Nearly 20 years ago, RMI set out to help transform the Empire State Building into one of the world’s most energy-efficient towers. Following an ambitious retrofit, its energy consumption decreased by half, resulting in annual savings of more than $4 million.

Built in 1930, and upgraded with RMI’s help in 2009, the iconic skyscraper today stands as a beacon, demonstrating that investments in efficiency can not only cut energy consumption, but lower costs, boost clean energy, and lift profits. “It’s not just competition about energy efficiency,” says Empire State Building owner Tony Malkin. “It’s about competition — for occupancy, for tenants, for rents.”

At Climate Week NYC, RMI is joining forces with other NGOs, business leaders, and decision-makers to showcase the market-based solutions that are driving the world’s shift to better energy options, such as renewables, electric vehicles, and clean industry. Despite headwinds, the transition to a cleaner, more prosperous, and secure energy path continues, both locally and globally.

As Climate Week NYC 2025 kicks off, the global gathering is unified by a clear call: Power On. Climate Week will highlight how RMI and the world continue powering on the energy transition. 

Efficiency — Investments that help companies do more with less energy and materials can lower overall costs, win market share, boost profits, and reduce vulnerability to price spikes for fuel or other inputs.

Corporate Action — RMI relies on markets to drive change in the energy sector, in part by stimulating private sector demand for renewable energy. Corporations that stick with their clean energy commitments will reap the benefits of cost savings, reduced waste, and reliability.

Global Competitiveness — Worldwide markets for clean energy technology — from solar and wind, to batteries and grid tech, to electric vehicles and beyond — present huge opportunities for countries and companies to maintain a competitive edge, enhance energy security, and grow both profits and prosperity.

Speakers

Meet some of the RMI experts who will be speaking at Climate Week NYC

Jon Creyts

CEO

Bio

Josh Henretig

Managing Director, Climate Intelligence

Bio

Thomas Koch Blank

Managing Director, Climate-Aligned Industries

Bio

Bryan Fisher

Managing Director, Climate-Aligned Industries

Bio

Rushad Nanavatty

Managing Director, Third Derivative

Bio

Brian O’Hanlon

Managing Director, Southeast Asia

Bio

Sarah Ladislaw

Managing Director, US Program

Bio

Deborah Gordon

Senior Principal, Climate Intelligence

Bio

Bonnie Lei

Principal, Climate Intelligence

Bio

David Gumbs

Principal, Global South

Bio

Top Issues

Efficiency

The Opportunity of Energy Efficiency

Today’s energy system is incredibly inefficient- wasting $4.5 trillion, or almost 5% of global GDP — all before any value is created with energy. Energy efficiency reduces waste, costs, and pollution.
Why Efficiency Matters: Unlocking Benefits Beyond Climate for All

Energy efficiency is critical to make climate action faster, cheaper, more equitable, and more widely beneficial for the planet.
The Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings

Cities and states can benefit from lessons on strategic decarbonization from New York City and the Empire State.
VP3 Progress Report: From Awareness to Action

The Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3) has made significant progress in state houses and public utility commissions across the United States.
OCI+

The OCI⁺ quantifies and compares greenhouse gas emissions intensities from global oil and gas assets. Use this web tool’s interactive features to see where methane and carbon dioxide are emitted and investigate ways to reduce energy waste and the life-cycle emissions intensities of production, refining and petrochemical processing, storage, transport, and end uses.

Corporate Action

Five Trends that Businesses Need to Know Going into Climate Week NYC

If you work for a company that is still waffling about attending Climate Week NYC, there’s never been a more important time to engage.
Emissions Reporting Across Heavy Industry

The shift to clean energy is unfolding faster than most realize — and despite worries to the contrary. Leaders must reckon with the implications of this accelerating transition to ensure business success and policy progress.

Structuring Demand for Lower-Carbon Materials: An Initial Assessment of Book and Claim for the Steel and Concrete Sectors

An RMI and Microsoft co-authored report that analyzes book and claim’s potential to support the lower-carbon steel and concrete markets.

Clearing the Air: How a Buyers Alliance Is Creating Clean Jet Fuel

RMI’s tools use data to spotlight pollution sources, inform and empower communities, and guide policymakers toward equitable solutions.

Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform

RMI-led Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform is enabling corporate leaders to participate in a joint request of the first volumes of near-zero emissions steel in North America this decade.
Carbon Markets Initiative

RMI is bringing greater trust and transparency to a voluntary carbon market that reduces and removes emissions in line with a 1.5°C future

Global Competitiveness

Power Shift

Driven by market advantages — and despite a dramatic political shift in Washington — the shift to clean energy is continuing, both in communities nearby and around the world.
Clean Energy Crosses the Political Aisle

Nationwide, solar and wind show more unity than division.
A Caribbean Regional Transition Scenario

This report aims to identify strategies for regional and global policymakers and energy leaders to accelerate the just and equitable transition to renewable energy in the Caribbean.
Five Takeaways from IEA’s Report on World Energy Investment

Clean energy investment is at a record high, but there's room for much more.
Brazil’s Green Iron Opportunity

Brazil is uniquely positioned to thrive in the green iron and steel transformation. 150 characters or less snippet that will be displayed on the google search result page

All Events

  • September 23, 2025
  • 10:00-11:00 a.m. ET
  • In-person
  • The Hub Live at Climate Week NYC

Panel – Betting on a Breakthrough – Where Should the Smart Money Go Now?

This panel will be part of the Hub Live at Climate Week NYC, hosted by the Climate Group. According to the International Energy Agency, global green investment is surging with clean energy spending now outstripping fossil fuel investment two to one. Yet, capital remains concentrated in a few markets, leaving…
Event Info
  • September 23, 2025
  • 9:00-10:30 a.m. ET
  • In-person
  • 31 Chambers St

Planning Meets Practice: Resources to Guide Building Decarbonization

This event, hosted by the Building Energy Exchange, ASHRAE, USGBC and the Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings team, will bring together experts across the building development industry to discuss the recently released Guide to Strategic Decarbonization Planning and how developers can utilize this resource and more in…
Event Info
  • September 23, 2025
  • 4:00-6:30 p.m. ET
  • In-person

VCM+ Coalition Launch Event

Join us for the official launch of CDOP v1.0, alongside the launch of the VCM+ Coalition. During this event, the CDOP co-chairs will reflect on the one year since CDOP’s announcement and the broad collaboration it has fostered, present the new CDOP data schema and principles and explain how carbon market stakeholders can apply and promote them, and share opportunities for continued engagement and outline next steps for CDOP.
Event Info
  • September 25, 2025
  • 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
  • In-person
  • Harvard Club of New York City

Methane-Emissions Abatement in the Oil and Gas Sector: Costs and Opportunities

Not only do methane leaks and flaring across the oil and gas sector warm the Earth 80 times more potently than carbon dioxide, they result in the loss of nearly 100 bcm of natural gas, translating to between $7 and $20 billion dollars in wasted value. Methane-emissions abatement is…
Event Info
  • September 23, 2025
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
  • In-person

Closed Door Lunch: Enabling Low-Emissions Chemical Procurement

This session will provide an overview of GMA and RMI’s new buyers alliance for low-emissions chemicals before turning to a discussion of the potential role market-based mechanisms can play to lower your company’s Scope 3 emissions. Registration is subject to approval and will close on September 12th.
Event Info
  • September 24, 2025
  • 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET
  • In-person
  • Winston & Strawn LLP

Keeping Cool on a Hotter Planet

As record-breaking temperatures surge worldwide, so does electricity demand for cooling. The strain that inefficient cooling places on the grid results in frequent blackouts and increased costs for consumers. This doesn’t even account for the new demand yet to be installed in regions that need increased access to cooling and…
Event Info
  • September 23, 2025
  • 12:30-6:00 p.m. ET
  • In-person

RMI at Green Markets Day

RMI will be presenting research and insights from our work facilitating markets for climate-differentiated products like sustainable aviation fuel and low-carbon concrete, steel and chemicals. Registration is subject to approval.
Event Info

Connect With Us

For questions about RMI events, please email:

events@rmi.org

For media inquiries or to connect with experts on the ground in New York please email:

media@rmi.org

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