Following news of its establishment in February, the Creative Climate alliance launched with its initial call to action this morning (Thursday 26 June) with an event at the Edge in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Funded by Creative Australia and led by Green Music Australia, and facilitators Angharad Wynne-Jones and Catherine Jones, with environmental consultant Matt Wicking, Creative Climate is the new national peak body for arts and climate, intended to provide the tools, knowledge and leadership to help the creative sector transition away from a carbon-based economy and adapt to climate impacts.
Allied organisations include A Climate for Art, Centre for Reworlding in regional Victoria and the Perth/Boorloo-based pvi collective.
As a national consortium ‘dedicated to building a low-carbon, adaptive and regenerative arts sector’, Creative Climate has four strategic pillars:
- policy integration – embedding culture in national climate policy
- decarbonisation – driving emissions reduction and sector resilience
- cultural transformation – using arts and culture to shift narratives and inspire climate action, and
- First Nations leadership – investing in Indigenous-led cultural frameworks and care for Country.
Following a five-month period of consultation with over 40 practitioners in the sector, a range of gaps and needs have been identified, including:
- accessible tools and peer learning
- stronger climate leadership and governance
- guidance on greenwashing and climate literacy
- First Nations-led frameworks
- grassroots networks and residencies
- dedicated funding for climate action, and
- support to embed decarbonisation and regeneration.
Urging the creative sector to act now by assessing climate risks, setting policies, tracking emissions, engaging stakeholders and embedding decarbonisation and nature-first approaches into daily operations, Creative Climate has detailed a number of key initiatives:
- carbon calculator – development of a free tool to measure emissions ahead of mandatory climate disclosures
- Knowledge Keepers – First Nations-led circle shaping care for Country and cultural protocols
- BILYA – a platform connecting artists, funders and climate-focused organisations
- Adaptive Futures – training series for venues on risk, regeneration and decarbonisation
- Green Venue Certification – a pilot supporting environmentally committed cultural spaces
- Planting in Naarm – community event led by Elders focused on native planting and cultural care at Fed Square
- COP31 forums – coordinating artist-led action toward the 2026 climate summit, and
- podcast series – highlighting creative responses to the climate crisis.
Further initiatives include a two-year partnership with British Council Australia to deliver programs connecting practitioners in the UK and Australia, sharing climate knowledge and strengthening international networks.
“The British Council is proud to support the launch of Creative Climate, a vital initiative that places the arts at the heart of climate action. This artist-centred consortium is exactly the kind of innovation we champion – bringing together diverse expertise to create meaningful change through creative expression,” said Helen Salmon, British Council Australia Director. “We’re delighted to collaborate in this important mission to strengthen our creative sectors for the long term, while contributing to public engagement with sustainable futures.”
“Creative Climate is about building the framework – the networks, resources and shared knowledge – that the arts need to face the climate crisis with coherence and courage. This alliance is a practical invitation for the sector to act collectively and creatively in the face of the climate crisis,” concluded Creative Climate’s co-Facilitator Angharad Wynne-Jones.
