The UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) takes place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. Türkiye hosts the conference, with Australia as President of Negotiations. 2026 is a defining year for Australia's role in global climate action.
Leading the British Council’s climate work is the major multi-year partnership with Creative Climate, the national peak body for arts and climate. At COP31, Creative Climate co-founder Dr Jen Rae will join British Council activities, panels and discussions. Delegates can also tune in to Radio Climate, a First Nations and artist-led transmission project, and explore BILYA, a relational mapping platform grounded in First Nations protocols.
Climate and sustainability are priorities for British Council Australia all year round, not just when the world gathers for COP31. It is using this moment to build on long-term work undertaken with strategic partners such as Creative Australia and Julie's Bicycle, expanding how arts and culture contribute to that conversation. British Council Australia’s programme spans the country: exhibitions, artist residencies, grants and multi-year collaborations. Together, these connect UK and Australian creative practitioners and support climate action throughout Australia's presidency year, and beyond.
Globally, the British Council's Climate Connection programme focuses on three areas at COP31: Learn, Create and Connect. It highlights how education, youth, arts and culture can drive climate action alongside policy and technology.
'Climate and the environment sit at the heart of our work in Australia. It's built on our long-term partnerships with artists and organisations harnessing culture to lead on an issue that affects communities here so deeply. At COP31, we're proud to share Creative Climate, Radio Climate and BILYA, all led through First Nations knowledge. We're also connecting that creativity with partners in the UK, Türkiye and around the world,” said Helen Salmon, Director British Council Australia. ‘In Australia, climate and the environment are an ongoing priority for us, and that won’t stop when COP31 ends.’
British Council Australia Patrnerships at COP31
Long-term arts partnerships from Australia come to COP31 in Antalya, with a major opening in Sydney timed to the summit.
Ongoing | Australia | Partner: Creative Climate
British Council Australia has a major multi-year partnership with Creative Climate, the national peak body for arts and climate. Launched in June 2025 and led by Green Music Australia with funding from Creative Australia, the consortium is dedicated to building a low-carbon, adaptive and regenerative arts sector. This collaboration has supported artists and cultural organisations to develop new approaches to climate leadership, advocacy and creative practice.
9–20 November 2026 | Antalya, Türkiye | Partner: Creative Climate
Dr Jen Rae, co-founder of Creative Climate, will join British Council activities at COP31. Jen is a practice-led researcher working at the intersection of art, climate emergency, disaster adaptation and resilience, and co-directs the Centre for Reworlding with Claire G. Coleman. She has previously contributed to integrating culture into global climate negotiations, including at COP30 in Belém.
From September 2026 | Australia and COP31 | Partner: Creative Climate
At COP31, delegates can tune into Radio Climate, with a whole new range of audio content made specifically for the summit. Radio Climate is a First Nations and artist-led transmission project turning radio, podcasts, collective listening events, music concerts and gatherings into cultural platforms for care, knowledge-sharing and climate action.
Ongoing | Australia | Partner: Creative Climate/BILYA
Delegates can also explore BILYA, an online relational map of people, projects and organisations engaging with the climate emergency through artistic practice, grounded in First Nations protocols. Co-created by Dr Jen Rae, Claire G. Coleman (Centre for Reworlding) and Lee Shang Lun (PlayReactive), it is supported by APAM, Creative Australia, the Australian National University, Julie's Bicycle and the British Council. Over the next four years, the platform will expand its mapping beyond Australia to the UK, Europe and the Americas.
Es Devlin, Come Home Again, Powerhouse Parramatta
7–29 November 2026 | Parramatta, NSW | Partner: Powerhouse
In Sydney, the British Council is Industry Partner for UK artist Es Devlin's Come Home Again, created with Botanic Gardens Sydney to feature 244 hand-drawn at-risk species from the Sydney Basin bioregion. Operating with net-zero emissions from day one, Powerhouse Parramatta is the first public building in Australia to be assessed as a 6 Star Designed project under the Green Building Council of Australia's Green Star Buildings tool.
Industry Talks, Powerhouse Parramatta
7–8 November 2026 | Parramatta, NSW | Partner: Powerhouse
In partnership with the Powerhouse Parramatta Industry Talks programme, the British Council brings UK and Australian experts across design, the arts, museums and the built environment together to explore how culture can shape more inclusive, sustainable and innovative futures. Sessions include Alexandra Lange at Writers on the Mall, Es Devlin in conversation with Gus Casely-Hayford, Jo Marchant on The Human Cosmos, and The Mall Forum sessions My Rockstars and Ideal Cities.