An overview of Climate Week NYC 2025
Climate Week NYC returns on the 21 to 28 September 2025, and it is set to be bigger than ever. Climate Week NYC is the world’s largest climate event – bringing together business leaders, policy-makers and citizens from all over the world and facilitating crucial discussions on how climate action can be driven forward.
Climate Week NYC will be jam-packed with events, as New York City will see 900 Climate Week activities across all five boroughs over the course of the week. The flagship events of the week are: the Opening Ceremony, The Hub Live and The Executive Series, all of which are intended to promote meaningful dialogues between senior-level decision-makers that can lead to actionable solutions.
As the event is held in partnership with the UN General Assembly, key politicians, business leaders, media organisations and target audiences will all be gathered in the same area, at the same time for high-level talks and convenings.
Critical themes on Climate Week NYC 2025’s agenda
Climate Week NYC’s events are spread across ten distinct themes: the built environment and transportation systems, energy, environmental justice, finance, food, health, heavy industry, nature, policy and sustainable living.
However, the dominating theme of the week overall is ‘Power On’ – the ‘financial power, government power, through to the power of collective action’ that is required to deliver large-scale climate protection measures. It is a bold call to action for communities, states and cities, and businesses to step-up, to demonstrate bold leadership, form strategic alliances and create innovative strategies to advance decarbonisation.
Power On also has a specific focus on the climate commitments businesses’ need to make – Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group, which hosts NYC Climate Week, says the following:
“It makes business sense to Power On. Companies are taking incredible opportunities to lead, to innovate, to gain a competitive edge, create efficiency and pursue energy security that will create jobs, growth and a cleaner planet.”
Why Climate Week NYC is important
From influencing policy discussions to building brand visibility, attending Climate Week NYC is a key strategic opportunity for organisations and individuals focused on climate action. Climate Week NYC 2024 received 150,000+ attendees, and a media reach of 31.6 billion, it’s clear that this is a key platform for awareness and influence-building. Here are Greenhouse’s top tips on how your organisation can engage with your target audiences at by leveraging momentum from Climate Week NYC:
- Thought leadership opportunities
You are more likely to receive media coverage if you have something interesting to say! Consider the ten themes that Climate Week NYC is pinpointing their conversations on – what new, interesting perspectives can your organisation offer? You can wield Climate Week NYC to release an announcement, a whitepaper, product launch in combination with fresh insights on the relevant themes. This is a great way to position your company as an expert in the field, boosting your brand voice as both credible and innovative.
- Stakeholder engagement
Hosting an activity at Climate Week NYC is your opportunity to bring together multiple stakeholders – policymakers, business partners, academic researchers, citizens and communities – and truly engage with them. These events are all about connectivity, which breeds creativity and trust. Don’t just talk at your audiences. Co-create with them, listen to their perspectives and knowledge. Impactful climate action should not be a one-way conversation but a collaboration where cross-sectoral ideas can inspire and transform into meaningful impacts on decision-makers, strategists and investors.
- Digital engagement
Creating digital content on the key themes ahead of Climate Week NYC can ensure your messaging is securely positioned as relevant to trending conversations. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions impact of the global food system is set to be a critical theme at Climate Week NYC, opening up discussions about agroforestry, food waste, regenerative agriculture and more. If your organisation is involved in this sector, plan digital content that aligns with this theme, ensuring that you are using thematic keywords surrounding global food and agriculture for SEO purposes – this will put you at the forefront of digital conversations.
Greenhouse’s perspective and experience
We’re proud to have supported numerous clients at Climate Week NYCs in recent years, which includes the launch of the collective of The Planetary Guardians and the launch of the Fossil to Clean campaign, both at Climate Week NYC 2024.
Unsure how to navigate the media space at CWNYC? Here is our insider tip from Charlie Dakin, Senior Account Director at Greenhouse:
“During Climate Week, many top-tier journalists are tied up at the UN General Assembly, and even those based in New York can get stuck with road closures or security delays. If you’re hosting in-person media briefings, always offer a virtual option too. The more avenues you give journalists to join and engage, the better your chances of securing meaningful coverage.”
Make an impact at high-profile climate events
It’s no coincidence that this will be the biggest Climate Week NYC since its inception in 2009. The magnitude of the climate crisis weighs heavier in 2025 than ever before – 2024 was the hottest year on record, accompanied by an increasing frequency and severity in extreme weather events. More people are understanding the critical necessity and urgency to implement planetary climate action now, but political and economic headwinds are slowing progress in some areas. Now is the time for businesses and governments to Power On and make clear commitments to the climate – and Climate Week NYC 2025 is the perfect platform to do so.
As experts in communications for those at the forefront of climate & nature leadership, Greenhouse has the insights and experience to help our clients make an impact at high-profile events, whether that’s at Climate Week New York, COP or elsewhere.
Get in touch to find out how Greenhouse can support your organisation with strategic guidance on event participation, media engagement and thought leadership opportunities.
