It’s About the Heat, Stupid! Reflections from Climate Week NYC 2025

Another Climate Week in NYC is in the books. The city buzzed with CEOs, activists, policymakers, and more acronyms than anyone cares to count. And with COP30 just around the corner, the climate conversation was once again dominated by long-term visions: “net zero by 2050,” “pathways to decarbonization,” “roadmaps to resilience.”

All important. But let’s be honest, the crisis isn’t politely waiting for mid-century milestones. The heat is here now. And the question too often overlooked is the simplest one: what can we do today?

This year, I was encouraged to see the likes of methane, HFCs, and black carbon pop up on the main stages and side events alike. These super pollutants are some of the biggest drivers of near-term warming and extreme heat, and it’s about time they get the airtime they deserve.

Cutting carbon is essential for the long haul, but slashing super pollutants is how we buy time. It’s the fastest way to slow warming, blunt the rise of dangerous heatwaves, and protect vulnerable communities from climate impacts that are not decades away.  

The rise of the super pollutant agenda at Climate Week wasn’t just refreshing, it was a signal. These issues are finally moving beyond the realm of climate scientists and technical debates and into the agendas of CSOs, investors, and on-the-ground implementers.

From exploring how carbon markets can showcase to governments what’s possible in a regulatory environment, to highlighting the tangible co-benefits super pollutant action brings to companies and communities, the conversation is gaining real momentum. The buzz around this topic suggests it’s no longer niche, it’s becoming central to climate action.

This shift is what gives me hope coming out of New York, and is exactly the space where Total Climate Accounting is aiming to make a difference. We’ve taken the rigorous scientific methodologies on near-term heat and turned it into concrete action that organizations can run with.

By expanding the traditional carbon footprint with a "Total Climate Footprint” that includes heat impact and climate risk over time, actors can now understand where near-term heat drivers are showing up in their emissions portfolios and designate the most effective ways to cut them.  

Super pollutants and near-term heat drivers can no longer be niche topics. They’re the most effective levers we’ve got to protect people, stabilize systems, and unlock outsized returns on investment. And the benefits are immediate: cleaner air, safer water, and reduced exposure to dangerous heat.

So let’s forget the endless buzzwords for a minute and skip to the James Carville version that admittedly some of you might not be old enough to remember: It’s about the heat, stupid!

That’s not a 2050 promise. That’s a tomorrow morning thing.

As we turn the page from Climate Week and barrel toward COP30, my hope is that more leaders in boardrooms and in government halls start treating super pollutant action not as a side note, but as a headline.

If we truly want to reach our long-term goals, we have to start by cooling the planet today. The heat crisis is not an abstract future scenario. It’s the daily reality for millions.

We must keep the ambition for 2050 alive. But let’s also make 2025 the year we remember a simple truth: if we want to win the long game, we’d better get serious about fighting the heat in the short one.