Grist celebrates the 2024 Grist 50 list with a live event during Climate Week NYC

On September 24, Grist hosted an event celebrating the release of the 2024 Grist 50 list, an annual list of 50 climate leaders from across the U.S. to watch. The event was presented in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and held at the Hilton Midtown as part of Climate Week NYC.

The event featured personal stories of change, hope and transformation from some of this year’s Grist 50 honorees, produced in partnership with Back Pocket Media.

Hikaru Hayakawa shared a story about a high school debate tournament in Macedonia that led him to a deeper understanding of language justice in climate solutions.

“Language is a systemic barrier to climate action… To build a just and sustainable future, we must truly invite the global majority to the climate movement, and that means addressing the language barrier,” Hayakawa said.

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune shared a story about her work as a teacher in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where an interaction with a young student helped her understand the importance of community-led climate solutions.

“Our neighborhoods don’t look the way they do by accident, and they won’t change by accident,” Mingoya-LaFortune said.

Watch the full video of the event here.

The event concluded with a networking reception for climate leaders from current and former Grist 50 lists, Climate Week NYC participants and the creators of the Clinton Global Initiative. The event was supported by Davis Wright Tremaine, Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, and Alaska Airlines. This was part of the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative meeting, which brings together world leaders to tackle the planet’s biggest challenges. CGI’s 2024 meeting included 50 commitments from business, NGO and government leaders in support of climate adaptation and mitigation. decarbonizationand just transitions. More information about the action commitments can be found here.