Notes from London Climate Action Week 2026

London Climate Action Week 2026 is likely to be remembered, above all, for the extreme heat. A record-breaking heatwave sent temperatures across Western Europe five to twelve degrees above seasonal averages, and the UK recorded its hottest-ever June, reaching 37.3°C. This followed only weeks after another severe heatwave had broken all-time May records. Europe’s worst heatwave was a pointed reminder of why the work of corporate climate action matters.

The heat didn't just set the scene; it reshaped the week. By midweek, the extreme conditions had forced some events to be canceled, disrupting the program and turning conversation toward climate adaptation. For a week devoted to climate action, it was a fitting, if uncomfortable, reminder of what's at stake.

Where the momentum sits

This year's London Climate Action Week was its biggest yet, with more than 1,300 events and over 100,000 attendees, and the growth was as much in seniority and reach as in numbers. London Climate Action Week is a growing force in the international climate calendar, attracting an increasing number of highly influential VIPs, from international climate ministers and corporate executives to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres. Climate ministers from Colombia and the Netherlands presented the Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels conference report, and there was a visible push to build momentum ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. 

From ambition to implementation

One of the defining themes of London Climate Action Week was the shift from ambition to implementation. Across keynote speeches, panel discussions, and private conversations, the focus was no longer on why companies should act, but how they can deliver credible action in an increasingly complex operating environment. This direction closely reflects SBTi's 2026-2030 strategy and the launch of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0, both of which recognize that the next phase of corporate climate action will be defined by implementation.

That broader shift was reflected in SBTi’s own contribution to London Climate Action Week. On 22 June, the SBTi convened leaders from across business and the wider climate community at the Barbican for its Ambition to Action launch event, marking the arrival of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0. 

The event brought together SBTi CEO David Kennedy, Sanda Ojiambo of the UN Global Compact, Tim Mohin of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and a corporate leadership panel featuring PepsiCo, Mars, Danone, Schneider Electric, Asahi Group Holdings, and The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). You can watch the event here.

What became clear over the course of the week was that this framing was part of a much wider conversation. The same language was heard consistently across the board, and it was striking to hear it acknowledged so widely that the corporate climate action journey has entered its implementation phase, not as a case still to be made, but as a shared starting point. This message was also echoed at Reset Connect, where SBTi CEO David Kennedy’s keynote focused on how companies can move from ambition to measurable progress while strengthening resilience and long-term competitiveness. 

What the week's reports affirmed

The reports launched during London Climate Action Week reinforced many of the themes that emerged throughout the week. While each focused on different aspects of the transition, together they pointed to a common conclusion: climate action is increasingly being viewed as not only an environmental imperative, but as a driver of business resilience, competitiveness and long-term value. 

The We Mean Business Coalition's Powering Up, with E3G and the Global Renewables Alliance, found that 79% of corporate leaders say geopolitical instability has made electrification more urgent, clearly demonstrating the link between climate and business resilience.

WWF's The Path to Resilience pointed to the gap between ambition and delivery that defined so much of the week. While it found broad support for action, it also recognized that progress remains uneven and that access to finance continues to be a significant barrier holding many companies back.

CDP's The Disclosure Dividend 2026 launched to mark the organization's 25th anniversary, made the financial case in stark terms. It found that every dollar spent responding to environmental risk offers a median return of up to eight, and that companies disclosing through CDP are less exposed to transition risk costs than peers that do not, a difference it values at over a trillion dollars in enterprise value by 2050.

Remarks from the Secretary-General

The week's central message, that the task now is to turn ambition into delivery, was reinforced at the highest level. In his address, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, pressed for exactly the shift SBTi sees across corporate climate action: accelerating the transition and moving from commitment to implementation. His Call to Action on Methane was an important reminder that greenhouse gas emissions must be tackled by more than carbon reduction alone.

Looking ahead

The week closed on an optimistic note. Delivering net-zero requires action across businesses, sectors, financial systems, supply chains and policy environments. No single company, organization or standard can deliver the transition alone. That’s why collaboration is essential.

Throughout London Climate Action Week, the SBTi engaged leaders from business, civil society and across the climate ecosystem. As Tim Mohin, CEO of the GHG Protocol put it at our Ambition to Action event: “There’s enough passion and energy and knowledge that we can work together. We can collaborate, and when we collaborate, we can do something wonderful.” Together, these conversations have the power to accelerate implementation, overcome barriers, strengthen confidence in the transition and deliver real-world emissions reductions at scale.