What does it take to make infrastructure resilient in a rapidly changing world? That was the central question WSP posed at Climate Week NYC 2025. In partnership with Cornell University and Autodesk, we brought together leaders from government, academia and technology for a conversation that cut across sectors but rooted in a shared challenge: how to ensure our infrastructure systems can withstand and adapt to the pressures of a changing climate.
A conversation about the future
From regulatory reform to artificial intelligence, panelists highlighted where bold, real-world action can accelerate resilience.
Tom Wright, president and CEO of the Regional Plan Association, pointed out that regulations are slowing the pace of adaptation and modernizing frameworks is essential to unlock innovation and scale solutions. Dion Harris, senior director, HPC, Cloud and AI Infrastructure Solutions at NVIDIA, shared how advanced AI platforms are transforming design and modeling, allowing engineers to test climate-resilient approaches faster and more effectively. Rohit Aggarwala, commissioner and chief climate officer of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, reminded attendees that resilience isn’t about preserving the status quo but embracing transformation in how cities and systems are designed, funded and operated. Jeff Weiss, executive chairman of Distributed Sun and truCurrent, emphasized that governments, businesses and academia must better align incentives to advance shared climate goals and avoid fragmented efforts. Jean Shia, managing director of the Autodesk Foundation and director of impact strategy and investment at Autodesk, underscored the need to move beyond pilots and push proven technologies into large-scale deployment where they can deliver measurable results.
Together, these insights point to a future where collaboration, innovation and bold leadership drive climate resilience at every scale.
A call for collective responsibility
Moderator and business executive, earth and environment, WSP in the U.S., Sofia Berger wove these insights together into a powerful closing reflection: “Resilience requires both individual and collective responsibility — but we can’t let the individual sacrifice the collective.”
Her words echoed the theme of the session — resilience is built not in silos, but through shared responsibility, collaboration and the willingness to embrace change.
