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October 14, 2025

Key Takeaways from NYC Climate Week

By Geoff Fudurich and Chelsie Hunt

Business leaders and investors gathered recently to discuss clean energy, climate finance, nature-based solutions, industrial decarbonization and food system transformation at Climate Week NYC. These themes spanned various industries and highlighted the climate imperative across all aspects of our society and economy.

Here are our five takeaways from North America’s largest climate event:

  1. Climate Action is Barreling Forward

With an unprecedented 1,000+ events and tens of thousands of participants, the gathering signalled a clear message: despite political and regulatory challenges, many leaders from business, government and science are uniting to confront the climate crisis. Climate impacts are now affecting everyday life, from increased costs of food to use of air conditioning, straining electricity grids and energy budgets. Companies are working hard to adapt and innovate to mitigate risks and find solutions for themselves and their customers.

  1. Resilience at the Forefront

As the physical impacts of climate change intensify and decarbonization drivers waffle, companies, investors, banks and insurers are prioritizing climate adaptation by identifying their risk exposure and taking proactive steps to prepare. Speakers from investors, banks and asset managers spoke of the importance of understanding physical risk to protect asset value and minimize financial losses, as well as the emergent opportunities from investing in resilience. There are challenges related to data availability and interpretation as well as misaligned incentives, but multiple studies now show the positive return on investment in climate adaptation. Frameworks, like those from the IIGCC, are available to help investors and corporates determine the financial effects of climate on their business, and successful examples like the Strengthen Alabama Homes program demonstrate how collaboration can drive tangible results.

  1. Credible Transition Planning Continues

Despite their reduced transparency, companies and investors continue to plan for a low-carbon transition. For their part, companies are developing transition plans, while institutional investors are discerning how to make decisions based on judgments about corporate climate preparedness. Civil society organizations are providing data to support assessments of transition plan credibility. For example, TransitionArc developed a database evaluating transition plans from more than 500 companies, with the goal of expanding to 1,500 in the next year.

Underpinning this exchange of information are climate disclosure rules. Forty jurisdictions have now adopted IFRS S2 climate-related disclosure requirements, covering approximately 60% of global GDP. For more information, see: Transition Planning Trends and Priorities for Financial Institutions in 2025.

  1. Major Announcements for Nature

Major announcements included the Taskforce for Nature-Related Disclosures’ (TNFD) first status report and the Forest Finance Roadmap for Action (The Roadmap), demonstrating continued momentum for nature and biodiversity. Over 600 organizations from 50+ countries have started aligning their reporting to the TNFD recommendations and 63% of companies surveyed for the report believe nature-related issues are significant. The Roadmap is backed by 34 governments and sets six priorities to mobilize finance and end deforestation by 2030.

  1. Transforming Climate Science Data into Financial Foresight

Now more than ever, companies are focused on gaining a competitive advantage and/or managing downside risk by integrating climate information into decision-making. Representatives from investors and banks spoke to the importance of investing in climate expertise. JP Morgan, for example, has a climate science team led by the former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that helps connect climate data and financial performance. Sustainability teams must work cross-functionally – whether it is investments, portfolio/asset management, procurement, risk, audit, operations, investor relations or legal — to translate climate risks and opportunities into financial risk or value. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Physical climate risk data is science, but its interpretation varies from company to company based on what is meaningful, risk tolerances, how it fits into existing decision-making processes and the judgement of decision-makers. Understanding the material financial impacts from climate risks is an entity-specific judgment and requires cross-disciplinary expertise tailored to your business.

At Quinn+Partners, we advise businesses and investors to integrate climate considerations in corporate strategies and operational plans to excel in a changing world. If you are ready to take the next step on your climate journey, please get in touch.