London Climate Action Week (LCAW) 2026 went by in a flash. This turned out to be the biggest LCAW yet, bringing together over 75,000 people and more than 750 events over the space of a week. Over a very busy – and very hot – week, we attended events across town (including the Climate Innovation Forum and the Nature Hub hosted by Nature4Climate) as well as catching up with friends and colleagues across town.
we wanted to take a minute here to share our key LCAW takeaways:
Running out of time and portfolio approach: The week saw record-breaking temperatures across the UK and elsewhere, bringing forth the difficult reality of all of us having to live on a warmer planet. We clearly have a climate emergency and we need more action now more than ever. Many noted that we don’t have time for more “false dichotomies” such as nature versus tech, reduction versus removals, domestic versus elsewhere, market-based mechanism or not, permanent or not, etc. that dominated conversations in the past. We need every tool we have, a true portfolio approach. It needs to be “everything, everywhere, all at once”.
More private sector leadership in delivering economic and scalable solutions: On that note, we really need the private sector (businesses, individuals, communities, innovators, investors etc.) to fully dive in. There isn’t enough money or resources from governments, philanthropy and civil society, we need market forces and economics to incentivise the rapid expansion of many existing and new solutions, which is the only the way they can truly scale around the world. Many noted the tremendous progress made on the integrity and functionality of carbon markets as well as numerous sustainable financing instruments. The discussion has moved beyond peak days of “green-washing” and “green-hushing” to “green-action”.
Nature at front and centre of climate discussions: We know protecting and restoring our natural landscapes and ecosystems is one of the most powerful things we can do to combat climate change, whilst delivering a host of different services and benefits. Nature-based solutions were central in most conversations this week, and many focused on how to improve financial and technical capabilities to scale these solutions in a safe and just way. Special shoutout to the release of a new report from the Nature Conservancy and Forest Trends (hub101.earth’s strategic partner) on the State of Private Investment in Nature, which shows more than $60 billion has been deployed over the past decade, with fivefold increases annually.
Climate optimism and more collaboration than ever: The past year has been a challenging one for many in the climate community, but this LCAW felt like a collective reaffirmation. Of course headwinds continue to blow around the world, but many stakeholders are doubling down and steadfast in continuing their crucial work. None of us want to live in a world of extreme heat, unpredictable weather, deforested-degraded land, devoid of biodiversity, scarce freshwater, burning forests, polluted ocean with bleached corals. It was hugely encouraging to witness the many strong long-term collaborations and initiatives across public-private sectors and civil society all working towards this common goal.
Hence we wrapped up LCAW 2026 feeling more optimistic and upbeat: we are reminded of the importance not just our own work, but those of everyone around us. Our mission to spread the word and demystify climate and nature solutions, as far and wide as possible, so that they can take shape in hearts, minds, hands and on the ground everywhere. And we can do it, if we do it together.
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