People For Nature

Category: CitizenCOP Australia

  • Support Citizen COP Australia 2026

    Support Citizen COP Australia 2026

    Expanding the Green Zone into communities across Australia

    Citizen COP Australia is a decentralised, people-powered movement running alongside the global COPs in 2026.

    In 2026, Citizen COP will run alongside:

    • COP17 Biodiversity (19–30 Oct)
    • COP31 Climate (9–20 Nov)

    It expands the idea of the COP “Green Zone” beyond conference venues—into councils, universities, schools, businesses and community spaces across Australia.

    The “Green Zone” is the part of a COP where the public, civil society, businesses, and organisations can come together to learn, share ideas, and take part in conversations and events. It is designed to make global discussions more open, inclusive, and accessible.

    Through local events, Citizen COP brings climate, biodiversity, and circular economy discussions into everyday settings—turning global negotiations into accessible, shared civic conversations.

    Rather than a single central event, Citizen COP is a nationwide civic network of local gatherings, workshops, and actions that make international negotiations visible, relatable, and participatory.

    It is civil society infrastructure—built from the ground up.

    Find out more: https://www.peoplefornature.org.au/citizen-cop

    Why Citizen COP exists

    The COP process is one of the most important global decision-making spaces for climate and biodiversity.

    But meaningful participation from civil society is still largely concentrated in physical COP venues and limited “Green Zone” spaces.

    Citizen COP exists to change that.

    We believe the Green Zone should not be confined to a single location—it should be expanded into society itself.

    By creating parallel spaces across Australia, Citizen COP brings communities into the conversation, strengthens democratic participation, and ensures that climate and biodiversity decisions are understood, questioned, and shaped by the people they affect.

    Vision and Values:

    • Advancing the Green Zone of COPs: a complementary civic infrastructure.
    • Connecting global biodiversity and climate decisions through local citizen voices.
    • Expand COP “Green Zones” into local, nationwide, citizen-led spaces for discussion and collaboration. 
    • Globally connected, locally grounded.
    • Accessible to all: no flights, no waste, all vegetarian, no paid speakers.

    Ways to support Citizen COP

    We are inviting individuals and organisations to support this work in several ways:

    💛 Sponsorship
    Financial support that helps sustain Citizen COP nationally and enables us to grow the movement.

    🤝 Donations
    One-off or ongoing contributions that directly support core operational costs and community delivery.

    🧠 Pro bono support
    Skills and expertise that help us grow, including communications, design, legal, strategy, facilitation, technology, or media.

    🧩 In-kind support
    Practical contributions such as venues, printing, catering, equipment, or logistics for events.

    🎁 Raffle contributions
    Aligned gifts or experiences for our national Citizen COP raffle.

    All contributions should reflect our values — supporting nature, wellbeing, learning, creativity, and community action.

    A shared effort

    Citizen COP is a collective effort. It only exists because people choose to support it, host it, and believe in it.

    If you or your organisation would like to support Citizen COP Australia 2026 — through sponsorship, donations, pro bono work, in-kind support, or raffle contributions — we would love to hear from you: citizencop@peoplefornature.org.au

  • Hello / Bonjour / مرحباً / 你好 / Здравствуйте / Hola

    Hello / Bonjour / مرحباً / 你好 / Здравствуйте / Hola

    We’re reaching out to warmly invite you to be part of Australia’s Citizen COP — a growing national initiative designed to bring climate and nature conversations out of formal spaces and into communities.

    Citizen COP elevates the solutions already happening on the ground, creating space for practical, inclusive dialogue grounded in democratic values and collective action.

    In 2025, AlterCOP 30 Australia was the Australian AlterCOP Chapter brought to Australia by People For Nature in 2025:

    • 1,400+ registered participants
    • 42 events
    • 8 locations
    • 49 participating organisations

    In 2026, People For Nature decided to evolve into creating our own initiative Citizen COP, running alongside:

    • COP17 Biodiversity (19–30 Oct)
    • COP31 Climate (9–20 Nov)

    Our guiding principles

    Citizen COP events are grounded in a simple shared commitment:

    • Accessible to all
    • No flights policy
    • No paid speakers
    • Fully vegetarian
    • Strong focus on minimising waste
    • Fully citizen-led and independent, with no involvement from fossil fuel or extractive industries

    What we are inviting the civic community to do

    Citizen COP is a space for everyone in civic life — including individuals, community groups, charities, social enterprises, councils, universities, educators, artists, students, and grassroots collectives.

    This year, we are inviting you to:

    • Host (or co-host) a Citizen COP event or series of events
    • Activate local discussions, workshops, panels, performances, or community gatherings
    • Integrate Citizen COP themes into existing programs, curricula, exhibitions, or events
    • Join a national cohort collectively shaping an Australian citizen convention on climate and biodiversity

    Formats are flexible and community-led — from intimate roundtables and classroom sessions to public forums, creative activations, screenings, exhibitions, and dialogue spaces.

    We are very happy to co-design what works best for your context, audience, and capacity.

    Citizen COP themes include (but are not limited to):

    • Climate change, social impact & resilience
    • Climate disaster preparedness, response & adaptation
    • Sustainable cities & regenerative design
    • Biodiversity, bioeconomy & nature-based solutions
    • Food systems, regenerative agriculture & food resilience
    • Decolonised dialogues, First Nations leadership & knowledge systems
    • Youth leadership & intergenerational action
    • Women, equity & inclusive leadership
    • Health, wellbeing & climate resilience

    Ways to take part in Citizen COP

    You can be part of Citizen COP in a simple but meaningful way — by hosting your own event or activity within your community.

    We welcome a wide range of formats and ideas, and we can support you to bring them to life.

    This could be:

    • 🧩 A workshop (e.g. Climate Fresk, Biodiversity Collage, Circular Economy Collage — we can support facilitation)
    • 🎤 A debate or panel discussion on climate and biodiversity issues
    • ☕ A community conversation over tea, coffee, or a shared meal
    • 💻 A webinar or online learning session
    • 🎓 A school activity or youth-led climate and biodiversity session
    • ❓ A trivia night focused on nature, climate, and sustainability (we can provide trivia questions and a facilitation guide)
    • 🎬 A film screening with Q&A (we can support screening rights for selected films such as Nature, Floodland, Rising Up, The Plastic Country)
    • 🌱 A local action or hands-on restoration activity (tree planting, clean-up, habitat restoration)
    • 🚶‍♀️ A guided walk (nature walk, bushwalk, cultural walk, urban ecology walk)
    • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A gathering for parents and carers to explore climate and biodiversity futures for children
    • 😂 A comedy night or storytelling event with an environmental theme
    • 📸 A photography or art exhibition exploring nature, climate, place, and community
    • 🎨 A creative arts event (painting, installation, spoken word, or participatory community art)
    • 🍲 A cooking class or shared meal workshop focused on sustainable, local, seasonal or low-waste food
    • 🎉 An art festival celebrating nature, climate action, and community creativity

    We are here to support you in shaping your idea — whether that means helping with facilitation, resources, connections, or co-designing an event that fits your community.

    If your organisation is interested in hosting or exploring an activation, we would love to hear from you and welcome you into this year’s cohort of participating partners.

    Warmly,
    The Citizen COP Team

  • Meet our ambassadors: Daniel Bairstow

    Meet our ambassadors: Daniel Bairstow

    Daniel joins the Citizen COP team to help lead Government Engagement and Impact Reporting.

    Based in Brisbane, he brings a strong background in technology, innovation, and stakeholder engagement, with experience spanning AI, product development, and cross-sector collaboration.

    Passionate about translating complex ideas into real-world impact, Daniel is focused on strengthening connections between policy, community, and innovation to help maximise the reach and effectiveness of Citizen COP.

  • Meet our ambassadors: Angus Brawley

    Meet our ambassadors: Angus Brawley

    After attending AlterCOP 30 Australia, Angus joins us as an ambassador for Citizen COP 2026, bringing a grounded systems perspective on the energy transition and climate resilience.

    A graduate engineer working in the renewable energy sector, Angus focuses on climate adaptation and resilience across energy systems. His experience spans Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific, where he has worked alongside intergovernmental organisations, communities, policymakers, and industry to better understand how energy transitions can be both equitable and resilient in a changing climate.

    He is passionate about designing systems that not only support decarbonisation, but also strengthen communities and deliver lasting benefits for future generations. Angus is driven by the belief that the clean energy transition must be shaped through collaboration, and embedded with sustainability in both principle and practice.

    He continues to explore how technology, policy, and community engagement can come together to build climate-resilient, human-centred energy futures.

  • Meet our ambassadors: Fien Van den Steen

    Meet our ambassadors: Fien Van den Steen

    Fien Van den Steen is a former international investigative journalist specialising in environmental issues, now working as a Sustainability Manager for tech start-ups. She applies her strengths in communication and sustainability to help amplify positive impact across companies, services, and clients, bridging the gap between global environmental policy and local practice.

    Driven by a deep commitment to systemic change, Fien has founded and contributed to several impactful initiatives, including the award-winning UniSC Enactus club and the co-founding of the Upskilling Sustainability Initiative. Her work extends into global and national policy spaces, including contributions to the UN Summit of the Future, alongside leadership and speaking roles with the United Nations Young Professionals. She also serves as an Earth Charter Commissioner for UNAA Queensland.

    As part of the People For Nature Youth Voices support team, Fien brings her expertise, energy, and systems-thinking approach to empower young people and strengthen collective action for nature.

  • Our Partnership with the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub

    Our Partnership with the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub

    As we reflect on 2025, we are proud to acknowledge and celebrate our partnership with the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub — a collaboration that strengthened the connection between research, industry, policy, and citizen-led climate action.

    The Queensland Decarbonisation Hub unites industry, research, and policy to drive the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy. By leveraging evidence-based research from Queensland universities, the Hub supports industries, communities, and government in identifying practical decarbonisation pathways and shaping policies and technology solutions.

    Their support of AlterCOP 30 Australia – the Australian AlterCOP Chapter brought to Australia by People For Nature in 2025 – reflects a shared commitment to accelerating climate action across Queensland — grounded in collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and real-world implementation.

    We imagined an independent, values-driven gathering running alongside the official United Nations Climate Conference (COP30). Our aim was simple — to create a free and inclusive space where voices often absent from formal negotiations — youth, First Nations leaders, local communities, scientists, artists, and grassroots changemakers — could come together to engage meaningfully with climate and nature action, while actively reducing the environmental footprint of participation itself.

    While Australia sent 494 official delegates to COP30, we engaged more than 1,400 people nationwide, extending the spirit of the COP “green zone” through citizen-led events and conversations across the country.

    The success of this first experiment helped demonstrate the importance of bridging structured, evidence-based climate work with citizen engagement — ensuring that knowledge does not remain siloed, but becomes part of a shared societal response.

    As Dr Liz Young, QLD Decarbonisation Hub shared:

    “Last night’s AlterCOP 30 Australia at the Precinct was truly extraordinary, filled with courage, leadership, and a deep generosity of spirit. People For Nature showcased remarkable leadership, shaping an evening marked by respect, curiosity, and connection. The evening’s message was clear: Listen deeply, connect with Country, share knowledge, and act with hope.”

    Alongside this partnership, People For Nature focused on citizen engagement, biodiversity literacy, and participatory learning experiences — helping translate complex climate information into accessible formats that inspire understanding and action.

    Together, this collaboration helped strengthen the foundation for what has now evolved into Citizen COP Australia — a decentralised, people-powered movement running alongside global COPs in 2026, designed to make climate and biodiversity action more locally grounded, inclusive, and participatory.

    We are deeply grateful to the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub for their support in 2025. Their commitment to bridging research and action plays a vital role in shaping Queensland’s transition, and we look forward to continuing to build connections between science, policy, and community.

    Find out more about QLD Decarbonisation Hub: https://decarb-hub.org/

  • Our Partnership with CO2 Australia

    Our Partnership with CO2 Australia

    As we reflect on 2025, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the valuable support of CO2 Australia in the early development and delivery of AlterCOP 30 Australia – the Australian AlterCOP Chapter brought to Australia by People For Nature in 2025

    We designed an independent, values-driven gathering running alongside the official United Nations Climate Conference (COP30). Our aim was simple — to create a free and inclusive space where voices often absent from formal negotiations — youth, First Nations leaders, local communities, scientists, artists, and grassroots changemakers — could come together to engage meaningfully with climate and nature action, while actively reducing the environmental footprint of participation itself.

    While Australia sent 494 official delegates to COP30, we engaged more than 1,400 people nationwide, extending the spirit of the COP “green zone” through citizen-led events and conversations across the country.

    The success of this first experiment, and the lessons it generated, revealed something larger was emerging — not simply an alternative event, but the foundation of a broader civic infrastructure capable of connecting citizen engagement, collective intelligence, and institutional processes in a constructive and ongoing way.

    People For Nature decided to evolve into creating its own initiative Citizen COP in 2026, a decentralised, people-powered movement running alongside the global COPs in 2026.

    We are inviting citizens, schools, businesses, artists, and local groups across the country to host their own aligned events during the COP period. Rather than one central event, it becomes a nationwide network of local conversations, workshops, and actions — making global negotiations visible and relevant at the community level.

    At its heart lies a simple belief: lasting environmental change happens when people feel informed, empowered, and connected — both to the challenges we face and to the solutions we can create together.

    CO2 Australia provides practical, science-based solutions at the intersection of business and the environment. With over 20 years’ experience in carbon and biodiversity projects, they help organisations and landholders create real environmental and economic value. Their expertise spans carbon and biodiversity offsets, ecological assessments, spatial analysis, and land management, alongside training programs that build capability across industry and government.

    CO2 Australia supported AlterCOP 30 Australia because they believe sustainability and productivity go hand in hand — creating lasting value for people, land, and the planet.

    As Chris Wilson, Chief Consulting and Strategy Officer at CO2 Australia shared:

    “Events like AlterCOP 30 Australia are vitally important as we look to bridge the gap between those ‘talking’ at the global level, and those who are ‘doing’ locally. At CO2 Australia, we pride ourselves on execution and People for Nature clearly share the same philosophy. Connecting communities, creating shared understanding and then collaborating in service of our planet were clear themes throughout the AlterCOP 30 event.”

    Alongside this, People For Nature focused on citizen engagement, biodiversity literacy, and participatory learning experiences — helping translate complex climate information into accessible formats that inspire understanding and action.

    We are deeply grateful for CO2 Australia’s support during this formative phase. Partnerships like these are essential in building movements that are credible, inclusive, and capable of driving real change.

    As Citizen COP Australia evolves, we carry forward the lessons, relationships, and momentum built in 2025 — and remain committed to expanding this citizen-led approach to climate and biodiversity action.

    Find out more about CO2 Australia: https://co2australia.com.au/

  • Meet our ambassadors: Matthew Shinkel

    Meet our ambassadors: Matthew Shinkel

    Matt joined us last year as a volunteer, supporting the delivery of AlterCOP Australia and helping behind the scenes to bring the event to life. He also trained as a Climate Fresk facilitator, strengthening his ability to support climate education through collaborative and accessible learning.

    He is now part of the Support Team behind Citizen COP 2026, continuing to contribute his time, energy, and practical support to help the movement run smoothly.

    Matt brings a deep interest in understanding the causes, impacts, and solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises, and is curious about the transformational changes unfolding across our societies, economies, places, and environment in the coming decades.

    He has strong expertise in managing large multidisciplinary teams and complex planning projects, with a proven track record in strategic infrastructure master planning, program and project development, and business sustainability leadership. His approach is grounded in placing the needs and experiences of end users at the heart of infrastructure planning, supported by extensive stakeholder engagement across government (all levels), regulators, industry, contractors, and communities.

    Matt is also a compassionate leader with a strong focus on the wellbeing, development, and achievement of his team members.

    We are grateful for his steady presence, analytical strengths, and commitment to both people and systems change, which continue to strengthen the work behind Citizen COP.

  • Meet our ambassadors: Heidi Osborne

    Meet our ambassadors: Heidi Osborne

    Heidi joined us through AlterCOP last year and returns as part of the Citizen COP 2026 team. She was also a speaker at last year’s event, where her insights and hands-on experience deeply resonated with our community.

    Heidi is a civil and humanitarian engineer passionate about nature-based solutions, circular economy, and inclusive development. Her work spans Indonesia, Nepal, and Australia, with a focus on improving access to safe drinking water, reducing plastic waste and emissions, and advancing sustainable menstrual health solutions.

    Currently a water engineer at GHD, Heidi’s career has been shaped by field experience, including work in Indonesia exploring the impacts of limited access to clean water, and research in Nepal on innovative, low-impact materials for menstrual products. She has also worked with local NGOs to support the development of biodegradable menstrual pads and improve product quality on the ground.

    Heidi brings a grounded, practical perspective to systems change, and we are grateful for her continued involvement, energy, and commitment to amplifying youth voices and advancing more equitable, sustainable development.