Every September, New York Climate Week (NYCW) transforms the city into the world’s largest climate action hub outside of COP. Launched in 2009 by the Climate Group, it runs alongside the UN General Assembly, creating a unique platform for governments, businesses, investors, and civil society to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis.

Over the years, NYCW has catalysed major commitments—from corporate net-zero pledges to breakthroughs in climate finance—and served as a springboard for global negotiations at COP.

This year was the biggest yet, with over 1,000 events across the city and online. The theme, “Power On,” captured the urgency and optimism driving the climate movement. Highlights included new coalitions between investors and corporates, landmark agreements on carbon removal, and bold calls for methane reduction.

There was also a strong focus on AI-driven climate solutions, regenerative finance, and nature-based approaches, signalling a shift toward innovation and implementation at scale.

For Palladium’s Andrew Sutherland, who attended several events across the week, this year’s NYCW carried a surprising and powerful undercurrent: resolute. “I think many people expected a scaled-back event, diluted commitments, and a cautious tone given the current U.S. political climate,” he explains.

“Instead, what unfolded was bigger, bolder, and more productive than anticipated. There was almost a celebratory feel in the air, a sense that the climate community is done waiting and ready to act.”

He shares that across panels, side events, and informal conversations, one message resonated: it’s time to move from dialogue to delivery. “The era of endless discussions is giving way to an action-oriented mindset. This is where Palladium thrives—at the nexus of design and implementation, turning ambition into measurable impact,” Sutherland adds.

He points to the Rebuild Facility as an example, Palladium’s partnership with Systemiq, which supports sustainable cocoa and coffee businesses across East and West Africa. By offering working capital and technical assistance to cooperatives, aggregators, off-takers, and buyers of sustainable cocoa and coffee, the Facility protects at-risk value chains and safeguards the incomes and livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.

“What struck me most was the new energy coursing through the conversations.” There is growing evidence, he adds, that philanthropies are trying to fill the hole left by USAID exiting the climate space and growing more interested in catalysing private finance at scale using their precious resources.

Innovation, he says, was another dominant theme. From AI-driven monitoring and verification to regenerative finance models, the tools to accelerate progress are here—and the appetite to deploy them is growing. “For our teams, this creates an exciting opportunity: to seed these innovations into our programs and scale solutions that deliver for people, nature, and climate.”

These types of technology can drastically reduce the cost of delivering nature projects, increasing their investability while simultaneously enhancing MRV, which reduces actual and perceived risks to investors. At the same time, he explains, this can help mobilise significantly more capital for nature.

The challenges may not have diminished, but according to Sutherland, the collective will to act has never been stronger. “Leaving New York, I feel optimistic,” he says. “If Climate Week was any indication, the next chapter in nature-based solutions will be defined by collaboration, innovation, and a relentless focus on implementation. And that’s a story we’re proud to help write.”