State Climate Happy Hour: Progress No Matter What

The federal landscape of climate progress has changed dramatically since the beginning of this year, with seemingly every day a new rollback, funding loss, or regulatory block. In spite of this federal retreat, states continue to lead the way on climate action with innovative new funding mechanisms, proposals to streamline clean energy projects, and policies to lower energy bills.

​Please join Climate Cabinet Education, Data for Progress, Evergreen Collaborative, and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators for our third annual NYC Climate Week happy hour celebrating state climate action. Hear from state leaders about how their states are approaching climate action in this moment and connect with your fellow partners on collaborative efforts to support state work.

​Announced Speakers:

  • Senator Brian Kavanagh, New York
  • Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, Maryland
  • ​Assemblymember Howard Watts, Nevada

Amity Hall Downtown

Climate Cabinet
Evergreen Action
New York
09/23/2025 at 06:00PM

Axios Climate House: Tom Steyer

Join Axios House for a newsworthy conversation with investor and climate advocate Tom Steyer on reimagining energy and climate impact through the lens of private capital. We’ll discuss the business of decarbonization, the role of innovation in accelerating the clean energy transition, and how strategic investment can drive climate solutions at scale.

  • 1:15pm ET | Doors open
  • 1:30pm - 1:45pm ET | Ben Geman interviews Tom Steyer
  • 1:45pm - 2:15pm ET | Networking reception
Axios
New York
09/23/2025 at 01:30PM

Axios Climate House: Sheldon Whitehouse

Join Axios House for a wide-ranging conversation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the growing cost of climate change. We’ll explore the current policy issues for improving climate resilience and advancing federal policies to protect communities and the economy in a warming world.

  • 11:30am ET | Doors open
  • 11:45am - 12:00pm ET | Amy Harder interviews Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
  • 12:00pm - 12:30pm ET | Networking reception
Axios
New York
09/23/2025 at 11:45AM

Weathering the Storm: Insurance, Housing & Climate Costs

Disasters linked to climate pollution are growing more devastating, with rising premiums and costly home damages creating a crisis for consumers and the insurance industry. Strategies to address these rising costs and improve the ability to rebuild after a disaster are imperative to build climate resilience.

Join Axios House in NYC at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly for “Weathering the Storm: Insurance, Housing & Climate Costs,” an event convening policy, finance and environmental experts for conversations that will look at ways to address the growing costs of climate change, and the financial impacts on consumers’ wallets, the insurance industry and the housing market.

  • 10:30am ET | Doors open
  • 11:00am - 11:40am ET | Mainstage conversations
  • 11:40am - 12:00pm ET | Networking reception

Axios senior economics reporter Courtenay Brown will interview separately:

  • David Burt, Founder & CEO, DeltaTerra Capital
  • Abby Ross, CEO, The Resiliency Company
  • Jeremy Porter, PhD, Chief Economist, First Street

Nicholas Johnston will interview:

  • John Marshall, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Potential Energy Coalition

335 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Axios
New York
09/23/2025 at 11:00AM

Adaptation in Action!

Cities have always been humanity’s greatest engines of opportunity, invention, and community. Today, cities are also where the consequences of climate change are felt most acutely. Floods, heat waves, storms, and rising seas are reshaping how billions of people live, work, and thrive. As we confront these risks, cities are at the forefront of climate adaptation.

​The economic stakes are immense - climate adaptation represents a multi-trillion dollar opportunity in technology, infrastructure, and finance. How we invest in resilient buildings, water systems, cooling infrastructure, insurance mechanisms, and community preparedness will determine the livability of our cities in the decades to come. To succeed, we must connect the dots between climate tech, policy, and finance to scale adaptation solutions quickly and equitably.

​This session will bring together climate adaptation startups, investors, corporate buyers, and policymakers to discuss how adaptation is being implemented in cities across the globe. Topics for discussion will include:

​How financing models like parametric insurance can accelerate adaptation at scale

​The experience of startups piloting flood protection, heat mitigation, and water resilience solutions in urban environments

​How New York City and other urban hubs are positioning themselves as test beds for climate adaptation technologies

​A pecha-kucha style startup showcase of adaptation solutions will follow. Startups will present their solutions across:

  • ​Flood & Water Resilience: ECOncrete, ISeeChange
  • ​Heat & Cooling: EnKoat, Eztia
  • Insurance & Finance: ClimateX, TenaxAI
  • Data & Infrastructure: Rhizome, N4EA

​Please also join us for great people, great food, and great conversation after the presentations on the beautiful Rooftop Park overlooking the Hudson River at Pier 57!

​About Streetlife Ventures

​​​​Streetlife Ventures invests in the $5 trillion market opportunity at the intersection of cities and climate. We leverage our 30+ years of urban experience and 25,000+ member platform of climate founders, operators, policymakers, and emerging talent to build sustainable cities. We invest in pre-seed and seed startups across the buildings, energy, mobility and logistics, waste and water, and adaptive infrastructure sectors. We also partner with cities, real estate developers, and infrastructure groups to de-risk urban climate solutions and accelerate a startup’s path to commercialization. We are dedicated to advancing cities, focusing on people and the places they call home.

​About Climate Proof

​​Climate Proof is your go-to source for news and insights on climate adaptation finance, tech, and policy. Every Monday and Thursday, subscribers get the latest and greatest intelligence from the frontiers of the emerging A&R market sent direct to their inboxes. ​Premium members also get access to our exclusive reports and data dashboards, which allow for unprecedented insights into how companies and financial institutions are responding to the climate adaptation and resilience challenge and capitalizing on the related opportunities.

About Autodesk Foundation

​The Autodesk Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Autodesk, Inc., supports the design and creation of innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. By facilitating a blend of funding, technical training, and expertise, we can bring early-stage innovations to market to advance a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient world.

Pier 57

Climate Proof
Streetlife Ventures
New York
09/22/2025 at 05:30PM

Data Center Energy Use

The AI data center boom comes at an inflection point for the energy industry as it weighs the urgency of surging power demand with clean energy transition targets. Striking a balance between accelerated AI tools and low-carbon sources to power them is crucial to meet this complex moment in time, and lead in the global race to build next-generation AI infrastructure.

Join Axios House at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly for “Responsibly Powering the Data Center Future,” an event convening leading energy, AI and climate tech voices for conversations that will zero in on the steps necessary to accelerate data center growth, tech innovation, infrastructure development, and power needs while meeting urgent climate goals.

Interviewed by Amy Harder:

  • Katharina Beumelburg, PhD, Chief Sustainability & New Technologies Officer, Heidelberg Materials
  • Hillery Hunter, GM & CTO, IBM Cloud, IBM Fellow

Interviewed by Nicholas Johnston:

  • Gavin Rennick, President, SLB New Energy

Schedule:

  • 2:30pm ET | Doors open
  • 3:00pm - 3:40pm ET | Mainstage conversations
  • 3:40pm - 4:00pm ET | Networking reception

Axios House
335 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Axios
New York
09/22/2025 at 02:30PM

SBA’s Hurricane Helene Response: One Year Later

Full committee field hearing in Henderson, N.C.

Witnesses:

Panel 1

  • Rebecca K. McCall, County Commissioner, Henderson County Board of Commissioners, Hendersonville, NC
  • Peter O’Leary, Owner, Bubba O’Leary’s General Store & Mayor, Chimney Rock Village, Chimney Rock, NC
  • David M. Jackson, President & CEO, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Boone, NC

Panel 2

  • Chris Stallings, Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience, U.S. Small Business Administration

Henderson County Historic Courthouse, 1 Historic Courthouse Square, Hendersonville, NC 28792

Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

09/22/2025 at 02:00PM

United for Green Schools: Labor, Communities & Cities Leading Change in the Face of Disinvestment

Labor, community, and government coalitions are fighting for – and winning – transformative investments in green healthy schools, despite the challenging times that public schools face today.

Public schools face chronic disinvestment, enrollment crises, and a backlog of deferred maintenance. Investing in green, healthy schools saves districts money, improves learning and work conditions within schools, and creates and trains students for jobs in the building and clean energy sector. When schools run on clean energy, they both are more able to adapt to extreme weather events and combat the climate crisis by reducing emissions.

Join this panel to hear from leaders in government, labor, and social movements in Chicago, Columbus, and Los Angeles as they share the nuts and bolts of how they are winning and implementing green schools programs in their districts.

Speakers:

  • Chelsea Watson - Senior Program Director, Building Power Resource Center
  • Batul Hassan - Labor Director, Climate & Community Institute
  • Anusha Thotakura - Chicago School Board Member (District 6A)
  • Tara Polansky - Lead Climate Organizer, Ohio Organizing Collaborative
  • Julie Van Winkle - Vice President, UTLA AFT
  • Lauren Bianchi - Green Schools Organizer, Chicago Teachers Union

RSVP

The Center for Fiction
15 Lafayette Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217

Building Power Resource Center
New York
09/22/2025 at 10:30AM

Climate Week 2025 Opening Ceremony: Hard Choices, Real Consequences

Part One: Hard Choices, Real Consequences

The forces shaping our world are shifting, but no challenge is more urgent than the changing climate. Once a distant threat, it now drives economic turmoil, energy insecurity, and environmental risk. While markets focus on inflation and governments navigate uncertainty, long-term stability depends on proactive action. A resilient economy needs a resilient planet. Investing in clean energy, resource efficiency, and modern infrastructure isn’t just about cutting emissions – it’s about unlocking growth, creating jobs, and securing our future. The choices we make today will determine whether we mitigate risk or magnify it, whether we lead or fall behind. The future is ours to shape – if we act now.

Speakers :

  • Hon. Gaston Browne – Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
  • André Corrêa do Lago – COP30 President-Designate
  • Simon Stiell – Executive Director, UNFCC
  • Hon. Ralph Regenvanu – Minister of Climate Change, Republic of Vanuatu
  • Dr. Sabine Mauderer – First Deputy Governor and CFO, Deutsche Bundesbank
  • Angie Lassman – Meteorologist, NBC News
  • Mark Patel – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
  • Brad Bark – Mayor of Muscatine, Iowa
  • Lee Jones – Regenerative Farmer & Founder, The Chef’s Garden
  • Melisa Logan – Mayor of Blytheville, Arkansas
  • Alicia Bárcena Ibarra – Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico
Climate Group
New York
09/22/2025 at 09:00AM

Climate Defiance Benefit Dinner

Things are heating up for Climate Week in NYC.

Join us for an absolutely STACKED lineup at our Climate Week Benefit Dinner this September 21st.

Guests include Abigail Disney, Comptroller Brad Lander, Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Delia Ramirez, and Jamaal Bowman, and State Senator Jabari Brisport.

We’ll have delicious vegan food, refreshments, and inspiring conversations with electeds and activists.

Doors open at 6pm ET. We hope to see you there.

Climate Defiance
New York
09/21/2025 at 06:00PM