From 21 to 25 September, ICSI co-convened five events during Climate Week NYC. Across public sessions and smaller roundtables, participants explored how to strengthen coastal and port resilience, advance ocean health, make nature-positive engineering standard practice and accelerate the delivery of clean energy.
- Unlocking Investment in Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Infrastructure and Climate Resilient Ports
Co-convened with Ambition Loop and Conservation International and hosted by Arcadis on 21 September, this roundtable brought together representatives from ports, engineering, finance, insurance, conservation and coastal communities. The discussion explored why nature-based solutions remain difficult to fund, even where they can protect infrastructure and deliver wider benefits for ecosystems and communities.
Participants discussed the difficulty of putting a value on avoided disruption and benefits that extend beyond the organisation paying for a project. They also considered the evidence, planning tools and finance needed to turn coastal adaptation priorities into investable projects. Examples from ports and coastal regions showed the importance of working across an entire waterfront, rather than assessing each asset in isolation.
Key takeaway: Investment depends on making the full value of nature-based solutions visible to those making funding and insurance decisions, and on bringing the organisations that benefit from coastal resilience into the same planning process.
- Shipping a Healthy Planet: How the Maritime Sector Can Accelerate Climate and Ocean Action
Co-convened with Sustainable Shipping Initiative and United Nations Foundation on 22 September, this public event opened with remarks from Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). He addressed the maritime sector’s progress on reducing environmental impacts and emissions, alongside the need to manage the safety, skills and policy implications of new technologies and fuels. Nathalie Rey of the High Seas Alliance then spoke about the High Seas Treaty and the opportunity to connect maritime activity more closely with ocean governance and biodiversity protection.
Moderated by JD Carlton of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, the panel brought together Michael Dobson, Climate Advisor to the Republic of the Marshall Islands; Ryan Calkins, Commission President of the Port of Seattle; Heather Wood, Vice President of Sustainability at CMA CGM; Dan Hubbel, Ocean Climate Program Manager at Oceans5; and Elizabeth Mosqueda Rodríguez, Environment Program Lead at the Institute of the Americas. Ruth Boumphrey, Chief Executive of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, delivered the closing remarks.
The discussion explored how shipping, ports, governments and funders can work across their respective roles to advance decarbonisation, climate resilience and ocean health together. Panellists considered the need to plan for a range of future fuels and technologies, the role of ports in the energy transition, and how international agreements and national plans can guide an industry making decisions decades in advance.
Key takeaway: Progress will depend on connecting decisions made by shipping companies and ports with those made by governments, investors and the wider ocean community.
- Resilience Gateways Ports: Delivering Climate Resilience Across Port Systems
Co-convened with Boston Consulting Group on 23 September, this roundtable marked the launch of Transport Resilience Pathways | Ports, practical guidance developed with the port community for ports and their connected transport infrastructure. The resource brings together case studies, tools and actions to help stakeholders embed resilience from policy and planning through to operations and end of life.
The discussion examined how disruption can spread beyond a port to roads, rail, power, supply chains and neighbouring communities. Participants stressed the need for shared risk information and earlier coordination between the organisations responsible for these connected systems. They also explored how climate risk assessments can inform decisions about new infrastructure, particularly as ports invest in electrification and other parts of the energy transition.
Key takeaway: Port resilience depends on understanding where risks sit across the wider system, then bringing the people responsible for those connections into planning and investment decisions.
- From Insights to Action: Mainstreaming Nature-Positive Engineering Through Global Collaboration
Co-convened with WWF-US and Lloyd’s Register Foundation and hosted by STV on 24 September, this public event brought together leaders from engineering, architecture, finance, academia and conservation. In her opening remarks, Ruth Boumphrey, Chief Executive of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, announced a new global programme to mainstream nature-positive engineering. Co-led by ICSI and WWF-US, the programme will support engineering capability and strengthen the evidence needed to put nature-positive approaches into practice.
Moderated by Daniel Hornett of WWF-US, the panel featured Savina Carluccio, Executive Director of ICSI; Rod Braun, Senior Director of Coastal and Ocean Climate Adaptation at Conservation International; Jen Molnar, Resiliency and Nature-based Solutions Lead for US East Water at AECOM; Ilya Azaroff, 2026 President of the American Institute of Architects; and Dr Dru Crawley, Bentley Fellow on Sustainability and Education at Bentley Systems.
The panel discussed what must change in policy, standards and procurement so that nature is considered from the start of an infrastructure project. Speakers explored the skills engineers need to work across disciplines and with local communities, and the importance of evidence showing which approaches work in different settings. A recurring point was that nature-positive solutions need to be included in project briefs and assessed alongside conventional infrastructure options, rather than introduced after the main decisions have been made.
Key takeaway: Making nature-positive engineering routine will require earlier involvement of engineers and ecologists, stronger evidence to inform decisions, and project requirements that give teams the scope to design with nature.
- Closing the Delivery Gap: Standards and Regulatory Capacity in Clean Energy
Co-convened with the Engineering Leadership Group and hosted by STV on 25 September, this roundtable brought together senior leaders from energy development, regulation, investment and engineering. Participants examined why clean energy projects continue to face delays despite growing ambition and available technologies. The discussion was moderated by Lauren Alger, STV, and James Viray, GHD, and focused on permitting, grid interconnection, project readiness and the different requirements faced by developers across agencies and jurisdictions.
A central question was how to determine when a project is ready to enter regulatory review or an interconnection queue. Participants considered whether clearer development stages, common information requirements and earlier technical screening could reduce repeated studies and delays. The conversation also highlighted the need to plan across energy, transport, ports and other connected infrastructure, and to involve communities and other relevant stakeholders before major project decisions are made.
Key takeaway: Accelerating clean energy delivery will require clearer expectations for project readiness, better coordination between agencies and infrastructure sectors, and earlier engagement with the people who will shape and be affected by projects.
