Dartmouth is making a prominent showing at the 2025 —the biggest gathering of its kind for leaders in academia, industry, technology, politics, and civil society working on issues related to the climate, sustainability, and energy transformation.
The gathering in New York City started on Sept. 21 and runs to Sept. 28.
Dartmouth faculty and staff are convening discussions on Indigenous communities, innovation, and green finance in the Arctic; how the ski industry can achieve net-zero emissions; and the U.S.-Canadian energy partnership and the clean energy transition.
“Participating in Climate Week allows us to foreground the leadership and her administration have already shown around long-term climate resilience and regenerative and sustainable practices,” says , vice provost for academic and international affairs. “This is a perfect opportunity to showcase Dartmouth’s strengths at an event attended by climate scientists, policymakers, and heads of state.”
Will says Dartmouth’s presence this year builds on its success in 2024 co-hosting a panel with the University of the Arctic and the Finnish Consulate on climate tipping points and the Arctic—an event that was celebrated by as a highlight of Climate Week.
“It speaks to the quality of the panels Dartmouth puts on, and to our commitment to this annual meeting,” Will says. “This year’s events will highlight the variety of approaches we’re taking and the range of our expertise and innovation on climate issues.”
The Arctic Awakens
At 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, Dartmouth’s is partnering with the University of the Arctic and the Consulate General of Finland to host .
The three-hour invitation-only event at the Cornell Club on East 44th Street is convening Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders, scholars, and innovators to show how communities in the Arctic are driving solutions in a region experiencing dire effects from a warming climate.
“One of the things I believe the Institute of Arctic Studies has the power to do is really to amplify some of the conversations happening in the Arctic,” especially among Indigenous people who are pioneering sustainable responses, says institute director , Guarini ’95, ’98, who organized the event.
“There is millennia of knowledge in Arctic Indigenous peoples, in a region that has been facing the fastest rate of climate change for decades,” she says. “How do we listen? How do we bring that knowledge to Climate Week and change the narrative? We should be looking to the Arctic for ideas, and then for ways to support those ideas.”
The event will feature a panel discussion about on-the-ground innovations in the Arctic, moderated by Burkins, and another on mechanisms for sustainable finance and investments, moderated by , executive director of the at the Tuck School of Business.
One hope, Burkins says, is to be able to bring together the people working on solutions with investors and policymakers. “I’m excited to hear what innovations participants bring forward, and how Dartmouth, as the convener, can help connect people,” she says.
Skiing and Sustainability
At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, the , in conjunction with the Sierra Club of New York City, and the State University of New York, will be hosting .
The discussion at the SUNY Global Center on East 55th Street is open to the public and . It will use the ski industry as a case study for how a multibillion-dollar sector deeply impacted by changes in snow cover can work to reduce its direct and indirect (“scope 1” and “scope 2”) carbon emissions.
It will also highlight the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative—the $500 million investment in climate-related capital improvements that is driving new research, teaching, and collaboration, including at the .
The event will feature remarks by SUNY Chief Sustainability Officer Carter Strickland and a panel discussion with Sierra Club NYC Vice Chair Wayne Arden ’79, Senior Vice President for Operations , Associate Professor of Biological Sciences , and Tom Bradley, vice president of sustainability at Boyne Resorts, which operates 10 resorts in the U.S. and Canada and has set a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030.
“Ski areas can partner with researchers to help with climate mitigation and adaptation,” says Hicks Pries. “For mitigation, ski areas often own or lease large land areas that they can better manage to sequester carbon—a natural climate solution. For adaptation, winter weather and snow cover are becoming increasingly erratic, so researchers can help ski areas make better snow cover projections to inform snowmaking operations. And at academic institutions, students can assist with this research to train the next generation of climate leaders.”
“Dartmouth’s rural location in northern New England means that we are especially focused on resilient, common-sense solutions that work in a cold climate,” says Keniston. “We see the evolution of our energy system to one that is place-based, highly efficient, and low carbon as a practical choice. Our students choose Dartmouth in part because of our incredible environment and our commitment to long-term stewardship of it. The Climate Collaborative is about bringing together this identity, the operational work we do on our own campus, and the academic work, the research and teaching that our faculty and students do to elevate and accelerate the impact that we’re having on addressing climate change.”
Dartmouth last week also hosted a conference with local stakeholders from the Northeast focusing on such issues as affordable and resilient housing, community health, and energy and flood resilience.
Cross-Border Currents
At 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Dartmouth’s , the Lawson Climate Institute at the University of Toronto, and global energy investment firm Quinbrook are co-sponsoring .
More than 200 investors, Canadian officials, and alumni in the energy sector are expected to attend the invitation-only event, which comes at a pivotal moment in the U.S-Canada relations, says organizer , executive director of the Irving Institute.
“The backdrop is that what has always seemed like an almost obvious and necessary relationship has suddenly been shaken up by the geopolitical situation,” Walker says. “But most of the investors who put real money into infrastructure are long-term thinkers. They think and plan and invest for a lot longer than just a four-year political cycle. The U.S. and Canada have had an almost inseparable relationship when it comes to sharing in the supply chains in both traditional and clean energy. We share an electric grid, so there’s transmission that goes across in both directions. And at both the national and sub-national level, we have a deep tradition of interconnectedness. So, the moment is ripe to really dig into the ways in which the relationship has evolved and why it’s so important. Hopefully, in addition to being provocative and informative, it will shed some light on the journey ahead and some alternatives for moving forward that can work for everyone.”
The four-hour event features a fireside chat with former U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and former Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson, moderated by The Economist’s Vijay Vaitheeswaran, and an expert panel on the energy transition investment landscape.
Other speakers include Walker, Irving Institute Faculty Director , as well as representatives from the energy and investment community.
Parker notes that “this event is likely to highlight that, despite the recent policy churn, there are areas for immediate collaboration, such as transmission infrastructure investment, storage, geothermal, and nuclear power. In the longer run, we expect that the natural advantages of collaboration will shape future policy choices.”
will also be on moving beyond climate promises toward concrete accountability, showcasing the strength of intergenerational leadership and cross-sector collaboration. It will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the UN Plaza and via webinar.
Networking Opportunities for the Dartmouth Community
In addition to the organized discussions, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, the is for climate-minded alumni, their guests, and other members of the Dartmouth community at the Globe Bar at 158 East 23rd St. The meetup is an opportunity to connect, share ideas, and build community. (.)
“I’m so proud of Dartmouth for being at Climate Week,” Burkins says. “It’s a challenging time for climate discussions, but climate doesn’t go away. It’s not a political issue, it’s a scientific issue. Dartmouth is taking it seriously and recognizes that there is a nexus of climate knowledge informing policy and action, which is what Climate Week is about, both nationally and internationally. We’re making sure Dartmouth is part of that conversation—that our little ‘vox clamantis in deserto,’ voice crying out in the wilderness, becomes amplified to a very powerful voice in the world.”
Update: Among Dartmouth community members participating in NYC Climate Week events sponsored by other groups, , an associate professor of environmental studies, spoke on a . Jennings also joined a event—a “panel” consisting of brief presentations given while walking or running in Central Park.