People For Nature

“Active Hope” A wake up call that we can’t lose hope despite all the noise in Canberra these past few days. Loved what Byron Fay’s practical answer: “We can’t be afraid to get in the Fight”, said in response to my Q&A on how civil society can compete against fossil-fuel parties in advocacy and media coverage. What an inspiring evening event at Day 1 of #AlterCOP30 #Brisbane by People For Nature Looking forward to tomorrow! Come and find Tzu Chi Foundation (Brisbane) at the expo table!

Still buzzing after an inspiring AlterCOP Brisbane — part of a global network of climate-focused events now running across 12 countries organised by People For Nature in Australia. 🌏✨ What stood out most today was the strong alignment of values in the room. When asked, “It’s 2050. Net zero is achieved. What’s your +1?” the collective vision was loud and clear: Biodiversity. Equity. Social and environmental justice. Zero poverty. Social cohesion. Education. Heritage (well that was me - but still a counting vote…). Thriving oceans. Fairness. Inclusion. Community wellbeing. So many of the ideas centred not just on reducing emissions, but on building a future where people and nature flourish together. It was also fantastic to reconnect with familiar faces and to meet some genuinely brilliant new people working across engineering solutions, law, ecology, medicine, governance and community resilience. Amazingly powerful keynote was delivered by Gregory Andrews and the event was masterfully MCed by Mandy Nelson. If you were there, I’d love to keep the conversation going. If not, let’s connect — there’s a lot of exciting work ahead. #AlterCOP #AlterCOPAustralia #ClimateAction #Equity #Biodiversity #SocialJustice #Heritage #CommunityResilience #PeopleForNature #Brisbane #SharedFutures

Yesterday in Sydney, we wrapped up AlterCOP 30 Australia with our focus firmly on the next generation of leaders. The Youth Climate Changemakers Summit, hosted by the University of Technology Sydney and brilliantly organised by the incredible Courtney Kovac and Georgia Monaghan from ECOMIND was a powerful reminder of just how deeply young people care, and how urgently they want to see change. Fast. Now. And at scale After stretching their minds through the Climate Fresk card game, connecting the dots, exploring the systems behind the climate crisis and satisfying the many curious minds in the room, 60 young people aged 16 to 25 turned inward to explore the emotional side of climate action. They didn’t just name their emotions; they learned how to validate conflicting feelings, build resilience, and recognise the strength that comes from acknowledging their inner landscape With that emotional grounding, and with guidance from Teaghan Hogg, Toby Wong and the most amazing MC Gus Wyllie, they channelled their insights into crafting a powerful Youth Declaration, imagining the future they want to build and outlining the actions needed to achieve it over the coming decade, the next 2 to 3 years, and the next few months. The future they described is one where the knowledge of Indigenous communities guides decision-making; where people are deeply connected to their communities and the natural world; where nature is protected rather than owned; and where major polluters are heavily taxed to accelerate access to clean, renewable energy. It sounds like a future worth growing old in and one this generation is ready to fight for People For Nature ambassadors and Climate Fresk Australia facilitators, you were amazing as always: Tom Foster, Michaela Tymichova, Masha Kondrasheva, Mylène Turban, Renee Boucher, Arthee Chowdhury, Damian Nguyen, Caroline O'Brien, Muhammed Abdul Jabbar, Kirsten Nugroho, Elise Paindavoine Thank you OzHarvest for the yummy food And thank you People For Nature for bringing AlterCOP to Australia and making it possible to connect and exchange with so many inspiring people over the past 4 days. Aye Verckens, Audrey Barucchi (CEnvP), Fanny de Busserolles, PhD, CEnvP, Chris Fellows #Changemakers #YouthDeclaration #ClimateAction #HopeforTomorrow #ClimateActivism #AlterCOPAustralia

Turns out we don’t need to bring #CoP to Australia… it’s already here! Great #AlterCoP event last night at University of Technology Sydney talking about my favourite topic #resilient #cities with Dr Leila Alem Jua Cilliers Dolly Oladini Nick Chapman Rob Garland Colin Finn and Caroline Pidcock LFRAIA GAICD . Also, it’s turns out that conversations about the role of #nature in making our cities more resilient are actually fun, inspiring and a great way to bring the tenor and territory being covered in #Belem here to a big room or #climate #actors without the travel. Apparently the key message is to ask ourselves #whynotnature in every decision we make about city planning, infrastructure and risk reduction. Committee for Sydney Green Cross Australia Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience Citygreen International Jess Miller Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA Josue Castro Luli Castello People For Nature Steve Baty Martin Tomitsch

Water isn’t just a resource, it’s a governance challenge, a social equity issue, and a climate resilience test. At AlterCOP30, the conversation shifted from crisis management to stewardship, highlighting why ESG accountability and integrated policy frameworks are no longer optional. In this piece, I explore how scarcity acts as the pivot point for systemic change and why embedding equity into water governance is the key to resilience. Sarah Woolmington Washington H Sanchez AlterCOP United Nations People For Nature Complex Enviro Services Climate Council Roberta Boscolo Dr. Alvaro Lario #WaterStewardship #ClimateAction #WaterSecurity #ClimateResilience #SustainableWater

🌏 What if we designed an economy for human and more-than-human flourishing? Co designing  and facilitating  last night’s AlterCOP30 Sydney session on this question has left me with both urgency and hope. Stephen Long reminded us that Australia has a moral duty to the Pacific — while we stall, their homelands drown. Offsets and forest monetisation aren’t solutions; they’re permission slips for continued pollution. Sue Martin called for a generation of eco-warriors to defend what remains and restore what’s been taken. Hope is not passive — it’s action. Michelle Maloney was uncompromising: top-down governance is failing. Bioregional governance shaped by First Nations knowledge isn’t optional; it’s essential. Laws like the Yarra River Protection Act show what’s possible when we push for real institutional change. Kiran Kashyap highlighted the reality on the ground: new economic models and nature-based solutions can’t scale without shifting how we fund and value them. Tom Foster made it plain: we either build economies that operate within planetary boundaries, or we architect collapse. There is no middle path. As Michelle concluded, while nations delay and dilute, the responsibility increasingly falls to local stewards, system changemakers, and communities who refuse to look away. Susie Pratt , Stephanie Bhim, Damien Lutz and Samuel Yu invited us into an immersive workshop that gave nature a voice and challenged us to reimagine a regenerative Sydney designed not just for human thriving, but for more-than-human flourishing. It was a reminder that imagination is political — and powerful. We’re out of time for symbolic gestures but we are not out of power. 🌱 If we centre care, justice, and ecological reciprocity, we can build an economy that protects life instead of destroying it. This is the work now. Thank you Martin Tomitsch for hosting last night at University of Technology Sydney TD school Thank you to People For Nature for bringing #AlterCOP30 to Australia #ClimateJustice #SystemsChange #FirstNationsLeadership #EcologicalStewardship #ClimateAction #RegenerativeEconomy #PlanetaryBoundaries #CareEconomy

My thoughts on the AlterCOP30 evening session I attended on the 18th November at the Precinct in Brisbane. If you're interested in the topic of water, as we should all be, then please have a quick read. I'd also like to say a big thanks to the organiser, Sarah Woolmington of Impact Dragonfly, People For Nature and all the volunteers, speakers and attendees, many of which I will be trying to find here on LinkedIn. I was also quite surprised / proud to see a photo of me holding a beer made it into one of the People Planet Pint (PPP) slides! On the topic of pints, PPP meetings take place in Brisbane frequently and you too, can talk about the planet with similarly minded people while drinking a pint (which doesn't have to be alcoholic) or eating a pastry (if you prefer morning meetups). As a member of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) Australia Steering Committee, I’d also be happy to engage with sustainability professionals looking to join an independent network of more than 22,000 people in over 100 countries. I can highly recommend joining and I’ve been a member for many years. Happy to catchup over LinkedIn or a coffee to answer any questions you may have.