Skip to main content

Climate Week was great. It’s always uplifting to meet others wrestling with similar issues. I emerged with new ideas and allies and perspectives we can apply in our work. It also crystallised my thoughts on the weaknesses of our collective efforts. I’ve put together my highlights, lowlights and overriding reflection, in the spirit of maximising the learning for us all.

We really need this learning. The scale of the change we seek is immense. The speed we must move is unprecedented. Many of the solutions we need exist today. But powerful forces seek to slow or derail this transition, many of the institutions we need to lead are weak, and the conditions for international co-operation are profoundly lacking.

The highlights of my time in NY were identifying new allies and tools to unlock investment in industrial decarbonisation, and seeing our team in action:

There were three things I enjoyed rather less:

The future we need – requires deeper collaboration

A key divide in New York and beyond is between those talking about what they have done and blaming others for their limitations, and those who are collaborating to secure the action and incentives they need from others.

We still need far more of this. Every one of our challenges is systemic. No organisation can achieve its goals alone. If you’re only thinking and talking about the actions you can take in markets that exist today then you’re not yet doing this properly, as the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability and Leadership argued in an excellent report launched in New York.

Companies need regulation and incentives to act. The conditions for first of a kind investment have been hugely improved by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Green Market Maker and / or procurement commitments by governments will give investors the confidence to scale. If these policies or tools are lacking, it’s all of our responsibility to identify them and advocate for them. We can only do this together.

This is the work we do at Climate Catalyst. It’s only by taking a systems view, and combining the insight and power of different actors, that we will mobilise the action we need.

About the Author

Stephen Hale

Chief Executive Officer.
Stephen has played leadership roles as a campaigner and advocate on climate change, international development, and other issues across several organisations. He manages our overall organisational strategy and impact.

Related resources

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to updates

Your Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.