Every year, governments from around the world come together at COP to make decisions about climate and biodiversity.
These decisions matter to all of us.
They shape the policies, investments and priorities that affect our communities, our environment and our future. Yet the conversations can feel very far removed from everyday life — happening in international meeting rooms, behind technical language, accreditation systems and closed-door negotiations.
We believe they shouldn’t be.
That is why People For Nature created Citizen COP Australia: to bring the conversation back into communities and create more space for people to learn, question, connect and participate.
So, what is a Green Zone?
When you hear about COP, you will often hear about the Blue Zone and the Green Zone.
The Blue Zone is where the formal UN negotiations take place. It is where accredited country delegations, observers and other participants engage in the official COP process.
The Green Zone is different.
It is the public-facing space around COP — where civil society, community organisations, businesses, researchers, young people, artists and others can come together to share knowledge, discuss ideas and engage with the issues being considered at COP.
It is where the conversation can become more open, accessible and human.
But you shouldn’t have to fly across the world to be part of it.
What if the Green Zone came to us?
That is the idea behind Citizen COP.
Rather than creating one big event in one city, Citizen COP creates a decentralised Green Zone across Australia — made up of local conversations, workshops, walks, exhibitions, film screenings, community gatherings, youth events and other activities.
Citizen COP runs running alongside two important global moments:
🌿 The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention.
🌏 Conference of the Parties (COP), also known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
As the global conversations happen, people across Australia can gather locally to understand what is happening, explore what it means for their communities, and consider what role they can play.
Why does this matter?
Because environmental decisions should not be something that happens to people.
People need opportunities to understand what is happening, ask questions, share knowledge and have a voice in the conversations shaping their future.
And participation shouldn’t depend on whether you can afford a flight, work for an accredited organisation or already know the language of climate and biodiversity policy.
You don’t need to be an expert.
You don’t need to belong to an environmental organisation.
You don’t need to travel overseas.
You just need to care enough to join the conversation.
Citizen COP is about creating that civic space.
A Green Zone in your community
A Citizen COP event can look almost anything like a community wants it to.
It might be:
- a workshop
- a conversation about local biodiversity
- a nature or cultural walk
- a film screening
- a school or youth-led event
- an exhibition or creative project
- a community meal
- a panel or public conversation
- a workshop on food, cities, climate resilience or the circular economy
- an online gathering
The point isn’t the format.
The point is creating space for people to participate.
Citizen COP is not one conference.
It is a national network of people creating their own spaces for participation.
No flights. No badges. No closed doors.
Citizen COP is designed around a few simple principles.
No flights — participate locally rather than travelling across the world.
No badges — you don’t need special credentials to be part of the conversation.
No closed doors — make environmental knowledge and discussion accessible.
No fossil fuel influence — protect the independence of the space.
And wherever possible, events are designed to be free, low-waste, vegetarian and based on shared knowledge rather than paid speakers.
Give nature a seat at the table
Ultimately, Citizen COP is about more than creating events.
It is about strengthening the civic space around climate and biodiversity.
Because democracy depends on people being able to understand the issues that affect them, participate in conversations about them and connect with others who care.
The formal COP process has an important role to play.
But the work of creating change cannot happen only inside conference centres.
It happens in neighbourhoods, schools, universities, workplaces, community halls, councils, gardens, streets and online spaces.
It happens when people start talking.
When they learn something new.
When they listen to another perspective.
When they organise.
When they act.
That is our vision for Citizen COP: a Green Zone that belongs to everyone, everywhere.
A shared effort
Explore the growing programme of Citizen COP events across Australia, support the growth of our national Green Zone, or get in touch to find out how you can be part of it.
View Citizen COP events →
Support Citizen COP →
Explore partnership opportunities →
For questions about Citizen COP, contact citizencop@peoplefornature.org.au
Warmly,
The Citizen COP Team
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