CAW.SYD.25: Opening Day

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 AO, Director of 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

• 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