Every September, Manhattan becomes the hub for all things climate and this year was no different. Climate Week NYC 2024 continues to be a massive moment for business leaders, government heads, NGO partners, activists and entrepreneurs and more to convene, share ideas and innovations and usher forth the progress so urgently needed to address the climate crisis. Indeed, this year’s Climate Week is being heralded by The Wall Street Journal as “this year’s hottest climate bash” even more popular than the upcoming COP29 – with more than 100,000 people in attendance and a 200% increase in senior leaders in attendance.
As all in attendance take a collective breath and begin to digest the conversations, data and information shared over the course of the week, Allison’s Purpose Center of Excellence experts are here to share our insights from on the ground at Climate Week:
- Cassie Downey’s Takeaway: Sustainable Storytelling Has the Opportunity to Inspire Behavior Change: I had the opportunity to attend a panel hosted by Futerra featuring social scientists and storytellers who revealed research on how TV shows and movies that include a message—either directly or indirectly—about sustainability and climate change inspired viewers to take actions to make more sustainable choices in their own lives. As storytellers at Allison, it is inspiring to see the positive impacts that sharing these kinds of stories can have on individual behaviors, whether that is encouraging someone to seek more information climate change from a movie like Don’t Look Up, or pique interest in eating a more plant-based diet from an episode of a cooking show. With so many negative sentiments often surrounding the climate crisis, it was refreshing to see a perspective about how stories can inspire meaningful land lasting change and it left me feeling optimistic for the rest of Climate Week and beyond!
- Mark Allegrini’s Takeaway: It’s a Jungle out There: This year I was struck by how the volume of events, messages, calls to action and opportunities to engage continues to grow year-to-year, making it harder to break through in a memorable way. David Gelles of the New York Times posted on social media early in the week that he was getting 60-70 pitches a day, reinforcing the frantic scramble for coverage and attention. The result is an overwhelming sea of news, characterized by similar-sounding corporate speak around the urgency of the issue, the importance of goals, or some technology that will move the climate fight forward. I can’t pinpoint a campaign or message that stood out in the way that something like Patagonia’s bold move on the eve of Climate Week in 2022 grabbed headlines and drove conversations about bold ambition and the role of business and profit in the climate fight. Looking to next year, it will be important for organizations to think hard about what they want to get across, the ambition that they can bring to the table and how they can be creative in communicating their point of view – competition is fierce and merely showing up doesn’t cut it.
- Molly Luby’s Takeaway: There’s a Spotlight on Communications and Marketing’s Role in Supporting Climate Action: Through sessions I attended this year, it became clear there’s a greater understanding than ever before of the role marketers and communicators play in helping drive awareness, education and action related to climate solutions. Whether supporting organizations with clear, impactful, and fact-based messages that break through today’s crowded media landscape to generating creative campaigns that drive broad consumer awareness, there’s energy like never before behind this industry’s role in addressing the climate crisis. I had the opportunity to see my colleague Whitney Dailey take the stage at The Nest alongside Allison client Seventh Generation and Clean Creatives who spoke about the importance of ensuring organizations take a deeper look at their marketing, advertising and communications partners with this in mind. As a discipline that is helping shape cultural conversations, it’s crucial to prioritize partners who aren’t further fueling the climate crisis with their dollars and work.
- Whitney Dailey’s Takeaway: Through Newly Uncovered Data, We Begin to See the Intersection Between Health and Climate More Clearly: One of my major highlights of the week was hosting the “Confronting Climates Growing Impact on Health” conversation, moderated by Dr. Bruce Y. Lee and featuring panelists Dr. Lisa Patel, Sarah Newman, and Renee Lertzman, to unpack the catastrophic public health emergency that is unfolding due to the climate crisis. There was so much to learn from the session, but what stood out to me was how medical studies are drawing a clearer connection between climate-change caused natural disasters and impacts on mental health. One study cited by the panel from the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that children exposed to Superstorm Sandy in utero “were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders and nearly four times as likely to be diagnosed for attention deficit and disruptive behavior disorders.” Data like this helps to really bring to life the myriad unseen impacts of the climate crisis.
- Katy Mendes’ Takeaway: Time’s Up on Fossil Fuels: New York Climate Week 2024 had an incisive theme: “It’s time”. Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group—which hosts the weeklong series of climate events—opened with a speech about how it’s time to put people first, pay up, listen to citizens, to be honest with ourselves, and have difficult discussions about fossil fuels. It’s a relief that, finally, the curtain is being pulled back on the fossil fuel industry, which has misled the public for years into thinking that humanity won’t survive without our current level of dependence on coal, oil and gas. This Climate Week brought many activists, innovators, policymakers and thinkers and citizens together who are dispelling that myth, speaking truth to the harm caused by continued extraction, and standing up against the industry to forge a different path. I was inspired to hear from Minister Muhamad of Colombia, Kumi Naidoo, the new president of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Juan Bay, president of the Waorani Nationality of Ecuador (NAWE), who spoke on a panel about a tangible solution to transition away from fossil fuels in a way that is financed, fast and fair. Through the work I’m involved in, I’m hearing more from these incredible voices of the Global South, which accounts for 88% of the world’s population and is contributing the least to the climate crisis yet suffering the worst consequences. In summary, I agree, it’s time. It’s time for policymakers to wake up, listen to these voices, and implement the solutions that are right in front of them.
As the dust settles on Climate Week, we are yet again confronted with the real and devastating impact of the climate crisis, where just down the East Coast, we see the ravages of Hurricane Helene – the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Katrina – with Hurricane Milton waiting in the wings. The juxtaposition of this major climate convening in the backdrop of real human suffering must be acknowledged – and only highlights the incredible urgency for all parties to continue to push toward substantive climate solutions and commitments.
The Purpose Center of Excellence is a dedicated team specializing in Purpose brand strategy and sustainability leadership, backed by Allison’s global network of more than 1,000 creatives and storytellers. Our team can be reached at [email protected].
