Children make up a third of the world’s population. They are least responsible for the climate crisis yet face the burden of its worsening impacts. Children are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to their unique physiological and developmental characteristics. The effects on their development, health, and education can be lifelong and irreversible. Indeed, a staggering 88% of the global disease burden associated with climate change is borne by children under the age of five, with greater impacts for children from marginalized backgrounds. Children are also agents of change in responding to the effects of climate change, whether as activists, campaigners, first responders, or peer educators. Their participation in climate decision-making critical to effective, long-term climate action. Despite these realities, children’s needs, perspectives, and voices are routinely invisible in climate decision-making, policy-making, and action. Hosted by UNICEF Australia, this expert panel discussion delves into the unique impacts of climate change on children’s health and wellbeing, and the services that are critical to their development, including early education, and mental health. It considers the solutions at the local, national, and Asia-Pacific levels, and explores the importance of investing in innovative forms of child participation in climate policymaking to ensure that interventions are targeted and effective.

Learn About Sustainable Fashion is a workshop designed for everyday people to explore the essential concepts of sustainable fashion and its impact on communities and the environment. The session dives into the world of fabrics and fibres, explaining the differences between the materials that make up our clothes. Practical tips on how to participate in sustainable fashion are shared along with garment care insights to extend the lifespan of clothing. The workshop invites attendees to imagine a future where sustainable practices change the way we wear and live with our clothes. By focusing on foundational concepts and actionable insights, this workshop empowers participants to make informed clothing choices for a better relationship with fashion for our future.

First Nations Culture in Australia is the oldest living Culture in the world. Caring for land, sea and sky are our stories of sustainable practices and sustainable living. Experiencing and creating arts, as well as storytelling has the potential to be healing across cultures. Artist and designmaker, Debra Beale, will guide you through various First Nations sustainable textile practices in this workshop. After a full day of eco-dyeing and creating bush jewellery, you will leave with your own silk scarves and pieces to show friends and family.

Note: This event is conducted by Climate Action Burwood-Canada Bay in partnership with City of Canada Bay. Attendance is by invitation only and numbers are limited. Reports, visuals of the event will be made available for public information.

The [largest dam removal project](https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/largest-dam-removal-ever-driven-by-tribes-kicks-off-klamath-river-recovery/) in history was completed in October 2024 when four dams were removed from the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Suddenly, 676 kilometres of river was returned to being river. Salmon could run. Ecosystems were ready for restoration. Native American tribal ceremonies and cultural heritage practices are able to be reprised. Life flows once again. Decades of efforts to re-organise and tilt finance towards responsible investment, sustainability outcomes and respecting human rights have occurred in parallel to near yearly record emissions, a rise in authoritarian political leadership, ever-concentrated wealth and a collapsing civil discourse. At a time when there have never been more commitments from financial service organisations to sustainability, justice and equality we pass the dreaded 1.5C threshold. Pick your ESG topic and you don’t have to look too far to find a record breaking statistic from the last 12 months. So how can there be record levels of commitments and positive action at the same time that just about every form of deleterious real world problem seemingly worsens? When finance is the lifeblood of the modern economy, what are the equivalent of the Klamath Dam walls blocking the flow of life, where capital becomes a tool in the pursuit of the type of society we want to live in and not the end in and of itself. So what is happening in finance that is preventing the real flow of the types of capital we all know and hope can be deployed to create the future society we all imagine? A $43 trillion new economy opportunity over here. $178 trillion in losses over there in damages from a changing climate. A $7 trillion hit to Australian GDP just by not adopting a renewable energy future. Big sums. Numbers financiers salivate over you’d think? But apparently not. Finance sits at the heart of our economy. We work in it because we believe it can utilised as The Tool to bring about the futures we imagine. But blockages exist. What are they?

In a week of action, hope, optimism, ideas, meeting and panels, Finding Nature will help you understand not what is possible, but what is necessary. In an age of consequences, where options have narrowed and reality offers difficult choices, do you wonder what will really make a difference?

We are in the early stages of planning the content of the panel however some high level themes are below: - Opportunity for panel members to educate the Australian market on the burgeoning Biochar industry - Educate Australian buyers on the ‘why' behind purchasing voluntary Biochar credits Insight into buyers’ CDR strategies and the role Biochar plays - Why Australia is best placed to be a world leader in Biochar production

Today many people would quite fairly consider advertising and marketing to be a major contributor to the climate crisis - studies show that 60% of GHG's result from household consumption. Advertisings role is to drive consumption. Studies also show that in developed countries the more advertising we are exposed to the higher our carbon emissions – in this regard Australia is second only to the birthplace of the consumer – the U.S. This session will share some of the work from the Change the brief education platform whilst facilitating time for attendees to workshop the immediate changes they can make.

Working for something important and meaningful is painstaking work. A path laced with setbacks and disappointments, of fears and uncertainties. What if there was a way to better understand your own unique design - knowing what you do best, when you do it and why you do it? To go from throwing darts in the dark room of impact seeking to finding clarity and strength in deeply appreciating and connecting to what you are here to do and serve what is truly unique to you and you alone. And what about identifying where this overlaps with how you can have the biggest potential impact as a Climateer? In this session Finding Nature will deliver you Richard Burton to get started with understanding what you do best, how you do it and where that internal drive comes from. Richard is one of the most respected business executive, team and career coaches in Australia, having supported thousands of people in discovering their purpose and revealing the remarkable potential they have to be of service and create impact for the future they hope to bring about. We all need, especially when it comes to the context of work, jobs and careers. An onslaught of choices, ideas, dreams and role models means it’s easy to drift and meander with the current situation than to become clear in defining what you want to do, create and achieve.