2025 Columbia University Gloabl Sustainability Summit

Apri 13rd, 2025

Columbia University New York, NY

ew York, April 13, 2025 — The 2025 Global Sustainability Summit, hosted by the Columbia University Global ESG Leadership Association (CGELA), convened at Columbia’s iconic Low Memorial Library, drawing over 500 participants from 30+ countries and regions. With the theme “Advancing Human Civilization, Connecting Our Future,” the summit brought together 70+ distinguished speakers spanning the United Nations, international development banks, green finance, Silicon Valley climate-tech, and world-renowned universities.

From early morning, Low Library was filled with vibrant energy. Attendees included students and scholars from Columbia, Harvard, Tsinghua, NYU, and professionals from the World Bank, Blackstone, BNP Paribas, Wellington Management, and others—united by a shared commitment to shaping a sustainable future.

To address the multidimensional challenges of sustainability, the summit featured six thematic forums, exploring topics from hard tech breakthroughs to green finance and youth content creation:

  • Sustainable Development Forum: Discussed green investment, AI & blockchain, and cross-sector financial ecosystems.

  • Hard Tech Forum: Highlighted the role of AI, robotics, and deep tech in solving global challenges.

  • Finance & Investment Forum: Covered early-stage investment in emerging tech and global macroeconomic trends.

  • New Energy & Life Sciences Forum: Focused on clean energy, gene therapy, mRNA vaccines, and digital health innovation.

  • Society & Culture Forum: Explored the intersection of sustainability with youth art, philanthropy, and global governance.

  • Youth Creators Forum: Showcased how young influencers are shaping public discourse around key global issues.

The event’s success was made possible by the dedication of speakers, volunteers, university chapters from Columbia, NYU, Penn, and all partner institutions. Their joint efforts ensured a thoughtful, inclusive platform that sparked new conversations and collaborations.

Although the summit concluded, CGELA’s mission continues. The organization will further expand its global youth sustainability ecosystem and strengthen the integration of global responsibility with local action.

The future is promising. The mission continues.