Every year, world leaders, scientists, negotiators, businesses, NGOs, and civil society groups gather for global environmental summits known as COPs — Conferences of the Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference. Here is where major environmental agreements, including the Paris and Kyoto Agreements are negotiated and drafted. This year, there will be two major global COPs.
🌿 COP17 Biodiversity (19–30 Oct) held in Yerevan, Armenia.
🌎 COP31 Climate (9–20 Nov) taking place in Antalya, Türkiye.
These negotiations, which will be led by Australia this year, focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating the energy transition, adapting to climate impacts, and financing climate action globally.
And while these conferences are essential, they can also feel distant from everyday life… unless you’re part of the official agenda.
That is where Citizen COP Australia comes in: a nationwide, people-powered movement bringing the spirit of the COP “Green Zone” (the public area at the UN Conference) into communities across Australia — creating spaces where everyone can learn, connect, share ideas and take action for climate and nature.
Enabled by People For Nature but intentionally independent and distributed, Citizen COP invites communities, organisations, schools, businesses, artists, and local groups across Australia to host their own events during the COP periods.
Rather than a single centralised conference, Citizen COP becomes a network of locally led conversations and actions — a “people’s COP” that makes global negotiations visible, accessible, and relevant at community level.
Help build Australia’s biggest citizen-led Green Zone
The official COP Green Zone creates space for civil society, communities, innovators, youth and organisations to engage beyond formal negotiations. Citizen COP expands that idea.
Our vision is a nationwide Green Zone — where every community, every state and every Australian has the opportunity to participate.
We believe climate and biodiversity action should be participatory, community-driven, and aligned with the values of the future we are trying to create.
Participating events are encouraged to follow a set of shared principles, including:
- No flights associated with events or speaker participation
- Low-waste and environmentally responsible event design
- Vegetarian or plant-forward catering
- A focus on local action and community solutions
- No paid speakers, encouraging contribution through shared purpose rather than commercialisation
- Inclusivity, accessibility, and constructive dialogue
These principles are not about perfection. They are about modelling practical, values-aligned ways of gathering and collaborating.
In a world where large conferences can sometimes carry significant environmental footprints themselves, Citizen COP aims to demonstrate that meaningful engagement can happen locally, affordably, and with minimal impact.
Together, we can build a Green Zone where conversations happen in neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, community halls, parks and online spaces. A Green Zone where knowledge becomes action.
Many ways to participate
Citizen COP is intentionally designed as a distributed movement rather than a branded, centralised event.
There are many ways you could participate:
- Schools may host student climate forums or biodiversity projects.
- Councils might facilitate community workshops.
- Businesses could organise sustainability discussions or host Climate Fresk, Biodiversity Collage or Circular Economy Collage workshops with staff and customers.
- Artists may create exhibitions or performances exploring ecological themes.
- Community groups might run repair cafés, nature walks, film screenings, climate cafés, and so much more.
This decentralised approach allows communities to shape discussions around the issues most relevant to them – whether that is renewable energy, biodiversity restoration, circular economy solutions, sustainable food systems, greener cities, climate adaptation, conservation, or community wellbeing.
Global issues call for local solutions
The impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are deeply local.
At a time when Australia has an unprecedented opportunity to help shape global environmental conversations through its leadership role connected to COP31, Citizen COP creates a way for communities across the country to feel part of that moment.
Citizen COP bridges the gap between global negotiations and everyday life by translating complex environmental issues into practical, human-centred conversations in our neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, organisations, and communities.
📆 Interested in organising an event, submit your EOI before 31 August.
🙌 Want to help out? Contact us today!
