Tamsin Jones
By Tamsin Jones
Climate change is a deeply systemic issue, far beyond any single individual or simple solution. While easy answers act as band-aids, they ignore the deeper causes. The real path forward lies in making a collective choice to be good ancestors, as highlighted in an “Agents of Change: What Climate Leadership Looks Like in Australia” session at Better Futures Forum. Australia’s largest multi-sectoral gathering on climate.
The 10 September panel featured leaders from diverse sectors, including Tom Campbell (Footy for Climate), Georgia Griffith (SEED Mob), Anna Reynolds (Lord Mayor of Hobart), Chris Mercer (National Film and Sound Archive), and Dr. Kim Loo (Doctors for the Environment). Their stories revealed a powerful truth: leadership is not about “me”, but “we”. It’s about starting where we are, stepping in when something needs to be done, and expanding the conversation to create systemic change.
AFL player Tom Campbell’s Footy for Climate illustrates how the footy field, AFL business and aspirations of sport can be a platform for raising climate awareness, uniting communities through a shared passion. Footy for Climate’s vision is to see renewable energy rolled out to community footy clubs across the nation. For Tom, it’s about supporting and giving back to grassroots footy clubs. Astoundingly across Australia, he said 535 grassroots clubs required financial assistance from the AFL due to the impacts of extreme weather since Black Summer – and this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of wider community impact.
Georgia Griffith highlighted how Indigenous knowledge is at the heart of climate leadership, deeply rooted in elevating caring for Country in national dialogue.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, who founded Climate Action Network Australia in 1998 before moving into politics, shared how local governments like Hobart are leading the way in building resilience and driving change, and why climate activists should step into political roles to create change.
Dr. Kim Loo, a GP and advocate for the ways climate change and health are intricately connected, includes social prescribing for nature in her work with patients. She shared her joy in nature and the importance of building community as climate impacts hit the most vulnerable hardest. Chris Mercer reminded us of the power of cultural spaces for safe storytelling during a time of polarisation, where institutions like the National Film and Sound Archive hold space for narratives of hope and transformation.
At Small Giants Academy, we don’t define hopeful leadership by titles or grand gestures. It’s about those who step in when they see something that needs to be done. True leadership often emerges in the margins, through the small yet courageous acts of individuals committed to a better future for the generations to come. As the saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.”
Much of the world is not fixed or mechanical, but a story we have the power to rewrite. As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Systems change happens when each of us, wherever we are, challenge the dominant narratives and offer new ways forward.
At Better Futures Forum, climate leaders and everyday heroes reflected on pivotal moments—like the Black Summer bushfires—that catalysed their leadership and reminded them of the urgency of climate action. The power of that first Zoom call to voice what we were all feeling that mobilised many.
But they also emphasised the smaller, everyday acts of leadership that build momentum over time. There was no way Anna Reynolds knew at the formation of the Climate Action Network Australia that she would be sitting in the full room of members today, none the least as an advocate for local government leadership in her role as Lord Mayor of Hobart. In the words of Tom Campbell, “It’s time for all of us to put our boots on.”
The question for all of us is: what steps are you prepared to take? Leadership begins when you step forward, whether in a grand moment or a quiet one. You may be surprised by the impact of your next step forward.
Tamsin Jones is Head of Programs with Small Giants Academy, building a global movement of Next Economy-ready leaders to respond to the most complex and urgent ecological and social challenges facing people and planet. She brings several decades of leadership experience and systems change strategy in Europe, Australia and Africa. After working as a policy advisor to the Premier of South Australia over two successful campaigns, Tamsin left Australia to ignite and co-create a string of initiatives including co-founding: Workshop17 inclusive innovation tech hub in Cape Town; The Boardroom Africa solution to bring board gender balance; and The Rallying Cry to shift investment at the intersection of gender and nature for climate outcomes. She is a strategic advisor to CEOs on feminine leadership, gender lens investing and embodiment and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford as a scholar of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship.
The Better Futures Forum (10-11 September) is Australia’s largest multi-sectoral gathering on climate. The third forum at Canberra’s National Film and Sound Archive showcases significant strides in community-based climate solutions and shares insights on scalable solutions in the global race to net zero. It brings together 260+ public and private sector leaders and diverse voices from every sector of society and the economy – all coming together to show how communities, trade unions, local councils, nonprofits, and more, are acting faster and with greater climate ambition than the Australian government. https://www.betterfutures.org.
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