Between 22-29 September, over 1,000 leaders drawn from across the public and private sectors gathered at the iconic Empire State Building for New York City Climate Week 2024. After participating in 600 different climate events, discussions and activities, attendees emerged with fresh ideas and inspiration on how they can bring tier influence to bear on the unfolding global climate crisis, while encouraging others to do the same.

With NYC Climate Week 2024 having drawn to a close, it’s time to take stock of the main takeaways from the event, and what this might mean for ongoing climate response efforts worldwide.

Even before its opening, NYC Climate Week 2024 was already garnering plenty of positive attention for new developments in the way it would operate. This year’s event embraced a broader hybrid format, allowing for a greater range of both in-person and online events.

This was hailed as a necessary and effective innovation, since the hybrid model is more inclusive and, ultimately, more environmentally sustainable. Formally encouraging and expanding the range and level of online activities had the benefit of pulling in a wider selection of voices, from youth activists to those with disabilities who couldn’t travel to the event.

For a global event aiming to tackle global issues, securing a genuinely global audience is a necessity. NYC Climate Week shows how a hybrid model can reinforce the collaborative effort of the task at hand, while deflecting potential criticism regarding any disconnect between the message and the actual outcome of the event.

Mayors call time on fossil fuel subsidies: Mayors from across the C40 Cities network (a global collaboration of mayors from internationally leading cities to tackle climate change) created a new open letter for national governments to end all fossil fuel subsidies. With G20 countries still pouring billions of dollars into such subsidies, the open letter called for a redirection of funds to renewable energy subsidies.

Potential impact: Further high-level advocacy on ending fossil fuel subsidies could be influential in providing ‘market signals’ that the shift to renewables may accelerate even faster. Government subsidies are a major economic and political statement of where current and future policy direction lies – any sizeable rerouting of subsidies will doubtlessly be seized upon by dedicated energy investors and wider money markets alike.

New fund for Heat Health Pilot Programmes: The C40 Cities network announced a new partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to better understand and respond to health crises in cities caused by extreme heat brought on by climate change. This included an initial $1 million fund for heat health pilot programmes. The broader 3-step effort will be to improve forecasting, prevention, and resource allocation regarding extreme heat and its impact on public health.

Potential impact: Targeted funds and action initiatives addressing specific aspects of climate change hazards are sorely needed, as they have the advantage of precision and speed. Broad-ranging remits are useful for getting a macro view of climate change, but funds like this can provide a more immediate response to a devastating problem that claims tens of thousands of lives every year.

New Study forecasts Higher Mass-Migration by Climate Change: C40 Cities and the Mayors Migration Council released new research with the principal finding that 10 major cities across the world are likely to receive an influx of 8 million people displaced by climate change by 2050. These cities are spread across the world, including Bogotá (Colombia) and Amman (Jordan) to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Karachi (Pakistan). However, the report highlighted how sticking to the Paris Agreement 1.5°C target would lighten the severity of the predicted rise in climate migrant levels.

Potential impact: Migration is among the most politically contentious and complex issues being grappled by governments globally. Reports like this highlight the clean link between climate change and mass-migration, while underlining the need to accelerate climate response action to limit its effects. With a swathe of elections in Europe and North America in the coming months, reports like this will be receiving extra scrutiny, lending them additional influence in prompting richer nations to contribute more resources towards achieving the Paris Agreement 1.5°C target.

The above section covers only a tiny proportion of the headline agreements and outcomes of NYC Climate Week 2024. One of the reasons the event is so well regarded (and well attended) is that it attracts a genuinely diverse range of speakers, supporters and attendees. From top-tier political leaders, regional heads and city mayors, to youth activist leaders, university researcher groups and grass-roots climate campaigners, there is room for every voice in the discussion.

In the run up to COP29 in Azerbaijan, this level of diverse discourse is important for reminding world leaders that climate change is a global crisis needing solutions that come from every corner of society. Collaboration, inclusion and cooperation are always essential tools in every climate action event, and NYC Climate Week 2024 was instrumental in putting that message front and centre.