Last week marked another Climate Week in New York City. This year, it has played a significant part in educating and preparing both communities and corporations for the upcoming COP26 (26th Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow this November. From the conference room at The Javits Center to the climate strike in the streets of lower Manhattan, here are four things we are taking away from our experience. 

1. We must read the fine print & pay attention to the details.

At the very beginning of the week, our team attended the NEST Summit to hear more from major corporations about what they are doing to reduce their carbon footprint. And we heard a LOT of pretty buzzwords. Though this was a free summit, the conference was funded by a myriad of major corporations. This included the infamous National Grid, the utility company simultaneously responsible for installing a natural gas pipeline through the heart of Brooklyn. You can see how this can be problematic. In response to the pipeline, Sanjoy Banerjee of City University of New York Energy Institute has stated “If they are not renewable sources, then this defeats the whole purpose.” To many environmentalists and activists, their attempt to appear sustainable by stamping their name across the climate conference makes National Grid seem untrustworthy and performative. Other sponsors and partners with an unsustainable track record include Hydro-Québec, Pepsi Co, Bank of America, Mastercard, and L’Oréal. 

Additionally, you couldn’t join a single talk without hearing about the Trillion Trees Initiative – another concept that major companies are hyping up to the public as the “answer to climate change”. Although the monstrous number sounds like an optimistic start with pure intentions, this concept has proved to have its own set of flaws, causing skepticism within the climate space.  

Back in 2020, western nursery specialist of the US Forest Service Diane Haase stated “If you put 100 trees in the ground and 90 of them die, then it’s nothing to be excited about, – You’ve just wasted all your resources, from the seed to the nursery to the out-planting, and then you just have a dead tree.” 

At The Oxygen Project, we know this kind of greenwashing to be true when it comes to corporations like The Metals Co. – claiming Deep Seabed Mining to be a solution to acquiring clean, renewable energy. It is our duty as a community to remain diligent and not be afraid to ask questions and dive deeper into details when grandiose statements are made.

2. Gender equality plays a significant role in reducing climate change. 

Not every conversation we heard at NEST felt so doom and gloom! An inspiring takeaway lived within the conversation with the UN’s Nehali Anupriya who led the charge with a panel on women in climate tech. The conversation revolved around how gender equality can serve as a “climate solutions multiplier”. With 51% of the global population being female, Anupriya laid out the statistics including that over 80% of people in poverty due to climate related disasters end up being women. She also claimed that when it comes to asset management, it was proven in studies that if you give a woman a piece of land, they take better care of it. 

Though ecofeminism is a term that dates back to the 70’s, it remains a sad reality today that not enough women are at the table, contributing to important environmental decisions. After listening to incredible youth speakers like Xiye Bastida, Takota Iron Eyes, and Jamie Margolin at the Fridays for Future climate strike, it’s about time we listen more intently to the female voice! 

3. You do not need to be a climate organization to enforce climate regulations.

The climate space can be OVERWHELMING. But the beautiful thing is this – all you have to do is love this planet to get involved in the climate movement. Coupling what you do best with climate action is the best way to start. Whether you are an artist, an activist, a scientist, or a financier – if all of us pledged to devote 10% of our work to climate impact, we can raise the consciousness of the whole and inspire more people to take action. Truth is, we cannot get the word out through one skill group alone!  

In a talk on sustainable fashion, educator Charlotte Mccurdy stated “If you are at a job interview, it is just as much in your right to ask the question back to the interviewer what steps the company is taking to decarbonize. Not only are you taking control of the type of job you dedicate your hours to, but you are also showing the company that you care and are mindful of these issues.” 

4. There is strength in numbers.  

I’m elated to be concluding this on a positive note, and not because I feel obligated to, but because genuine inspiration coarsed throughout the streets on Friday. 

We finished out the week by marching in the streets demanding climate action with thousands of activists in New York City. It was one of the multiple Fridays for Future climate strike marches that took place, and included marches in the UK as well as Berlin – where they were led by Greta Thunberg. We marched with our “Defend The Deep” banner along with our friends at SOA (Sustainable Ocean Alliance). Multiple organizations made appearances, including Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion, Broadway Green Alliance, 350.org, and MANY More. 

There was an overwhelming sense of community as we marched for climate justice, system change and the need for a just transition that prioritizes communities of color. I watched inspiration flood the eyes of bystanders who stood slack-jawed on the sidelines, taking video with their iPhones, asking how they can be part of the next one. At the talks in Battery Park, the term “climate family” was used multiple times, and the terminology rings true. The more collective communities are out in the streets demanding climate and racial justice, the less “radical” of an action it seems. Suddenly we are the majority, and the world is paying attention.