Climate Week 2026 | Columbia Climate School

September 20-27, 2026

Columbia Climate School is bringing bold ideas, leading experts, and groundbreaking research to Climate Week NYC, and we have once again been selected as Climate Group's education partner! Explore our events, stories, and updates throughout the week as we help shape the conversation on climate action across New York City.

Featured Events

All Events

News Highlights

2025 Event Highlights

Featured Events

Wednesday, September 23, 4pm-6pm, Savoy Club

Cities, Energy Affordability, and Climate Action convenes city leaders and faculty to discuss the choices cities are making, the challenges they are navigating, and lessons that can be shared across communities.

Hosted by: Columbia Climate School; Climate & Sustainability Alumni Network

📰 Via State of the Planet

Boiling Point and LA Times Studios logos on gradient background from red to blue

Thursday, September 24, 2026, 12:45pm-1:45pm, The Bollinger Forum at Columbia University

LA Times Studios Presents: Boiling Point Live with host Miranda Green, environmentalist Bill McKibben, New York Times reporter David Gelles, IPCC senior communications manager Qiyun Woo, and Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson.

Hosted by: LA Times Studios; Columbia Climate School

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Thursday, September 24, 2026, 2pm-3:30pm, The Bollinger Forum at Columbia University

Drawing on perspectives from science, policy, business, arts, and culture, Beyond the Forecast: What El Niño Reveals About Science, Society, and Action is a conversation with our Distinguished Fellows about how climate knowledge moves from scientific forecasts into real-world decisions.

Hosted by: Columbia Climate School

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Thursday, September 24, 2026, 5pm-6pm, The Bollinger Forum at Columbia University

From Antalya to Addis Ababa: Making COP32 Deliver features UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, CSD Director Jeffrey Sachs, Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson, and CCSI Director Lisa Sachs on accelerating climate action.

Hosted by: UNFCCC; Columbia Climate School

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All Events

Stay tuned for updates!

Date: Ongoing
Title: Art Meets Science at Lamont
Host: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Description: See three art exhibits at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Research as Art featuring works by Lamont researchers; Flags of Science CCL by Selva Ozelli; and Whimsical Science by Betsy Franco-Feeney Contact Miriam Cinquegrana for more information/appointments.

Date: Wednesday, September 16
Title: Columbia Climate School Global Impact Lab: Community Kickoff & Mixer
Host: Global Impact Lab, Columbia Climate School
Description: Columbia Climate School’s Global Impact Lab is opening its doors for a community kickoff. Climate challenges are beyond environmental. They are economic, personal, political, and global issues. Join us to explore climate initiatives grounded in research and connect with mentors and partners.

Date: Friday, September 18
Title: The Immorality of Inaction: Voicing Truth on Climate
Host: Center for Earth Ethics; Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia Climate School
Description: Through speech, story and song, this gathering at the historic Riverside Church brings people together to give voice to the call-to-action to decrease fossil fuel emissions, restore integrity, protect communities, and prevent ecosystem collapse.

Date: Saturday, September 19
Title: Rethink Waste. Reduce Emissions. Unlock Value.
Host: Scandinavia House; Columbia Climate School
Description: In this conversation on the promise of a circular economy, leaders from the public and private sectors explore practical solutions and emerging innovations, lessons learned from Nordic leadership, and the challenges that remain. The program will conclude with a special announcement from Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, followed by a reception to connect and continue the conversation.

Date: Monday, September 21
Title: Columbia Fashion, Energy, and Climate Summit
Host: Fashion, Energy, Climate Network, Columbia Climate School; Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia SIPA
Description: This inaugural summit brings together leaders from across industry, academia, policy, and design to examine how energy systems, materials, markets, finance, regulation, trade, and culture are transforming the industry, and what it will take to build a more resilient, competitive, circular, and climate-conscious fashion system.

Date: Monday, September 21
Title: Mind the Gap: How States Can Advance Carbon Dioxide Removal
Host: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Description: Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be needed, alongside rapid and deep emissions cuts, to achieve the temperature limits set in the Paris Agreement. This event explores innovative legal and policy tools states are already using, or might use in the future, to drive the required scale-up of CDR.

Date: Monday, September 21
Title: NYC Climate Week 2026: Sustainable Sports & Entertainment
Host: Sustainability, Energy, and Entertainment Network (SEEN), Columbia Climate School; Green Sports Alliance; Hollywood Climate Summit; Music Sustainability Alliance
Description: Under the theme Powering Forward, leaders from sports, entertainment, and media explore how organizations can accelerate impact thrugh innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and shared leadership. Discussions focus on: Storytelling, Media & Culture; Sustainable Live Events; Community Resilience Through Venues; and Sustainable Apparel & Merchandising.

Date: Monday, September 21
Title: Game Changing Gear
Host: Columbia University School of Professional Studies
Description: This conversation explores how sports, entertainment, and fashion brands are reimagining the future of gear through sustainability-driven innovation, biodiversity-conscious design, responsible sourcing, and data-informed decision-making. Prior to the panel discussion, participants can attend an information session highlighting Columbia University’s MS in Sustainability Science, MS in Biodiversity Data Analytics, and MS in Sustainability Management programs.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Envisioning the Future of the Environmental Justice Movement
Host: WE ACT for Environmental Justice; Columbia Climate School; Beyond Petrochemicals
Description: As communities across the country confront new environmental and climate challenges, this full-day convening celebrates the environmental justice movement's accomplishments while bringing together leaders, advocates, researchers, policymakers, students, and community members to share lessons learned, envision the future of the movement, and chart the path forward.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Sustainable Energy, Resource, and Environmental Solutions
Host: Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, Columbia Climate School; Columbia Engineering
Description: This focused convening brings together leaders from industry, research, and government to examine how the United States rebuilds secure, end-to-end mineral supply chains and delivers the dependable, affordable energy that domestic manufacturing and energy-intensive industry require.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Governing AI: Managing Risks and Unlocking Opportunities
Host: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment; Hitachi R&D
Description: We all know the discourse by now: AI is powerful, the risks as well as the opportunities are real. Building on CCSI's AI and Sustainability Transitions report, this session is about what we could actually do next, and we would love to hear from you.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: The Cool House Community Hub:
Cooling Action Starts with People
Host: REEF
Description: At this full-day celebration of sustainable cooling, CCSI invites you to stop by their table in the Community Hub to share where you see the biggest barriers to decarbonizing the HVAC sector — and what’s enabling progress.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: A Conversation with Tim Latimer, Co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy
Host: Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School; Columbia Climate School
Description: In conversation with Professor Bruce Usher, Tim Latimer shares perspectives from the frontlines of building and scaling new energy technologies and discusses the role of geothermal in meeting growing power demand from data centers, accelerating the clean energy transition, and reshaping the future of the global energy system.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Leadership at the Intersection of Capital and Sustainability
Host: Super South
Description: What does it actually mean for corporate leaders to take climate seriously — and where do current frameworks fall short? CCSI's Lisa Sachs joins Rivian's Samara Rudolph for a conversation on leadership at the intersection of capital and sustainability.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Innovation for Climate and Clean Air Progress in the Global South
Host: Columbia Engineering; Clean Air Toolbox for Cities, Columbia Climate School; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; EarthON
Description: The twin challenges of air pollution and climate change must be addressed hand-in-hand alongside economic development in the Global South. This event highlights recent innovation in sensing, data science, industry-academic partnerships, and funding strategies that have helped accelerate progress towards cleaner air and sustainable climate.

Date: Tuesday, September 22
Title: Securing Growth in a Resource-Constrained World
Host: Earth Finance; SpatiaFi
Description: CCSI's Lisa Sachs joins a cross-disciplinary panel on Spatial Finance—the integration of geospatial data, AI, and prescriptive analytics into financial decision-making—exploring what leaders need to know before deploying capital, why traditional risk models can fall short, and how to turn geospatial data into asset-level financial insights.

Date: Tuesday, September 22 to Thursday, September 24
Title: Disaster Readiness Summit with National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Host: National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia Climate School; Teachers College
Description: This multi-day summit focuses on disaster readiness. Join us for morning and afternoon sessions to discuss AI for resiliency, trauma and disasters, and how we can create a lasting culture of disaster readiness across communities.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: Making Critical Mineral Recovery Bankable & Insurable
Host: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment; Carbon Trust; Solas Capital; Ellen MacArthur Foundation; Buckstop
Description: This panel identifies the specific term-sheet structures, risk-return profiles, and valuation methods required to transform critical mineral recovery from a financial blind spot into a fully investable and insurable asset class.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: ▶️ Carbon Newbie Summit at Climate Week NYC 2026
Host: Clever Carbon; CNaught, Debevoise & Plimpton; Trane Technologies; University of Toronto Lawson Climate Institute
Description: This casual conference is for carbon newbies (and experts) interested in learning and talking about carbon and climate through fresh and unexpected lenses—from sports and insurance to science and everyday influence.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: When Numbers Aren't Enough: Braiding Knowledge Systems for Nature-Based Solutions in Mining
Host: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment; Vale Base Metals
Description: As the energy transition accelerates demand for critical minerals, there is growing urgency to protect the ecosystems and support the communities affected throughout the mining lifecycle. Building on CCSI’s work on a more sustainable mining value chain, this discussion examines how different knowledge systems can work together to advance the design and implementation of nature-based solutions.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: The Evolving Landscape of Climate Litigation: U.S. and Global Perspectives
Host: Vance Center for International Justice; Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Description: This event brings together leading voices in climate litigation for a conversation on where the field stands and where it’s headed. The first panel examines the U.S. landscape and the second panel turns to global developments.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: El Niño 2026: How Big Could It Get?
Host: Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia Climate School
Description: What does a high-intensity El Niño mean for the upcoming seasons? Which regions may face increased risks of drought, heavy rainfall, flooding, heat, or other climate extremes?This briefing will provide an overview of the latest ENSO observations and forecasts and explore the potential implications for weather and climate around the world.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: What Is Left of the Paris Climate Agreement?
Host: Maison Française
Description: In a conversation moderated by New York Climate Exchange CEO M. Sanjayan, Laurence Tubiana, Dean of the Paris Climate School at Sciences Po, and Alexis Abramson, Dean of the Columbia Climate School, explore how countries can continue to strengthen international cooperation in the face of the climate crisis.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: CEEC Fall Symposium 2026: Mines and Feedstocks to Grids, Chemicals, and Materials
Host: Columbia Engineering
Description: The energy transition depends on the science and engineering that make electrochemistry deployable at scale. This symposium gathers faculty, PhDs, postdocs, and industry practitioners working across this arc to examine electrifying chemicals and materials, the grid frontier, and the technical and commercial problems that matter most.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: Popular Transport, Low-Cost Housing and Climate: Bringing Urban Informality and Affordability In for More Effective Climate Action
Host: World Resources Institute; Columbia Climate School; PRISM; SPARC
Description: Drawing on collaborative work through the Partnership for Research on Shared and Informal Mobility (PRISM) and focusing on real world case studies from cities including Nairobi, Ahilyanagar, Mumbai, Bangkok and Bogota, the discussion explores how integrated mitigation and adaptation approaches can improve popular transport and informal settlements while putting cities on a more liveable, affordable and low-carbon track.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: Sustainable Energy Catalyst: The Master Minds Roundtables
Host: Columbia Engineering; Columbia Advanced Electrification Center; Event One Solutions
Description: This intimate gathering of senior leaders and innovators driving real change across energy, finance, industry, and policy focuses on engineering the 2050 energy transition.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: SEE The Future NYCW 2026 Start Up Competition
Host: Columbia Climate School; Society of Entrepreneurs & Ecology (SEE); Foundations Platform F20; Vectors Capital
Description: This competition invites university students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs to develop and showcase innovative solutions addressing today’s most pressing climate and environmental challenges. Five finalist teams take the stage to pitch their ventures live before a panel of academics, investors, climate experts, and industry leaders. The afternoon also features conversations, networking, and a shared look at the solutions shaping our future.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: 📰 Cities, Energy Affordability, and Climate Action
Host: Columbia Climate School; Climate & Sustainability Alumni Network
Description: As American cities confront rising energy costs, aging infrastructure, and growing climate risks, how can they deliver affordable, reliable energy for residents? This conversation convenes city leaders and faculty to discuss the choices cities are making, the challenges they are navigating, and lessons that can be shared across communities.

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Title: The Future of Climate Litigation Worldwide and Best Practices for Brazil
Host: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law; University of São Paulo & Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul;
Fórum Ambiental do Poder Judiciário; Instituto O Direito Por Um Planeta Mais Verde; IDP
Description: Expert panelists examine the evolution of global climate change litigation, protection of the climate system in international law and in Brazil, climate action and disaster risk reduction, and more.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: Climate Leadership for Systemic Change
Host: Columbia Climate School
Description: Drawing on the perspectives of the Rockefeller Foundation, Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Fundação Lemann, Motriz, and Columbia Climate School, this program explores what it takes to identify, develop, and connect the leaders needed to accelerate climate action and examines the role of philanthropy in cultivating the networks needed to drive systemic transformations.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: How Business is Meeting the Climate Resiliency Challenge: Impactful Risk Reduction and Worthwhile Investments
Host: Columbia University; London Business School Alumni of New York
Description: From front-line practitioners to academic and investor perspectives, this conversation moderated by CCSI's Lisa Sachs examines what good decision-making on climate resilience looks like in practice, surfacing frameworks for making the business case for adaptation, and knowing when to act now versus later.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: The Rise of Agentic AI: What It Means for Climate Innovation
Host: LEAP Science & Technology Center; Columbia Engineering
Description: This dynamic panel discussion explores how agentic AI systems are increasingly capable of modeling complex Earth systems, improving climate predictions, and enabling adaptive decision-making, presenting opportunities and challenges for accelerating climate solutions.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: LA Times Studios Presents: Boiling Point Live▶️ Livestream
Host: L.A. Times; Columbia Climate School
Description: Join the Boiling Point podcast for a live episode recording featuring top climate experts from various backgrounds. Host Miranda Green speaks with environmentalist Bill McKibben, New York Times reporter David Gelles, IPCC Senior Communications Manager Qiyun Woo, and Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson about climate storytelling, the best way to get more people involved in climate issues, combating misinformation, and best practices for getting science and facts to resonate.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: Powering Through: Tools and Resources to Combat Myths and Local Opposition to Renewable Energy Siting
Host: New York City Bar Association; Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Description: This discussion explores the challenges facing utility-scale renewable energy siting in the United States, and marks the launch of two new Sabin Center reports on why renewable energy projects are increasingly contested at the local level, how false and misleading claims contribute to opposition, and what strategies can help move projects forward.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: Beyond the Forecast: What El Niño Reveals About Science, Society, and Action▶️ Livestream
Host: Columbia Climate School
Description: This panel of our Climate, Earth, and Society Distinguished Fellows examines the near-term impacts of a shifting climate; assesses how prepared our science, policy, business, arts, and cultural institutions are to respond; and identifies where planning and resources still fall short.

Date: Thursday, September 24
Title: From Antalya to Addis Ababa: Making COP32 Deliver▶️ Livestream
Host: UNFCCC; Columbia Climate School
Description: As governments prepare for COP31 in Antalya this November and Ethiopia looks ahead to hosting COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027, this high-level conversation featuring UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, CSD Director Jeffrey Sachs, Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson, and CCSI Director Lisa Sachs (moderator) considers how the COP process can accelerate climate action in the years ahead.

Date: Friday, September 25
Title: Guardians of a Shared Ocean: Pacific Leadership in Sustainable Fisheries and Climate Justice
Host: World Leaders Forum; Columbia Climate School
Description: This conversation with Dr. Hilda C. Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Alexis Abramson, Dean of Columbia Climate School, presents the leadership of the Marshall Islands in advancing sustainable fisheries, ocean conservation, and climate action, calling for fair partnerships, protection of maritime rights, and recognition of Pacific peoples as ocean guardians shaping a resilient future.

Date: Saturday, September 26
Title: 6th Annual BIPOC Climate Justice Summit: Climate Democracy Frontiers
Host: HBCU Green Fund; ACE Observatory; American Museum of Natural History; National Technical Association; Columbia Climate School
Description: This year’s summit convenes frontline communities—who experience climate change “first and worst”—and organizers, researchers, funders, and public servants to build collective power and advance transformative climate justice.