Youth Climate Brief
MEC Climate Change Conference 2026
May McGrath, Monash Energy Club
13/10/2026
MEC Climate Change Conference
On 8 and 9 August, we brought student delegations representing 11 major global blocs to Monash's Clayton Campus and asked them to do something difficult: negotiate. The MEC Climate Change Conference 2026 was a two-day simulation that mirrored the structure and complexity of international climate talks. Delegates tackled decarbonisation pathways, climate finance equity and Pacific Island resilience.
Oliver Toohey, Director of the Climate Negotiations and Engagement Branch at the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, opened the event. His message was simple. Negotiation only counts when it is balanced with action, and youth voices matter in international policy.
Judges and mentors from government, research and industry supported delegates throughout, and we were proud to give students a strong framework to work within.
Delegations represented key emitters, fossil fuel producers, Pacific Island nations and Global South voices, mirroring the geopolitical landscape expected at COP31. Across three working groups on electrification, climate finance and Pacific Islands resilience, teams navigated competing priorities, forged coalitions and wrote position statements that balanced national interests with collective climate action.
We awarded three prizes totalling $15,000: Most Outstanding Delegation, Best Floor Address and Best Policy Brief. Judges rewarded diplomatic skill, evidence-based argument and the ability to reach real consensus across very different groups.
The result was a room of future leaders working at the intersection of climate science, international relations and policy advocacy. They have plenty to say about COP31.
On Reflection
“Young Australians want COP31 to listen first to the people most affected by climate change, move off fossil fuels without breaking the economy, and make room for more than the usual few voices.”
Real negotiation is slower and more formal than it looks
Delegates quickly learned that negotiation is mostly a fight over exact wording. Even countries with the same goals struggled to agree on phrasing, and working line by line took most of the time. It is slow, but it shows how much the words matter.
Put vulnerable nations and the Pacific first
This was the strongest theme. COP31 should centre the countries and communities that carry the most risk. Vulnerable nations often have little say in what gets implemented, so talks should focus on what matters most, not on chasing target counts.
For Australia, that starts next door. We want the relationship with our Pacific neighbours framed as shared fate: what happens to them happens to us. It should never sound like "we are willing to help you". Delegates also asked for more Pacific voices in the discussions and for maritime boundaries to be protected. The Tuvalu and Australia partnership was raised as a clear example of a small country bearing far more of the impact than it contributes.
Behind all of this sits the human experience. Climate injustice is felt by individuals, so community stories should count as evidence. We also hope COP31 looks at the global policy impact of rising demand for cooling, as hotter temperatures mean more refrigeration and air conditioning. The Amazon and Antarctica deserve attention too, because they affect the Pacific and ASEAN.
Leave fossil fuels behind without wrecking the economy
Adding more renewable energy is not enough. Delegates wanted COP31 to focus on phasing out fossil fuels, and they were just as clear that the transition must be one the economy can survive. Australia's reliance on fossil fuel exports came up again and again, because those industries support communities and jobs.
Young Australians have practical solutions. Reduce the subsidies and incentives that encourage further fossil fuel expansion. Keep building electrification and net zero energy. Be open about the trade-offs. Political sensitivity around climate language is a barrier, because renewables are too often framed as an alternative energy source instead of a financial positive.
“We are part of the system we want to change. Leaving the old system behind is as hard as building the new one.”
Closer to home: data centres, biodiversity and life beyond the CBD
Several delegates pointed to the data centres being built right next door in Melbourne's west. Residents have raised concerns about noise, light pollution, water quality and disturbed biodiversity. Delegates called for stronger regulation, including rules that require data centres to generate as much sustainable energy as they use, and for the people living nearby to be heard.
Young Australians need Australia to keep taking biodiversity seriously. Delegates described it as a national strength and want to see more marine research on coral bleaching and more effort to restore marine biodiversity. Others asked for ways to live sustainably outside the CBD, so that sustainability is not only a city-centre project.
Learn from what is working overseas
Delegates with first-hand experience pointed to China as a source of inspiration for fast, practical change. As they described it, examples included heavily subsidised electric vehicles alongside a lottery system for petrol cars, a high share of solar energy, technology that sorts waste as it goes into the bin, and rewards for switching to renewables. One delegate mentioned a hotel using solar power to charge its service robots.
The common thread was speed. These systems were put in place quickly instead of being held up in legislation, and convenient technology works best when it is paired with sustainable practice. Delegates suggested Australia trade in both knowledge and technology, and use step-by-step rewards to show people why renewables are worth it.
Let’s be frank: The youth voices who reach these rooms are often the most engaged and the most privileged. If COP31 only hears from them, it will miss most of us.
What can we do?
Lower the barrier to entry. Delegates asked for conversations to be taken to rural communities and for a wider blend of backgrounds. Interdisciplinary climate education in schools matters just as much, so young Australians understand the technology and human sides of the issue and not only the science.
Take the media seriously. Delegates felt Western media and social media do not treat climate change seriously enough, and awareness depends on what people consume. Fake AI videos make it worse, because they desensitise viewers to the real impacts of climate change and make the matter feel less serious.
Speak plainly. Young people rely on simpler, clearer ways of communicating climate science, which formal COP language does not always offer.
Looking forward to COP31
Young Australians are not asking for perfect answers. We are asking COP31 to put vulnerable communities first, plan a fair exit from fossil fuels, act on the quick wins other countries have shown, and let more young and community voices into the room.
If Australia wants to be a credible partner in the region, it can start with the Pacific.
