To see all events happening at Climate Action Week Sydney 2025 click here
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Celebrate climate action and connect with community at the Official Opening of Sydney Climate Action Week 2025.

The Official Opening of Climate Action Week Sydney 2025 will set the stage for bold action, collaboration, and innovation, and introduce key themes that will be explored throughout the week. Split in two sessions, the day will highlight Sydney and Australia’s potential as global climate leaders and explore the “ecology of change” through social movements, providing attendees with critical tools to engage meaningfully in community-led climate action.

Bringing together 200 leaders from government, not-for-profits, research, start-ups, corporates, and community organisations, the event will emphasise elevating underrepresented voices, fostering collaboration across sectors, and inspiring action to scale tangible solutions.

Speakers include:

Jonathan Pershing, Program Director, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, former Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State
Professor Ross Garnaut AC, Director at Zen Energy, Director and Co-founder The Superpower Institute.
The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Heritage
Professor Andrew Parfitt, Vice-Chancellor and President, UTS
The Hon Zali Steggall OAM, MP, Member for Warringah
Councillor Jess Miller, City of Sydney
Danny Kennedy, Entrepreneur and Investor in climate solutions
Rachel Howard, Director of Industrial Decarbonisation Programs, Mission Possible Partnership
Christina Hobbs, General Manager, Impact & Advocacy, Future Group
Professor Chris Turney, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at UTS
Holly Creenaune - Australian Program Director - The Sunrise Project
Georgia Lourandos, Commercial and Investments Associate Director, Boundless Earth
Blair Palese, Director of Philanthropy, Ethinvest
Harkiran Narulla - Senior Strategist, The Sunrise Project
Ed Schmidt, Director, Climate Action Foundation

The event will be broken into two sessions:

Session 1: Australia's Superpower opportunity - what is Sydney's role?
This session highlights Sydney’s and Australia’s pivotal role in advancing community-driven and collaborative climate solutions, with a focus on empowering communities, supporting innovation ecosystems, and promoting inclusive growth.

COFFEE BREAK

Session 2: The Ecology of Change – Social Movements and Roles
This session will introduce Bill Moyer’s Four Change Agent Roles Framework and explore how social movements drive climate action. The session will equip participants to understand their role in systemic change and provide guidance for collaborating effectively across sectors.

LUNCH & NETWORKING (Lunch included)

Participants will leave with:
- A deeper understanding of their role in driving systemic change through collaboration and shared responsibilities.
- Practical insights and connections to support their work across CAW.SYD’s six core themes.
- A toolkit for engaging in community events and turning climate solutions into collective action throughout Sydney Climate Action Week 2025

The event is being hosted by science communicator and presenter, Jo Taranto.

Contact the host of Climate Action Week Sydney 2025 Official Opening