News & Views: Powering Solutions Ahead of COP 30 – Climate Week NYC Sets the Pace

Image: The Climate High-Level Champions, Nigar Arpadarai and Dan Ioschpe.

In this month’s edition: From UNFCCC Climate Week in Addis Ababa to Climate Week NYC, momentum is building on the road to Belém. We spotlight the launch of the Granary of Solutions - a critical new platform designed to scale proven climate solutions. Also, we bring news of Brazil’s Indigenous Women’s March - and a new global study promising to bring Indigenous stewardship into national climate strategies.

With COP 30 in Brazil weeks away, Climate Week NYC once again proved to be a critical staging ground for global climate action. Against political headwinds, the annual gathering of more than 900 events galvanised governments, businesses, cities and regions, investors, and civil society around one core message - we need to transform ambition into measurable progress.

This year’s theme, ‘Power On,’ resonated with an ongoing process to shape the next five-year Global Climate Action plan. The shared roadmap to organize and scale climate action through to 2030 is being developed by UN Climate Change, the incoming COP 30 Presidency and the Climate High-Level Champions. Anchored in the first Global Stocktake and shaped by inputs from over 120 countries, the plan sets out to align governments, businesses, and communities around the Paris goals. The inputs stress the need for accelerated and inclusive climate action – with an all-hands-on-deck approach.

In New York, discussions focused on turning commitments into competitive advantage. Businesses showcased progress on electrifying transport, greening supply chains, and investing in resilience. Nature protection and food system transformation took centre stage, as Brazil announced investment of USD 1 billion in the sovereign tranche of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility.

Financing remained the central challenge. Climate High-Level Champions Dan Ioschpe and Nigar Arpadarai underscored the USD 300 billion needed annually for adaptation, alongside COP 29’s goal to scale up total finance to USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035. They worked to connect small-scale project developers with investors, building pipelines to unlock mainstream capital.

Both Champions emphasized that people must remain the linchpin of climate action: empowering small businesses, Indigenous Peoples, and frontline communities with tools, finance, and partnerships.

As attention now turns toward COP 30 in Belém, Climate Week NYC sent a clear signal: despite political pushback and economic headwinds, climate leadership is accelerating - and the next five years must be about delivery.

Accelerating What Works: Granary of Solutions Launched

Climate Week NYC also marked the introduction of a new initiative from the COP 30 Presidency and the Champions: The ‘Granary of Solutions’ is aimed at helping to translate climate ambition into delivery.

The Granary of Solutions is a global platform showcasing more than 300 proven climate initiatives developed since COP 21. From renewable energy scale-ups to resilient agriculture, finance innovations, and nature restoration, it acts as a storehouse of practical, replicable solutions that are already delivering impact. From an initiative to co-create weather information systems with local communities, to maritime biofuels cutting emissions in the shipping sector, to a cross-border Cap-and-Trade System for greenhouse gas emission allowances, the Granary of Solutions stands to serve as a diverse wellspring of what works.

As part of this effort, 30 Activation Groups have been established - each aligned with one of the 30 objectives of the Action Agenda. These initiatives bring together governments, investors, businesses, cities and regions and communities to coordinate, measure, and scale solutions - bridging the gap between global agreements and tangible progress on the ground.

“Far from starting from zero, the world has already built a powerful foundation of solutions to deliver the transition,” said COP30 Champion, Dan Ioschpe. "Our task now is to accelerate what works, provide a collaborative and supporting environment, and ensure these solutions reach the people and places where they can have the greatest impact.”

Together, the Granary and Activation Groups represent the operational backbone of the Action Agenda. They will play a central role in accelerating systems transformation, strengthening accountability, and ensuring that promises translate into delivery.

The first set of solutions is now publicly available through the Granary of Solutions platform with more solutions to be published soon.

Climate Week 2 - Lifting Africa and the World

Image: Climate Champions Nigar Arpadarai and Dan Ioschpe at the opening of Climate Week 2.

Hot on the heels of Rio Climate Week, two major gatherings recently took place in Addis Ababa: Climate Week 2 - part of UNFCCC’s global series of Climate Weeks - and the Africa Climate Summit, a continental platform led by African institutions. Together, they convened non-State actors to showcase climate leadership, innovation and progress across the globe and the continent.

For the Champions, Nigar Arpadarai and Dan Ioschpe, the week was about witnessing Africa’s determination, innovation, and amplifying its call for delivery on the road to COP 30. From Implementation Labs on energy and agriculture, sustainable cities, forests and carbon markets, to the Business and Subnational Governments Roundtable, leaders highlighted concrete solutions proving that clean energy, food systems transformation, and mobilizing finance are not only climate imperatives, but economic and social opportunities.

Local innovation was front and centre. The Champions visited Dodai, an electric motorcycle factory in Addis Ababa, where entrepreneurs are advancing clean mobility, creating jobs, and making transport more affordable. Scaling such initiatives is essential for advancing the COP 30 Action Agenda and ensuring African innovation drives the global transition.

Image: COP29 Champion Nigar Arpadarai at the Dodai electric motorcycle factory.

Beyond the conference halls, powerful stories of adaptation are catching investors’ attention. In northern Kenya, when the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary lost its milk supply during the pandemic, local women stepped in with a surprising solution: their goats. This women-led ‘Milk to Market’ enterprise, now worth over USD 40,000 a month, supports 1,200 women while protecting biodiversity.

A statement by H.E. Fitsum Assefa, Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change called Africa “...a colossal coiled spring of climate action possibility.”

Assefa and Stiell articulated how COP 30 should now deliver on Africa’s potential: “Africa is ready to supercharge climate action. But COP 30 must ensure Africa is fully enabled to do so. In short: COP 30 must deliver for Africa and its 1.5 billion people.”

Reforesting Minds, Healing the Earth: Cristiane Gomes Julião on the Power of Indigenous Women’s Leadership

Image: Cristiane Gomes Julião

Cristiane Gomes Julião is a prominent Indigenous leader of the Pankararu People in Brazil’s Caatinga biome, she is co-founder of the National Coordination of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), and a leader of the Women's Movement of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities for Brazil (GATC). In this conversation, she reflects on her commitment to advancing Indigenous rights and climate justice, the outcomes of the recent Indigenous Women’s March in Brazil, and her expectations for COP 30.

Why is defending Indigenous territories essential for our collective survival?

"Our territories hold immense wealth - minerals, food, water and forests. The pursuit of these goods and resources fuels land invasions and violence designed to erase our existence, so that our land rights no longer stand. Nations are only now beginning to grasp that the true riches lie in the biodiversity that’s safeguarded by generations of Indigenous knowledge.

Indigenous lands are the planet’s frontline defense against deforestation, desertification, and drought - safeguarding climate stability, biodiversity, and food and water security."

Recently the 4th Indigenous Women’s March united thousands of women across Brazil. What was its impact?

"The March is a dream we built together. It began decades ago with the idea of giving Indigenous women a collective voice. Since 2015, we’ve strengthened this movement, holding our first march in 2019, and subsequently holding marches every two years. This year, thousands of women from across Brazil’s six biomes gathered in the capital, Brasilia, to march under the theme: ‘Our Body, Our Territory: We Are the Guardians of the Planet for the Healing of the Earth.’"

Image: The National Plan for Indigenous Women and Girls is presented at Brazil's Parliament.

"The mobilization began with the first National Conference of Indigenous Women, where a National Policy Plan for Indigenous Women and Girls was finalized. On the final day, more than five thousand women walked to the Brazilian National Congress to present the Plan. Since then, Brazil’s government has formed a working group to formalize its use as a policy framework."

Cristiane Gomes Julião is a co-founder of the ANMIGA network and a political representative of APIB (the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil) which is part of the Women’s Movement of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC). The GATC was recently welcomed as a new partner into the Race to Resilience. Through this step, the GATC joined a coalition of 44 partners and over 680 organizations working across 164 countries - amplifying Indigenous women’s leadership on a global stage of influence and impact.

This is an excerpt, the full interview can be found here.

Global Study Highlights Indigenous Peoples’ Leadership in Climate Action

A new report based on evidence from more than 700 Indigenous-led or Indigenous-partnered initiatives worldwide, spotlights the indispensable role of Indigenous Peoples in tackling the climate crisis.

The study calls on governments and funders to put Indigenous stewardship at the centre of national climate strategies, recognise and title Indigenous territories, and scale successful Indigenous conservation programmes.

This interview with Eileen Mairena Cunningham, the focal point to the Indigenous Peoples constituency to the UNFCCC, reflects on the study’s power to shift narratives and drive policy.

Race to Resilience updates

Across the globe, Race to Resilience (RtR) partners are advancing solutions that put people and communities at the centre of climate action.

Fruit trees future-proof Kenyan landscapes

In Kenya’s Elgeyo Marakwet county, farmers face depleted soils, arid conditions, and limited resources. Through the Restore Africa initiative, led by RtR partner the Global EverGreening Alliance, fruit tree demonstration plots are helping smallholders grow resilient livelihoods while restoring land. The programme aims to restore 250,000 hectares and reach 250,000 farmers by 2052 - part of a wider ambition to restore 1.8 million hectares and strengthen 1.5 million smallholder families across six African countries.

Image: Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya.

Building climate-resilient housing across Latin America

In Latin America and the Caribbean, millions in informal settlements face climate risks from fragile housing. RtR partner TECHO is addressing this through building affordable, climate-resilient homes. To date, 65 homes have been built across six countries, benefiting 183 people and engaging 650 participants in resilience labs. By 2030, TECHO aims to provide one million people across 18 countries with safe, resilient housing.

Image: TECHO's resilient housing.

Preparedness saves lives

The Insurance Development Forum, a Race to Resilience partner, has launched a tripartite Parametric Flood Insurance solution for the Lagos State Government. The scheme is projected to provide up to USD 7.5M in coverage for catastrophic floods, using satellite-based triggers to and protect up to 4M people. Read more here.

Together, these initiatives embody the Race to Resilience’s mission: scaling people-centred solutions that protect the most vulnerable and drive systemic resilience worldwide.

Race to Zero updates

Race to Zero Members Lead Net Zero Integrity

The latest Net Zero Stocktake has revealed that net zero integrity is taking root fastest within the climate strategies of members of the Race to Zero.

The annual stocktake of the quantity and quality of global climate commitments, produced by Net Zero Tracker - shows that target-setting is steadily expanding across companies, regions and cities.

Image: Graph showing the rise in net zero targets across entities since 2020.

Globally, there is modest progress in the quality of targets, but most entities still need to improve to meet best-practice standards. However, Race to Zero members form the core of a small, but vital group of cities, regions and companies whose climate plans meet the Race to Zero‘ Starting Line’ integrity indicators

The COP 30 Champion, Dan Ioschpe, said:

"The Net Zero Stocktake shows that most of the global economy is moving forward in the race to tackle climate change. Companies, Cities, states, and regions have signalled their determination to accelerate an all-of-society transition - unlocking unprecedented opportunities for growth, development and jobs along the way.

"But ambition alone is not enough. Commitments should become more effective, to deliver meaningful local climate action. It’s encouraging to see that Race to Zero members once again perform better on key areas of good practice. Yet we must continue working as a community to translate commitments into implementation.

In case you missed it

• COP 30 Presidency launch of ‘Maloca,’ a global virtual platform to engage with the COP 30 climate summit.

• A recording of the Resilience Hub event at New York Climate Week: ‘Confronting the Resilience Elephant: From Science to Solutions.’

Mark your calendar

• Bangkok Climate Action Week, Bangkok, Thailand, 28 September - 4 October.

• Baku Climate Action Week, Baku, Azerbaijan, 29 September - 3 October.

• UN Forum of Mayors, Geneva, Switzerland, 6 - 7 October.

• International Union for Conservation of Nature World Congress, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 9 - 15 October.

• Pre-COP to UNFCCC COP30, Brasilia, Brazil, 13-14 October.

• COP30 Business and Finance Forum, São Paulo, Brazil, 3 - 5 November.

• COP30 Local Leaders Forum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3- 5 November.

• PRI in Person 2025, São Paulo, Brazil, 4 - 6 November.

• UN Climate Change conference COP30, Belém, Brazil, 10 - 21 November.