Australia’s Climate Change Authority joined other members of the International Climate Council Network (ICCN) to call on countries(Opens in a new tab/window) to deliver evidence-based climate policy advice and support more countries to establish climate councils.
The ICCN provides expert advice and assessments to guide government action to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The advice provided by these councils must be evidence-based, independent, impartial, consider fairness and build consensus.
As a founding member of the ICCN in 2021, the Climate Change Authority (the authority) has been involved in the network since its inception. The ICCN now has members from 24 countries across 6 continents, adding 3 new members – Ukraine, Nigeria and the Netherlands – at COP29.
To help amplify the vital role of independent climate councils in advising governments, the authority hosted the formal launch of a policy toolkit for climate councils at COP29 in the Australia pavilion. The toolkit is intended to help countries establish councils, for example by providing examples of governance and processes used by existing councils. It is also intended to grow the impact of existing councils through knowledge sharing and relationship building. The toolkit will be available online in 2025. The authority contributed to the development of the toolkit and will continue to do so in 2025.
The launch of the toolkit was followed by a networking event for existing and new members to share learnings. As recognised by the authority’s Chair Matt Kean, ‘the innovation and lessons learned in one country can become the spark for new action in another.’
For more information about the ICCN please visit www.climatecouncils.org/members/(Opens in a new tab/window)