Grist celebrates 2024 Grist 50 list with live event at Climate Week NYC

On September 24, Grist hosted an event celebrating the publication of the 2024 Grist 50 list, an annual list that names 50 climate leaders to watch across the US. The event was presented in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and was held at the Hilton Midtown as part of New York Climate Week.

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 linguistic 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 into the climate movement, and that means addressing the language barrier,” said Hayakawa.

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune told a story about working as a teacher in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where an interaction with a young student helped her see 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 noted.

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, New York Climate Week attendees, and Clinton Global Initiative pledgers. The event was supported by Davis Wright Tremaine, Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Alaska Airlines. This was part of the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Summit, which brings together global leaders to tackle the planet’s biggest challenges. The 2024 CGI Meeting included 50 commitments made by companies, NGOs and government leaders in support of climate adaptation and mitigation, decarbonizationand just transitions. You can learn more about action commitments here.