To Summit Up: Climate Week Offers Opportunities to Think Globally, Interact Locally
While this week’s United Nations General Assembly focuses on the world’s most intractable problems (and causes gridlock), a separate, weeklong series of events will highlight some promising solutions. The 15th annual Climate Week NYC convenes leaders from the business, government, and the non-profit sectors, underscoring action to combat rising seas, extreme weather events, and other effects of global warming. Numerous Lower Manhattan organizations are hosting symposia and events throughout the week that bring a community-level perspective to issues.
Today (Monday, September 18, from 10:30am through noon), the Regional Plan Association partners with the FiDi-based Century Foundation at One Whitehall Street (15th floor) to host a discussion on “Leading a Community-Centered Path Forward for Offshore Wind,” in which a panel of experts will preview the seven ocean-based wind power projects slated to come online in local waters by the 2030s, with the capacity to power four million homes. The focus will be on the impacts faced by the 15 communities through which new transmission lines will have to run.
On Wednesday (from noon to 1pm), the Waterfront Alliance will impanel an online roster of sustainability leaders to consider “No Single Solution to Living with Climate Change: Understanding the Many Solutions to Building Climate Resilience.” This discussion will delve into the Army Corps of Engineers’ New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study, which serves as a master plan for the region’s efforts to build infrastructure to prepare for extreme weather events and sea level rise.
In addition to high-level discussions, Lower Manhattan organizations are offering a broad range of programs for residents. The South Street Seaport Museum is teaming up with the Waterfront Alliance to present “Art at the Edge,” on Pier 16 through September 23. This free, outdoor exhibit brings together the work of sculptors, photographers, and painters to call attention to the dangers of a rising sea levels and the urgent need for greater coastal resilience. On Wednesday, from 6pm to 7pm, the Alliance and the Museum will cohost a discussion, “Inspiring Awareness and Action,” featuring the artists whose work appears in “Art at the Edge.” Admission is free.
Among this week’s local events, downtowners may Meet the Beekeeper this afternoon in Rockefeller Park, starting at 1:30pm. A presentation at the hive near the Chambers Street entrance to the park by Alvéole beekeepers and the Battery Park City Authority will demonstrate urban beekeeping and describe its impact on sustainability efforts. On Friday, starting at 6pm, the Authority will host a screening of the 2012 animated environmental fable, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” at Six River Terrace. Admission is free. No reservation is needed.
For a complete listing of the 400+ events planned for Climate Week NYC, click here. On September 20, the U.N.’s Climate Ambition Summit will be livestreamed.