NRDC at Climate Week NYC 2026: Meeting the Moment

Climate Week arrives at a moment of extraordinary geopolitical and economic turbulence. Energy insecurity and rising costs are straining households, communities, and countries around the world. In the United States, the rapid growth of AI data centers is driving new electricity demand and raising concerns about the impacts on communities and the environment. Scientists warn that sustained warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the dangerous red line they have long warned against, is likely to be reached in the late 2020s or early 2030s.

Yet there are powerful reasons for hope. Across the globe, from China and India to Europe, from small island nations to states and cities across the United States, the clean energy transition is already underway. The momentum is clear: Clean energy is increasingly the cheapest, fastest, and healthiest path forward, strengthening economies while improving energy security and cutting climate pollution. EV adoption is accelerating at a pace few would have predicted a decade ago, while reforestation and ecosystem restoration efforts are expanding across the world. Together, these trends are a reminder that when innovation, policy, and public demand align, change can happen faster than we imagine.

The question is no longer whether the transition will happen. The question is how fast we move, who leads, and whether we make the transition fair, equitable, and durable.

That is what NRDC will be spotlighting during Climate Week. As the world looks ahead to COP31, progress is urgently needed: accelerating clean energy while phasing down fossil fuels; scaling climate finance; protecting natural climate solutions, such as forests and oceans; helping communities adapt to escalating climate impacts; and demonstrating that international cooperation can deliver real, lasting progress.

These priorities are deeply interconnected. Moving beyond fossil fuels reduces exposure to volatile energy prices and strengthens energy security. Climate finance turns ambition into real projects and measurable progress. Protecting forests and oceans is essential for tackling both biodiversity loss and climate change. And adaptation can no longer be treated as tomorrow’s challenge when communities are already facing deadly heat, fires, floods, and storms.

The task before us is immense. We must build clean energy and the infrastructure that supports it at a speed and scale unprecedented in human history while ensuring that what we build improves people’s lives, protects nature, and strengthens communities. Climate Week is an opportunity to advance that work together.

Throughout the week, NRDC experts will join leaders, advocates, policymakers, and partners from around the world to share solutions, forge partnerships, and build momentum for action. Explore NRDC's Climate Week events below. 

We hope you'll join us and be part of the conversations, partnerships, and solutions that will help shape what comes next. We look forward to seeing you there.