Climate Week NYC 2026: Getting Real
It’s our annual Climate Week NYC edition. This was a particularly significant week for us. FFI Solutions and Oakledge Advisors announced that our two firms intend to combine, building on a successful strategic partnership and bringing together complementary capabilities in climate and investment research, data and advisory services.
With both teams converging across New York, I asked my colleagues what stood out to them. Their answers were different, but a common theme emerged: the climate conversation is getting real – shifting from long-term ambition toward what gets financed, built and implemented today.
1. AI’s Infrastructure Boom Meets Reality
Max Messervy / Oakledge Advisors
Data centers and AI generally were part of virtually every conversation I had this week. But alongside the excitement was a surprising degree of skepticism about how much of the proposed infrastructure will actually get built.
One energy expert estimated that as many as 75% of proposed data centers may not proceed because of regulatory, energy-supply or economic constraints. That raises an important question: are investors adequately pricing the risk of non-completion into projects they’re financing?
And it’s not only about power and economics. Community opposition can derail projects as well. One discussion raised the possibility of equity or profit sharing with affected communities. That struck me as an interesting opportunity to think differently about how projects are developed.
Physical climate risk was another recurring theme. Investors increasingly recognize that they may not have a clear picture of where those risks are concentrated within their portfolios and there’s a growing desire to do something about it.
2. From Problems to Solutions
Lynn Connolly / FFI Solutions
If I had to express my Climate Week experience in two words, they would be positivity and hope. My week began collaborating and brainstorming with highly passionate people finding solutions to complex issues related to regenerative agriculture. From there I attended a panel that provided in-depth insights on data centers, AI, and water that addressed both the positive and negative impacts. I also heard how corporate investment in resilience is showing a measurable, positive impact on the bottom line. And, I joined discussions on helping companies find solutions, scaling global partnerships in the circular economy, and climate education in our schools. There were chance encounters with some very impressive individuals, exchanging ideas on challenging issues.
I spoke with a cross section of investment professionals, solution providers, corporate personnel, NGO leaders, educators, artists, and activists. There was an underlying theme of hope and a belief that we will, through continuing the positive interactions we had at Climate Week, find solutions. It was an incredibly inspiring experience.
3. The Time Horizon Is Shrinking
David Root / FFI Solutions
In previous years, many of the Climate Week events and meetings I’ve attended focused on medium- and long-term climate impacts, targets and strategies. This year felt different.
Whether the conversation was about getting climate-risk solutions for the insurance industry to market faster or prioritizing near-term physical-risk modeling, I heard much greater emphasis on climate-related risks and opportunities that are beginning to be addressed now.
That’s more than simply the passage of time. Institutional investors are increasingly moving from talking about climate risk to figuring out what they’re actually going to do about it. They’re beginning to walk the talk, albeit belatedly.
4. Don’t Wait for the Perfect Answer
Wal Khumalo / Oakledge Advisors
One comment stayed with me this week:
“No, waving a magic wand [to produce perfect data] wouldn’t solve anything.”
We spend enormous amounts of time looking for better data and increasingly asking AI to turn that data into answers. But there’s a danger in assuming that a perfect answer is more valuable than the imperfect process that produces it.
The process itself carries context – our mandate, assumptions, experience and judgment – that the final answer can discard.
So don’t simply use AI to tell you what to do. You are necessary to the solution you’re seeking. So are other people.
Don’t forget the people element.
5. Getting Business Done, Quietly
Rich Fontes / Oakledge Advisors
Maybe it was because I spent more time in partner meetings than conferences, but one thing struck me this week: relationships are back at the center of getting things done.
As some organizations have stepped away from large consortiums and public sustainability pledges, climate action hasn’t stopped. I was struck by how collaborative people were this week, and how much business, innovation and deal-making is happening under the radar.
Trust and relationships have always mattered in financial services. Sustainability may simply be following that model. I suspect we’ll see significant innovation and deal flow, but increasingly through smaller groups, bespoke partnerships, and trusted relationships rather than big public commitments.
Sometimes the most consequential work isn’t happening on the main stage. It’s happening in the rooms you don’t see.
6. The Power of Community
Chris Ito / FFI Solutions
After enough Climate Weeks, it’s easy to become a little cynical about all the talk. This year reminded me why bringing people together still matters.
For nearly a decade, I’d wanted Ohio State University to have a presence at Climate Week – not simply to showcase the university’s work, but to build a community around it. This year, with the help of Professor Bart Elmore and others across OSU, we finally took the first step toward what I hope becomes a lasting alumni sustainability network, connecting students, faculty and alumni across generations.
Bart made a point that stayed with me: we all have a responsibility to act now. We can’t congratulate ourselves that the future is in the hands of a passionate younger generation while leaving them a climate mess to clean up.
That, to me, is what community is ultimately about: bringing generations together, sharing responsibility, and recognizing that each of us has something to contribute – right now.
