The concept of diplomatic, economic, cultural and other forms of soft power have changed fundamentally with the advent of international climate action. How has the putative global commitment to combating climate change affected the way countries collaborate, compete and come together?

This policy-pitch session on climate action will address the inherent tension between the possible and the desirable. While everyone agrees that massive change is necessary to meet the climate goals, the existence of low-hanging fruit (the possible) is too often crowded out by politically more attractive grand visions of systemic change (the desirable). To actively combat climate change, we need concrete and, above all, actionable measures now. Ambitious targets are good, but taking real action is better.

In this highly interactive session, prominent representatives from the worlds of politics, diplomacy and industry will share their ideas on how to win for climate — one step at a time.

Watch live at 11:00 a.m. on November 3, free of registration on nytclimatehub.com.

Photo credits: Nadine Hoffman, MSC/Kuhlmann

This session has been paid for and developed by Siemens Energy. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

Independence from fossil fuels is only as strong as the alternative scenarios we can provide. But transforming an entire landscape of industries, all of which are currently bound up in fossil fuels, will require many levers — from technology to finance, policy and subsidies — and systemwide collaboration. What would those levers be, specifically? Which ones are already working, and what is needed to develop them, and others, at the global scale? This session will provide a bird’s-eye view of industry challenges and emerging solutions.

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: James Harding (Co-Founder, Tortoise Media and former Editor of The Times)

Speakers: Tony Danker, Director General, Confederation of British Industry

Katie Murray, Group Chief Financial Officer, NatWest Group

Jill Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, The Big Exchange

Andy Briggs, Chief Executive, Phoenix Group

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

A fireside chat hosted by Google

Speaker:

Moderator: Jason Farago, Critic at Large, The New York Times

Matt Brittin, President, EMEA Business and Operations, Google

This session has been paid for and developed by Google. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

Technological innovation is so often presented as the ultimate manifestation of human ingenuity, and relied upon as the silver bullet of global solutions. But is this vision of technology blinding? Does it fail, through its current methods and priorities, to account for the more complex picture we need to build lasting solutions, or can it continue learning from itself until we reach net zero?

The intervention of biotech and innovative industrialization in agriculture could ensure, or compromise, the safety of our food systems and ecosystems. How can we strike the right balance? What needs to be avoided at all costs? Though technologies can produce greater quantities of food from less, while monitoring climate adaptation and reducing the harmful impacts of pesticides on biodiversity, many farmers and rural communities could suffer from the agri-tech revolution. Considering the possible loss of jobs and livelihoods, the inability of farmers to afford “crucial” technologies or chemical inputs, the devaluation of land-use knowledge and traditional farming practices, to what extent does agriculture actually need innovation? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, how can our centers of business, culture, talent and innovation evolve? Will the accelerated rise of remote working change the center-periphery organization of urban life? And as city planners and developers design the cities of the future, what opportunities exist for collaboration between private enterprise and public authorities?

Only a fraction of what climate innovators are coming up with is being seen by the world. Whether these inventions appear too futuristic to be trusted, require more R&D funding and investment or simply have not yet entered mainstream climate conversations, businesses, investors and policymakers need to pay closer attention to their potential. Where are moonshot climate inventions most needed, and what sectors have the potential to draw down emissions most rapidly? How can policy urgently incentivize businesses and organizations to prioritize the development of solutions that support adaptation and mitigation efforts in the communities most impacted? How can climate finance most efficiently be directed toward these innovations? And, crucially, what resources are still required to realize the potential of innovations at both nascent and more mature stages of development?

This session has been curated in collaboration with The University of Edinburgh as part of the Climate Innovators Initiative, which involved a vetting process and selection of diverse climate innovators.

Investors are now understanding the need to integrate climate risk into investment strategies, and the huge opportunities of climate investing. How is biodiversity emerging as a similar source of value?

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: James Harding (Co-Founder, Tortoise Media and former Editor of The Times)

Speakers:

Lord Karan Bilimoria, President, Confederation of British Industry and Founder, Cobra Beer

Paula Cousins, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, The Weir Group and formerly BP and ExxonMobil

Alexander Mass, Private Equity Executive Director, Goldman Sachs

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

While we replace fossil fuels with clean energy alternatives, we’re still wasting huge amounts of natural energy simply by not being able to capture and use it properly. How can we ensure that the increased production of renewables is matched by the development of the most efficient, adequately funded energy storage technologies and methods? What are the most promising solutions so far?

Thinkers from various academic disciplines contextualize the climate debate within a history of climate events, behavioral change and ideas, presenting a more provocative, radical lens through which to consider the COP26 climate agendas. This deep-dive introduction will be followed by a more practical and strategic discussion around immediate priorities. How do we decide which climate solutions to prioritize now, while ensuring that they are accessible to a maximum number of people? How do we instigate urgent, systemwide change without leaving large sectors of our populations behind?

Fossil-fuel-related pollution is causing acute and long-term health challenges for children all over the world and debilitating their families as a result. This new reality is also forcing governments to confront the ensuing public health emergencies, which, at this rate, will only intensify in generations to come. How can we clean up our air and ensure the health and safety of our children and families? How can we make emissions — and our ability to breathe — part of the same existential priority? As we clean up our act during this pandemic and establish health and well-being as the new global agenda, how can we ensure that leaders and policymakers see clean air as the ultimate turning point?

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

Climate change will not only have a major impact on people’s health, it will also affect the health systems and infrastructure that people need for their treatment. Paradoxically, though, our current health systems are a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. So what actions must be taken to tackle both problems simultaneously, protecting both human and planetary health? How do we build climate-resilient health systems, and who should pay for them? Can the lessons of Covid-19 guide and prepare us for future health crises?

Cleaning up our oceans is only the beginning. The devastating impacts of our food systems, combined with the chemical waste of all our other industries, have created a much bigger, systemic, societal problem — one in which the fate of our oceans and water is intertwined with that of every other system we have. What incentives can we give governments and businesses to prioritize our oceans, and how can we convince them that doing so can unlock solutions for our other systems?

The Scottish and Arctic youth generation are coming together, on the basis of a new, transnational collaboration, to discuss their concerns and solutions to the climate crisis. Together, these delegates will meet with educators and leaders to present them with their ideas and plans for renewing trust and leadership for the Polar region. What will it take to secure their future?

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: Giles Whittell (World Affairs Editor, Tortoise)

Speaker:

Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Economist, Confederation of British Industry

Evie Aspinall, Head UK Delegate to the G7 Youth Summit 2021

Natalie Campbell, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Belu Water

Namir Chowdhury, The UK's Commonwealth Young Ambassador and Head Delegate to the G20 Youth Summit

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

The move away from fossil fuels and carbon-intensive operations requires redesigning our economies and business models. How can we balance the responsibilities that business leaders face with new economic incentives? Where do the most vital commercial opportunities lie, and what role will retail and impact investing play?

Our take-make-waste economy emits dizzying amounts of greenhouse gases while squandering resources and depleting natural systems. In order to stay within 1.5 degrees of global warming, we must transform the way we design, use and dispose of products in our economy, and position this as a joint priority in our policy agendas, alongside the energy transition. How can we leverage upstream innovation and cooperation across the supply chain to design out waste; and how can these new processes overlap with our emerging energy solutions?

With women and girls underrepresented at every level of environmental decision-making, despite being the most impacted by climate change, the just transition to a greener future is not where it should be. This session will examine the main ways of facilitating more women’s leadership roles across all sectors; including science and tech, health, finance, politics, journalism and the arts, for a more equitable and rapid journey to net zero.

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Speakers:

Moderator: Giles Whittell World Affairs Editor, Tortoise

Tracy Black, Director, Scotland, Confederation of British Industry

Dr. Clare Evans, Research Fellow, National Oceanography Centre

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

Oceanic and climate health are both necessary for our global systems to thrive. Many of our sectors and industries — like offshore oil and gas, marine equipment and fishing — rely heavily on oceans, through methods and activities that directly affect marine ecosystems. What governance, policy and business commitments do we need to merge the green and blue agendas, and ensure a just transition to a sustainable, net-zero economy?

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

Climate change is already threatening food security. How do we address the multiple tensions between consumer preferences, technological innovation, grower practices, and access for all? How should food system stakeholders ensure that the green agriculture transition is both rapid and just? And what role can technology play in advancing a transition to more regenerative agricultural practices?

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: Giles Whittell (World Affairs Editor, Tortoise)

Speaker:

Tracy Black, Director, Scotland, Confederation of British Industry

Rocio Concha Galguera, Director of Policy and Advocacy & Chief Economist, Which?

Merijn Dols, Global Director of Open Innovation & Circular Economy for Food, Danone

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

The construction industry’s shift toward zero carbon is rife with contradiction, compromise and hard choices. Why? Because carbon is everywhere, from the materials that make up our buildings to the processes that regulate their temperature and light. So how can we build our homes and cities to both reduce emissions and withstand the effects of climate change? How can a revision of building codes, land use, the balance of aesthetic and engineering goals, and gray versus green infrastructure, among other things, help create a new status quo? And what could stand in our way?

If concrete were a country, it would rank third in emissions behind China and the United States. Decarbonizing heavy industry is challenging due to high energy needs, the sunk costs of long-lived equipment and a lack of scalable alternative materials. How can new materials and processes, paired with machine learning and artificial intelligence, help achieve net-zero carbon emissions? What policies and precompetitive collaboration are most urgently needed to decarbonize the construction sector?

Riches from extractive activities and access to resources have been the lifeblood of international order in the 20th century. Now, sources of influence are changing, and international competition is not about getting the most resources, but rather the best resources. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, what new types of influence and innovation will emerge?

For the last century, innovation has been seen primarily as the engine of a market capitalist system. It meets consumer needs better and faster so that private businesses can make greater profits. The role of technological innovation in addressing environmental problems like climate change is a more recent phenomenon, where no natural market exists. How can policy and networks ensure the acceleration of climate innovation? What new incentives need to be created?

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: Giles Whittell (World Affairs Editor, Tortoise)

Speaker:

Tony Danker, Director General, Confederation of British Industry

Yasmin Diamond, EVP Global Corporate Affairs, IHG Hotels and Resorts

Dr Warren Bowden, Innovation and Sustainability Director, Scottish Leather Group

Laura McMullen, Global Head of Sustainability, Compass Group

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

Many developing countries have suffered a long history of war, colonialism, slavery, resource exploitation and trade monopolization. Given these past injustices, and the fact that developing countries cannot afford to depart from food systems as they are, many would argue that the responsibility to provide a new status quo lies with those most culpable for the current one. But does climate change, regardless of whose fault it is, require everyone to act at once, and as one? Could it be the sole agenda that eclipses all others?

Darren Woods, the chairman and chief executive of the biggest oil producer in the U.S., ExxonMobil, defends his company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and addresses the pressure to take more drastic steps to confront climate change head on.

This complimentary session to The New York Times Climate Hub agenda, was originally part of The New York Times DealBook Online Summit, hosted by Andrew Ross Sorkin, founder and editor at large of DealBook.

Running from November 9-10, DealBook celebrated its 20th anniversary this year by bringing together some of the most influential minds in business, policy and culture to take stock of a world in the midst of rapid reinvention, grappling with the ripples of Covid and rewriting the rules in real time.

[no-registration] [no-note]

Transportation is in transition. While possible solutions emerge for moving people and goods around the world in cleaner ways, testing different types of hydrogen and biofuels, the essential challenge remains: What do we do about the huge time lag between current decisions and future impact? How can we ensure that our interim solutions won’t damage both the environment and supply chains? How should we mobilize investment, and create cross-sectoral ambition loops, to trigger bold decision-making and ensure that our long-term solutions are ready faster?

Global trade is being pushed to breaking point and supply chains are cracking under the pressure. The impacts of these strains are being felt well beyond the energy sector, in materials, foodstuffs and consumer goods and particularly by low-income communities who lack equal access to goods. Extreme weather and shocks linked to climate change are only set to exacerbate these strains. And so, we are now faced with the question of whether, and how, globalization can evolve backwards? How can we intentionally transform supply chains to make them more resilient, but also more inclusive? How can we rebuild supply chains in a climate-strained environment?

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: Giles Whittell, World Affairs Editor, Tortoise

Speaker:

Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Economist, Confederation of British Industry

Jack McLaren-Stewart, Founder, Saorsa 1875 - the UK's First Vegan Hotel and National Geographic Prizewinner

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

Infrastructure and mobility solutions are a crucial part of social and economic development. Greening transport systems takes us closer to our carbon reduction goals, and reliable and accessible infrastructure creates new opportunities for poverty reduction. How can leaders succeed in making transport and logistics systems more sustainable, while accelerating their pursuit of a broader set of S.D.G.s?

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

Roughly a third of the food meant for human consumption is wasted each year in industrialized and developing countries alike. How can stemming food waste address both hunger and climate change? What are the policies, practices, technologies and new business models we need to cut food waste around the world?

While many climate innovators dream about the new, others consider the old, and how it can be improved to better prepare us for life on a warming planet. Decarbonization at the speed needed to remain under the 1.5-degree threshold requires adaptation within existing systems, alongside the development of more exciting moonshot climate innovations and business models. What does internal systems change look like, and how can we learn from successful intrapreneurs? What shifts can we expect over the next few decades, and where are the appetite, resources and political will for improving existing systems? What adjustments must be made to render our systems more efficient and sustainable, and what lessons can we apply to our future solutions?

This session has been curated in collaboration with The University of Edinburgh as part of the Climate Innovators Initiative, which involved a vetting process and selection of diverse climate innovators.

In this daily session series, climate scientists will break down the latest research and thinking in climate science. Whether it’s soil, attribution or the Arctic Circle, these scientists will present crucial details of the climate crisis in terms you can imagine, understand and incorporate into your personal and professional lives.

In this daily series, the Confederation of British Industry will bring the conversations happening in company boardrooms into people's homes. We'll ask the difficult questions that matter to citizens and communities across the world, like: Will tackling climate change cost me more money? Does protecting our natural world mean planting more trees? Can we really continue to shop and travel, while also reducing emissions? As we face the biggest challenge in our lifetimes, we want to show that international business leaders are ready and willing to take action and protect the planet for future generations.

Chair: Giles Whittell, World Affairs Editor, Tortoise

Speaker:

Tony Danker, Director General, Confederation of British Industry

Fash Sawyerr, Chief Transformation Officer, Hermes

This session has been paid for and developed by CBI. It is not editorial content of The New York Times.

Leaders are being called upon to equip people in their organizations and movements with the necessary skills for advancing climate action. What are these skills, and what are organizations doing to develop them? If deployed properly, how much of a difference can this upskilling actually make?