By Marcel Beilin – Climate week is a time for cities around the world to organize events in order to discuss ways to combat climate change. This year, the focus is on efforts to advance climate action, including reducing emissions, switching to renewable energy sources, leading sustainable development goals and preparing for climate hazards, extreme weather events and climate change in general.
Cities are on the front lines of our climate emergency and they are taking action to protect their citizenry. Below you’ll find a summary of key events planned for this year.
What Are Some of the Climate Week Events Happening In Cities Around the World?
Climate Week NYC
New York City holds one of the largest climate weeks in the world, hosted annually by the international non-profit The Climate Group in conjunction with the United Nations and in partnership with the city of New York. This year, they’ll be focusing on climate action and raising awareness about the issue with the goal of increasing commitments from businesses, governments, and organizations.
Some examples of planned events include:
- Building the grid of the future
- The future of buildings: From Dumb to Digital
- Advancing sustainable aviation fuels
- Planning the way forward for industrial energy transition
Climate week NYC will be held from September 19-25, 2022.
California Climate Action Week
California is known for its car culture, but the state is also proactively working to combat climate change. California Climate Action Week is the premier annual event that focuses on new approaches and technologies necessary to mitigate climate change and protect the state’s natural resources. This year the event will center on five key climate themes:
- Greening California
- Exploring energy options
- Reducing organic waste
- Wildfire preparation and prevention
- Water conservation
California Climate Action Week will be held from September 21-25, 2022
London Climate Action Week
London has some of the most ambitious climate initiatives in the world. The city has pledged to cut 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and it is making progress towards this goal. The city is also working to reduce emissions from transportation. One way that London is doing this is by incentivizing the switch to electric vehicles. There are now over 50,000 electric vehicles on the road in London and the wider South East of England and this number is growing every day.
London Climate Action Week will be held from June 25-July 3, 2022
Climate Change Conference Week Frankfurt
Frankfurt is one of the top climate change cities in Germany and is home to a number of initiatives aimed at reducing emissions. This year, it’ll host the World Conference on Climate Change and Sustainability, focusing on global warming effects and causes, sustainability and climate change, evidence of climate change and CO2 capture and sequestration, among 20 topics of discussion.
The World Conference on Climate Change and Sustainability will be held from August 22-24, 2022.
Stockholm+50
The city of Stockholm hosted the first world conference on the environment fifty years ago, and this year it’ll host Stockholm+50 to mark five decades of continuous work to strengthen its commitment to fighting climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Stockholm+50 will be held from June 2-3, 2022.
Middle East & North Africa Climate Week
The first-ever MENA Regional Climate Week will take place in March, hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Dubai as a platform for governments, cities and private sector leaders to discuss opportunities for climate action. The event is being organized around three tracks:
- National actions and economy wide approaches
- Integrated approaches for climate-resilient development
- Seizing transformation opportunities
MENA Climate Week will be held from March 28-31, 2022.
How Can Citizens Get Involved In Efforts to Address Climate Change?
The best way for people to get involved in climate change efforts is to participate in planned events, to stay informed or even volunteer their time to help run the events. On a personal level, there are many actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint day in and day out. Here are a few ideas:
- Ride your bike or walk instead of driving
- Recycle and compost as much as possible
- Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
- Turn off electronics when not in use
What Happens After Climate Week Events End?
The goal of climate week events is to create a lasting legacy of climate action in participating cities and countries. This is done through the sharing of best practices, the development of new partnerships and the promotion of climate-friendly initiatives.
Cities are on the front lines of climate change and they are taking significant steps to combat it. Climate action week events are opportunities for all cities — big and small, developed and developing — to come together and share their successes, challenges, and plans for the future.
Religion and Fighting Climate Change
A recent article from the Center for American Progress discusses how more and more religious Americans are demanding climate action. The article cites statistics from a 2021 Politico/Morning Consult poll that “Sixty percent of Christians and 79 percent of Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims believe that “passing a bill to address climate change and its effects” should be a top or an important priority for Congress. More religious people than ever recognize the reality of climate change and want to see it addressed.
Religion and Climate Action
Religions are coming together to amplify their voice for addressing climate change. For example “3,400 faith leaders” signed a statement organized by Interfaith Power & Light “in support of significant investments in climate action and climate-ready infrastructure.” Included in the letter is the following quote:
As leaders from many diverse faith traditions, we are united in our call for a bold economic recovery and infrastructure package that creates family and community sustaining jobs while caring for our climate and our neighbors. It is the moral responsibility of our nation, and our sacred task as people of faith, to protect our ecosystems, work for environmental justice and public health, and address the climate crisis.
Religious leaders are setting the tone that addressing climate change is a priority. The article concludes with, “the moral case to address the climate crisis is resounding in the halls of Congress and in faith communities around the world.” The call to address the climate crisis is rising. Will we heed and amplify this call to save our planet or ignore it? The choice is ours.
How To Get Involved
You can also sign up for email updates from the various climate week planning committees or follow them on social media.
If you have any questions or suggestions, use the feedback buttons on their websites (see links above).
What To Do Next
Now that you’re familiar with the upcoming climate week events planned around the world, it’s time to decide what your personal plan of action is.
Here are some things you can do to make a difference:
- Educate yourself and others about climate change and its solutions
- Support or join an environmental organization working on the front lines of climate change
- Lobby your elected officials and urge them to take action on climate change
- Divest from fossil fuels by switching to an electric means of transportation
- Reduce your own carbon footprint as much as you can
* Featured image source
