Big Climate Conversations in the Big Apple

It feels great to be back from a very busy but rewarding week in New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and NY Climate Week, where I was re-energised by all the brilliant minds I had the privilege to meet and the insightful discussions we shared.

There was a chill in the air, the trees were just starting to change colour, and a variety of pumpkins lined the shops ranging from dark green to yellow-green to bright orange, as I navigated the early morning traffic, a fresh toasty bagel in hand. New York definitely had autumn vibes and I was grateful to be able to witness the turning of the seasons.

While there were many highlights from the trip, not least the many interesting individuals I met who are committed to addressing climate and social change - here are a few special moments that really stood out for me:

Collaboration Driving Innovation

As an entrepreneur, meeting fellow innovators is always a highlight, especially those working in the climate tech space. I really enjoyed revisiting New Lab, a dynamic innovation hub I last visited in 2019, and was filled with optimism seeing how the ecosystem has evolved since then. Technologies that repurpose existing infrastructure, like light poles being transformed into charging stations, or ammonia-powered heavy machinery, show just how much progress is being made.

Here, I met the founder of CLIP, a start-up offering electrical machines that easily attach to any bike, effectively turning it into an e-bike, and I couldn’t help but think how much easier this would have made cycling to classes when I was at Cambridge.

Perhaps what stood out to me the most was the culture of collaboration at New Lab—people working in similar spheres openly share ideas and work together to address big challenges. As always, this was a gentle reminder of just how much we can achieve when we come together as a collective.

The Meeting of Great Global Minds

There was no shortage of insightful sessions across the many events taking place in the City. I was honoured to speak at the Concordia Annual Summit and had a particularly moving conversation just before stepping on stage with Tarek Mouganie, a Ghanian-Lebanese entrepreneur and academic who set up Affinity Africa, a bank for the unbanked and underserved. The work that he is doing and the impact that he has already created, fills me with a sense of hope for our future. Financial inclusion is critical to driving sustainable development and addressing climate change.

Equally inspirational was my meeting with Poppy Mason-Watts, Co-Founder of Waterbear, an innovative platform described as ‘the Netflix for environmental films’. Their first project, My Octopus Teacher, went on to win an Oscar, showcasing how mainstream audiences truly connect with environmental content when presented in the right way. I watched it when I returned and found it so deeply moving. It made me reflect on how we can better connect with nature and transform the way we interact with and learn from it. I recommend you watch it, if you haven’t already.

Another key moment was attending the Advisory Board Meeting of Yale’s Environmental Law and Policy Center. After many virtual interactions, it was fantastic to meet in person and learn about their latest work in this rapidly evolving field. I am so impressed by the work the Center is doing to inform policy through their global reports.

While engaging in these conversations was important, I also learnt a lot from simply observing. I had the opportunity to attend a session at Goals House, where they discussed the immense potential of the gaming industry in climate education. It was fascinating to learn that the gaming market, worth around $250 billion, rivals Hollywood, Bollywood, and the performing arts combined. This space offers an incredible opportunity to educate and engage audiences – and in particular, our youth – on the critical issues of our time.

Art, Culture and the Bustling Big City

I had the pleasure of visiting Noor Al Suwaidi’s art exhibition, Divine Chaos, at the Aicon Contemporary gallery. Her work was truly special – layered, dynamic, and captivating. Every time I looked at her pieces, I saw something different. I was also fascinated to hear about Noor’s journey, from leaving a curatorial role to dedicate herself fully to creating art. The title of this exhibition was thought-provoking in itself, reminding me of how chaos can often lead to divine intervention, redirecting us to a new path.

Part of what makes New York the city that it is, is that you don’t even need to step into a gallery to be immersed in its art – if you take the time to look around you, you may even find it on the streets. Being so far from home, I was surprised and delighted to see a small piece of the UAE appear before me as I looked through a window, in the form of a beautiful mural of falcons, our national bird. Falcons embody qualities like speed, precision, agility, and strength—traits we can all learn from and that are needed when there is so much to be done in such little time.

Now, back in Abu Dhabi, I look forward to continuing the conversations catalysed over the last two weeks, and I hope we can bring the same buzz of energy and sense of determination with us as we enter into what is set to be a very busy last quarter of the year.

7 October 2024