The Climate Council emerged from the ashes of the Climate Commission in September 2013, when the then-Abbott Government abolished the taxpayer-funded independent body that had been set up to communicate reliable and authoritative information on climate change.
Australians were outraged. More than 16,000 people pitched in more than $1.1 million within just 10 days to set up a new organisation that could fill the void. Thanks to Australia’s biggest crowd-funding campaign at the time, the Climate Council launched five days later as Australia’s leading, independent voice on climate science, impacts and solutions.
Founding Climate Councillors (right to left): Prof Will Steffen, Scientia Prof. Veena Sahajwalla, Prof. Tim Flannery, Gerry Hueston, Prof. Lesley Hughes, alongside ex-Climate Commissioner Roger Beale AO.
Since then, we’ve become a fearless champion of the climate solutions that Australia needs. Each day, we’re working hard to change hearts, minds and outcomes by:
- Providing hundreds of reports that contain trusted and accessible information and evidence;
- Profiling our experts in more than a quarter of a million media reports to raise awareness of our issue and set the record straight;
- Training more than 5,000 Australians in how to speak out publicly and effectively about the impact that climate change is having on their community, and the solutions they need; and
- Growing an online community of more than 425,000 passionate people who share and socialise important information and persuasive communications.
Together, we’ve raised awareness of and concern for climate change, shifted political attitudes and catalysed action at every level of government. Thanks for being with us every step of the way.
We’re making real progress, but our work is far from done. Let’s transform Australia into a climate leader!
Wins
Our successes are only possible thanks to our community.
Take a look back at some of our major wins!
Get involved!
There are so many ways to get involved with the Climate Council. Start by joining our community of supporters so you can stay up-to-date with the latest news and opportunities via our email list and follow us on all of our social media accounts.
Climate Council is community-funded, with thousands of regular and one-off donors who make our work possible. As an independent organisation that does not receive any government funding, we rely on the support of our community to power our work. Donate here.
Visit our Take Action page to find out more ways to support our work and get involved.