Citizen COP Australia: a national citizen movement emerges as climate and nature pressures mount
Announcement posted by People For Nature 28 Sep 2026
Brisbane, Australia — 28 September
As climate and biodiversity pressures intensify across Australia and globally, a new nationwide initiative is stepping in to amplify a voice often missing from decision-making: citizens.
People For Nature today announced the launch of Citizen COP Australia 2026, a citizen-led, non-partisan movement running alongside the United Nations COP Conferences, designed to bring community voices, lived experience, and practical solutions into the centre of climate and nature discussions.
"At a time when Australians are already experiencing the impacts of climate and biodiversity loss, we cannot afford for decisions to remain disconnected from reality on the ground," said Audrey Barucchi, CEO and Co-Founder of People For Nature.
"Citizen COP is about creating structured, inclusive spaces where citizens can engage with evidence, discuss trade-offs, and help shape what comes next."
A nationwide mobilisation timed with COP17 and COP31
The initiative will take place from October to November 2026, alongside COP17 (Biodiversity) and COP31 (Climate).
Audrey Barucchi, said, "More than 75 organisations are involved with 96 events planned across every state and territory in Australia, forming one of the largest coordinated citizen-led climate and nature mobilisations in the country."
Citizen COP events include community forums, workshops, citizen science activities, and local action projects - connecting global negotiations with real-world community experience.
The full agenda can be found on Humanitix.
The initiative is deliberately non-partisan, inclusive, and designed for public participation at scale.
A climate platform for everyone
Rather than a traditional conference model, Citizen COP is built on a set of guiding principles to ensure integrity and accessibility:
- No-fly principle within Australia for organisers and delivery teams, prioritising low-carbon participation models
- No paid speakers or honorariums for influence, ensuring equal voice and removing financial barriers to participation
- Free and accessible participation, with community-led and low-cost engagement pathways
- Vegetarian catering only at in-person gatherings, reflecting lower-impact event standards
- Minimal waste events, with strong emphasis on reuse, reduction, and local sourcing
- Participatory funding model, designed to support independence and broad community ownership
- Zero influence from fossil fuel companies or organisations linked to ongoing climate and nature harm, ensuring full integrity of the process
"These principles are not symbolic, they are structural," continued Audrey Barucchi.
"If we are asking society to change, the way we organise ourselves must reflect that change."
Connecting local action to global change
Citizen COP creates a distributed national platform where:
- citizens engage directly with science, evidence, and real-world constraints
- communities deliberate on trade-offs and practical pathways forward
- local action is connected to national and global challenges
- and a collective, citizen-driven voice for nature is strengthened across the country
Audrey Barucchi said, "We are proud to help activate a community-powered space that builds engagement, showcases real solutions, and connects Australians to the global climate and biodiversity conversations. Everyone is invited to join this growing network of citizens and organisations working together to elevate nature in Australia's climate future."
The full agenda for Citizen COP is available via Humanitix.
For all media enquiries, please contact Aye Verckens (aye@peoplefornature.org.au) or Audrey Barruchi (a.barucchi@peoplefornature.org.au)
About People For Nature
People For Nature is an Australian charity empowering citizens to protect biodiversity and build climate resilience through education, action, and citizen science. Its mission is to create a society where nature is central to every decision. For more information: https://www.peoplefornature.org.au