London Climate Action Week 2026 kicks off: the key events to watch

London’s annual Climate Action Week has formally launched, offering with a broad schedule of more than 1000 events designed to demonstrate the urgency of tackling climate change. The week takes place against the backdrop of record heat levels, with temperatures set to hit 38 degrees by midweek, illustrating the tangible impact of climate change on our everyday life. 

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The theme for this year’s event is "Climate Collaboration in a Fragmented World," highlighting the importance of energy security and climate action against the context of a looming energy crisis. Organisers report more than 700 events, stating that this twice the size of last year’s programme.

Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G and founder of London Climate Week, emphasised the ambition behind the scale. "We want to harness the power of London for global and local climate action with the 300,000 people who work in London on climate issues," Mabey said. He noted that London is the top financial sector for climate action not just because of finance and insurance, but because it can show the world that tackling climate change is good for business and is working for good.

Here is a breakdown of several key events across the week.

Monday: Opening and Innovation Forum

The week officially opened at the London Stock Exchange, setting the tone for a week focused on the intersection of finance and policy.

Later that day, the focus will shift to the Guildhall for two major gatherings. The Climate Innovation Forum 2026, organised by Climate Action, served as a high-level platform for translating promises into tangible actions midway between COPs. The forum championed the role of the real economy in delivering the transition, aiming to bridge gaps in commitment, investment, and the scaling up of innovation.

The day will conclude with the annual  London Climate Action Week Gala Dinner at the Guildhall, bringing together leaders from the UK’s climate community alongside distinguished international guests to celebrate the eighth annual week. Compered by Rachel Kyte, the UK’s special representative for Climate, the evening will feature a range of guest speakers, entertainment, and networking, all aimed at celebrating the power of collective leadership in advancing global climate action.

Tuesday: global leadership and investor solutions

Tuesday will  begin at the Guildhall with a Special Address on the Climate and Energy Crises by António Guterres, United Nations secretary-general. Opening remarks will be delivered by Michael R. Bloomberg, UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions. The Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly and the Local Climate Action Summit will follow the secretary-general’s address at the same venue.

Simultaneously, the UNEP's finance initiative will host the 19th edition of its global roundtable on sustainable finance. Hosted in collaboration with the Green Finance Institute, the event this year will explore a range of themes including reslience, transition investing and the road to COP31 later this year. 

In the afternoon, the Net Zero Investor Climate Solutions Summit takes place in Central London, chaired by Net Zero Investor's head of research Atharva Deshmukh. Featuring an audience of asset owners and industry experts, the summit explores the role of venture capital and private equity in scaling climate solutions. Key questions include how investors can enable innovation beyond just providing capital, why VC and PE are critical to delivering climate solutions at scale, and where the funding gaps exist for key climate technologies.

Also on Tuesday, the EDHEC Climate Research Conference 2026 brings together global experts from finance, academia, infrastructure, and policy. Hosted by the EDHEC Climate Institute at One Birdcage Walk, the conference explores how cutting-edge climate science can inform strategic and investment decisions, presenting data-driven case studies on the financial materiality of climate risk.

Concluding the day’s investor-focused programming, the PRI Investor Day convenes 100 senior investors and partners from across the PRI’s international signatory base. Supported by Morningstar, the event catalyses direct dialogue on investing responsibly amid climate extremes, political volatility, and fast-moving technological developments.

Wednesday: Transition and connecting the cogs

Wednesday’s agenda focuses on aligning policy, business, and finance to deliver the transition. The "Delivering the Transition: Connecting the Cogs" event, held in partnership with LSEG, the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), and others, brings together global leaders to explore how high-integrity transition plans can be turned into real-world action. Speakers include Juergen Esser, Group Deputy CEO and CFO of Danone; David Schwimmer, CEO of LSEG; and Mark Versey, CEO of Aviva Investors.

Thursday: Investing in nature and decomissioning of fossil fuel assets

The day also features significant programming on nature-positive finance. Two panels run concurrently:

• Nature Positive Business: Hosted by Gil Martin of Restore, this panel explores how leading businesses are moving beyond commitments to integrate nature into their core sustainability strategies. Panellists include Nicky O’Malley, CEO of 30×30 UK, and Jaclyn Kaminski, Chief Sustainability Officer of International Workplace Group.
• Investing in Nature: Hosted by Mona Dohle of NetZero Investor, this panel explores the evolving landscape of nature finance and the role of institutional investors in accelerating recovery. Panellists include Simon Crichton, Head of Nature, Food & Resource at Triodos Bank; Eoin Murray, Head of Investment at Rebalance Earth; and Benedict Macdonald, CEO of Restore.
  
  

Finally, the week highlights the challenges of legacy assets with the 2nd Annual Global Decommissioning Summit, hosted by BNP Paribas Asset Management. The summit focuses on the financial, environmental, and regulatory challenges of managing end-of-life legacy energy and industrial estates, such as oil rigs and nuclear reactors. Discussions centre on addressing the UK’s estimated £240 billion decommissioning challenge, shifting the view of these sites from environmental burdens to redevelopment and green energy hubs, and managing Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

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