful initiatives and the most impacted populations. So much money (and emissions) have been directed to the NYC Climate Week, but similar to past COPs, events increased in number but decreased in relevance. We need to hold spaces?that enable tough discussions and radical collaboration. Instead of endless panels where you know 80% of the room, we need more creative formats and more diverse audiences.

We need massive change at a pace never seen. If the house is on fire, as Greta Thunberg has bluntly spoken to world leaders, it is not enough to walk 15% faster; we need to run! Kate Raworth uses a brilliant metaphor in her book Doughnut Economics when talking about the steps from degenerative to regenerative economics: "We cannot afford to go step by step, we need to go from caterpillar right away to butterflies." Or, for businesses, we must go from "do(ing) what pays" directly to regenerative models, therefore small increments are helpful, but cannot be the end goal.

To unleash the transition we need to build regenerative (not only carbon-neutral) societies, we must question and change current power structures. For instance, as President Lula said to Bill Gates during the Goalkeepers event: no man should have more money than a state. We need to redesign systems and change market incentives so that an organic vegetarian burger is not more expensive than fast-food options. Events like the New York Climate Week and UN COPs must convene such discussions and enable collaborations that help us implement solutions and policies that change the game for real.

Finally, and I won't have the space to elaborate this further over here, the craziness of thousands of events happening simultaneously has a big side effect (beyond not allowing people to meet new faces from outside their bubbles): most attendees of these weeks are tired and sick (mentally and physically). As Alex Bretas has teased in his recent posts: "A tired mind can produce answers, but it is unlikely to be able to make new questions." I doubt that unhealthy people will be able to change an unhealthy planet.

This said, it was refreshing to meet friends questioning the current status of climate collaboration, and even laugh as we launched "Cadeirada do Clima" to make fun and expose absurd "proposals" we heard during the week. To end this testimonial on a positive note (ironic, isn't it?), I will share a few key initiatives and conversations that made my trip to NYC worthwhile (there were many more, but the newsletter is already larger than recommended by my social media team):

• Attending a private breakfast conversation with Otto Scharmer and Laura Pastorini , from the Presencing Institute , about Philanthropy 4.0. It was probably the most impactful and honest conversation I had during the week. I recommend that everyone who gives or receives grants read these important reflections. Unfortunately, most climate donations don't go further than Philanthropy 2.0 (Outcome Focus), with transactional relationships in which change is driven by donor metrics and systemic root issues are unaddressed. To address the complex challenges of a volatile world, we must find more effective, trust-based ways of collaboration. "We believe that regenerative and transformative change can be made possible by creating a new type of global commons that includes infrastructures that support transformation. These infrastructures should democratize access to the tools, methods, and spaces that move people beyond polarizing discourse fueled by hate and fear." A big thanks to Climate Ventures and Mattos Filho for hosting the event!
• Events from the recently launched Ambition Loop , a global NGO based in Santiago, Chile on a mission to lead and inspire coordinated, transformative action on a small number of major challenges across climate change, biodiversity, plastics pollution, food systems, and water. Led by the UN High-Level Climate Champions Gonzalo Mu?oz Abogabir CMG and Nigel Topping, CMG , they believe that diverse groups of change agents converging on shared bold goals and pathways have the power to innovate and inspire each other to achieve remarkable results. In the current state of affairs, initiatives that help us scale impact beyond separate small projects are most welcome!
• The launch of the "Nature Investment Lab", hosted by Climate Ventures and backed by several banks and philanthropy in Brazil. The Lab "aims to overcome the main challenges in expanding funding for NbS projects, with expected results by the COP30. It has three key objectives: to bring in diverse financiers to help businesses thrive, to standardize contracts and methodologies to enable growth, and to propose policies and regulatory changes that facilitate project structuring." (Valor Economico)
• Casa Amazonia, hosted by Caroline Medeiros Rocha Frasson ( LACLIMA and Rede Amaz?nidas pelo Clima ), brought the Amazon (Rainforest) to the center of the debate, highlighting the work of people who are at the forefront of the climate impacts, and who are best positioned to implement concrete solutions where they are most needed. It would be great to have more people from outside Brazil joining future editions, as it is a unique opportunity to hear new voices and ideas.
• Speaking at the "Climate & Food in 2024 and the journey to COP30" event together with David Laborde ( 联合国粮农组织 ) and Lasse B. ( United Nations Foundation ), hosted by the amazing teams of Tzu Chi Foundation , ProVeg International , and Mercy For Animals . The conversation included a status update on FAO’s 1.5 Roadmap and provided insights into the next steps for the Emirates Declaration. If last year's COP in the UAE mentioned phasing down fossil fuels, I hope COP30 brings bold commitments to tackle emissions coming from agriculture, while channeling resources and attention to alternative and more sustainable pathways. B?nus: meeting Thayana Oliveira , member of Youth Climate Leaders (YCL) .
• Catching up with friends from Funda??o Amaz?nia Sustentável (FAS) , who are leading concrete initiatives on the ground. FAS has a key role not only in promoting the mitigation of emissions from the forest but also in supporting its population in adapting to the rapidly growing effects of climate change. Asked about his main challenges and successes leading FAS, Virgilio Viana replied that one of the main challenges is team building, whereas he is proud of seeing young people opting for not leaving their communities due to the opportunities FAS helped to create. Gabriela Sampaio it was great to see you there!
• From Patagonia to the Caribbean: Seizing the Climate Market Opportunity in LatAm: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is not just reacting to climate change, it is leading the charge with innovative solutions that have global implications. Therefore, leading organizations in the region, such as Reciprocal , SAVIA Ventures , Salkantay Ventures , Positive Ventures , Mercy Corps Ventures , and Cordillera joint efforts to host THE event for Climate Tech in LAC. The event went beyond just a panel, actively connecting entrepreneurs and investors, with an innovative facilitation approach.
• Attending the Goalkeepers event with my friend Felipe Villela , also an enthusiast for the nexus between climate, food, and agriculture.
• And, perhaps the main highlight, meeting up with friends and great climate professionals Bruna Zampollo , Déborah Luisa , Priscilla Santos , Flávia Bellaguarda , Manuella Cantalice , Martina Müller , Anna Mortara , Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti and many more. Thanks for making those crazy days lighter and funnier!??

I also want to thank The Planet Company for sponsoring my trip, so that I could represent them in events as part of their Board of Advisors. Check their institutional video to learn more about PlanetAI, and reach out in case you want to collaborate.

Did you go to this year's NYC Climate Week? If so, what have been your impressions? Any event(s) or initiative(s) that impressed you? Any reflections you would like to share? Post below in the comments!