5 key takeaways from Climate Week NYC 2023
As COP28 approaches, we urge companies, financial institutions and the public sector to double down on environmental disclosure and action – for the good of people and planet.

Climate Week seems to get bigger, louder and demand more from global climate actors each year. From the 75,000 protesters marching through Manhattan’s streets to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres insisting that “the move from fossil fuels to renewables is happening – but we are decades behind,” Climate Week 2023 was a stark reminder that we have a six-year deadline to halve global emissions and restore nature. Time is of the essence.
Throughout the week, CDP experts were involved in high-level conversations focused on some of the most pressing topics in the sustainability space. Here are a few of our key takeaways.
1. The environmental disclosure CDP pioneered is now mainstream globally

California is rapidly advancing environmental transparency.
CDP has driven disclosure to become a business norm for thousands of global companies and governments. Now mandatory disclosure is on the rise – most recently exemplified in the passage of two California bills requiring climate disclosure earlier this September.
Companies already disclosing through CDP are well-prepared for new regulations such as California’s. To help companies navigate a world of evolving mandatory disclosure, CDP has committed to aligning with the soon-to-be-released SEC climate disclosure rule and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). And beginning in 2024, we will integrate the IFRS S2 climate-related disclosure standard into our system.
CDP is the only organization that can drive the uptake of these new disclosure regulations, and does so by offering a unique platform where frameworks, standards and regulations are translated into valuable questions and a mechanism for reporting that information all in one place.
2. The world needs data that is consistent, comparable and standardized across regions and regulatory requirements

CDP's Nicolette Bartlett at a panel on how CDP data drives Sustainable Development Goals and more UN initiatives.
Again and again this Climate Week, we heard how ESG data provides the much-needed bedrock for the UN’s climate agenda, driving business ambition and accountability. Early in the week, CDP’s incoming CEO Sherry Madera and Chief Impact Officer Nicolette Bartlett discussed this topic at a panel conversation cohosted with FoSDA and S&P Global.
In this spirit, during Climate Week, CDP and the Climate Data Steering Committee announced a collaboration to support development of the Net-Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU) – a significant step for accelerating access to high-quality, comparable global climate transition-related data. CDP will provide the NZDPU with access to core climate data from hundreds of high-impact companies for the launch of the NZDPU proof of concept at COP28.
And we were also excited to announce an exciting new partnership with XBRL International to enhance CDP’s disclosure system by expanding digital capacity and data collection.
3. Companies, financial institutions, governments and the public sector must consider justice, equity and resilience in their approach

Lori meeting Laurel Blatchford and former Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, at our IRA Roundtable.
Clearly, the global transition to a sustainable economy will require nothing less, especially after a summer of unprecedented high temperatures and environmental catastrophes. This is critical as we continue to see the impacts of the climate crisis distributed inequitably, with the brunt of the burdens falling on marginalized groups across the world.
Last Wednesday, CDP and C40 led a roundtable discussion with the US Department of the Treasury's Chief Implementation Officer for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Laurel Blatchford, to discuss cross-sector partnerships catalyzing action and impact under the IRA. Participants at the roundtable agreed: there is much to be done as the IRA is implemented in years to come . But it is a massive opportunity for school districts, cities, states, public authorities and non-profits, who can not only use funds to build environmental resiliency, but also advance socio-economic and environmental benefits like cutting emissions, expanding access to affordable, energy saving-tech and reaching marginalized groups who have historically been overlooked in such initiatives. This will require building capacity and working toward a shared knowledge base amongst beneficiaries of the IRA funds. Participants also acknowledged the important role discussions like this have in bridging the gaps.
4. There is no way to address climate change without protecting nature

Disclosure on plastics use is a new and vital area of focus for CDP.
During a week focused on energy transformation, we felt it critical to highlight that both disclosure and viable action on nature continue to lag far behind that on climate. Restoring nature is crucial to achieving our global goals.
Initially focused on climate change, deforestation and water security, at CDP we have been expanding our focus in recent years to include biodiversity and plastic pollution. On Monday, CDP announced its intention to align with the TNFD framework and drive its implementation across the global economy beginning in 2024. Many questions asked in the CDP questionnaires already align with metrics within the TNFD framework. The TNFD also covers key areas such as oceans, which CDP has committed to expanding to alongside all other environmental topics.
5. Major economic actors must advance a science-bound transition journey to meet long-term climate goals

Discussing how to meet climate goals and more at our Climate Week Reception event.
Companies, governments and financial institutions will need to re-orient themselves, their business models and ways of operating in order to keep up with what science demands to reach a net-zero, nature-positive future. Advancing their transition journey will be critical. CDP will continue to be an essential partner to these stakeholders that are looking to transform for the good of the planet, as well as to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
As COP28 approaches, we urge companies, financial institutions and the public sector to double down on environmental disclosure and action – for the good of people and planet.