London Climate Action Week (LCAW) is heating up—literally and figuratively. This year’s convening took place during England’s hottest June on record. Even an event on extreme heat was cancelled due to the scorching temperatures. Nevertheless, in a positive contrast, the climate week had a large turnout. Over 75,000 stakeholders converged on the city for what is becoming a key moment in the global climate calendar.  

LCAW has become a unique forum to strengthen public-private collaboration. In its own words, it serves to make the Action Agenda come “alive in cities and communities, and where the international climate community gathers to build the cooperation the formal process depends on.” This year, the policy focus was all around energy security, health, and food and water security. There was an interesting shift to cover the physical climate risks and assess effective responses.  

Furthermore, London has always served as a milestone moment for climate finance. London is a pillar of the country’s financial sector, driving its leading role as the world’s largest net exporter of financial services. With these actors front and center, London has become the natural venue for these conversations. The focus on financial regulation, standards, architecture, and partnerships is critical ahead of the annual UN Conference of the Parties (COP).

KEY TERMINOLOGY

What is the Action Agenda?

The Action Agenda is an important part of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP). In a parallel track, governments, civil society organizations, and private sector actors collaborate to focus on implementation of the goals and priorities confirmed through official COP negotiations. The Action Agenda serves as the “non-negotiated track” that brings in stakeholders excluded from formal negotiations. By aligning on shared priorities, this agenda helps to mobilize voluntary climate action.

The countdown to New York

New York Climate Week (NYCW), by contrast, has evolved into the premier marketplace for climate implementation and investment. Timed alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), it draws a slightly different audience. Political leaders, investors, philanthropies, technology companies, and civil society organizations—with increasing participation from private sector actors—shape the agenda in New York.

NYCW has attracted more private sector engagement. It’s now recognized as a critical venue where companies can announce investments, launch partnerships, showcase technologies, and identify commercial opportunities. Businesses use the week to seek insights. NYCW’s sessions clarify where capital can be deployed, which markets are becoming investable, and how governments can create policy certainty and investment-ready pipelines.  

How climate weeks are shaping the climate agenda

While climate weeks and the annual COP process continue to serve different purposes, they are becoming increasingly complementary.  

COP will continue to be the forum where governments negotiate international agreements, establish rules, and set policy direction. But climate weeks are now where civil society and the private sector translate those policy signals into investment strategies, commercial partnerships, practical solutions, and financing commitments.

Increasingly, companies are using climate weeks to articulate their priorities ahead of COP. Across the board, there are calls for standardized metrics to quantify resilience and stronger public-private mechanisms to de-risk investment. 

These corporate priorities mark an interesting shift. While decarbonization remains an important issue, discussions increasingly prioritize investments in adaptation, especially in London. 

Notably, companies placed greater emphasis on physical climate risk and supply chain resilience. They hosted more events on investments in sustainable infrastructure, insurance solutions, and blended finance. Over the last couple of years, LCAW has progressively become a space to build consensus among financial actors. It now serves as a platform to connect financial leaders with government officials to ensure country plans and policy decisions are investable and financially sustainable.  

Building on LCAW, energy resilience artificial intelligence, health, and physical climate risks are emerging on the agenda for New York City. This is all underscored by its new tagline: “Energy. Impact. Action.” Interestingly, many of these events are from—or at least in part considering—a private sector perspective. This reflects a broader shift in how climate decisions are being more deeply embedded into core business, infrastructure, and capital allocations. This messaging illustrates the shift toward implementation and commercial deployment. 

Taken together, the two climate weeks perform complementary roles in the lead-up to COP31. They help shape the policy environment, strengthen international cooperation, build consensus around resilience and finance, mobilize the investors, companies, and financial institutions needed to deliver those ambitions at scale.