Discover ChangeNOW: Where global business leaders meet climate solutions

Action, hope and humanity will be at the heart of a major global gathering to address environmental and social urgencies. Leading voices in sectors including environment, sustainability, clean energy and biodiversity will converge at the ChangeNOW 2026 summit to discuss concrete solutions to keep climate action on track.

In a world facing a multitude of pressures – with seven of the nine planetary boundaries identified by the scientific community already breached – this year’s edition of ChangeNOW uses the planetary boundaries framework not only as a scientific warning, but as a lens for economic and political decision-making.

“In a world shaped by planetary limits, the question is not whether to act, but how,” says Santiago Lefebvre, founder and CEO of ChangeNOW. “How can we keep our societies running within the Earth’s boundaries and without losing our freedom and sovereignty? ChangeNOW brings together science, business, political and civil leadership to structure concrete action.”

This meeting of brilliant minds will see groups including entrepreneurs, NGOs, corporates, investors, policy makers, talent and more help spotlight innovative, yet entirely achievable, resolutions to some of the planet’s biggest challenges. While 36 international delegations will be part of discussions including those on European sovereignty, international climate governance and cross-border cooperation.

Here, we break down exactly what to expect from this monumental event — and explain how you can be a part of the action.

What is ChangeNOW?

While ChangeNOW is a year-round social enterprise, focusing on how to effectively accelerate environmental and social transition, much of the hard work culminates in the annual ChangeNow summit — the world’s largest event dedicated to solutions for the planet.

Like its 2025 predecessor, this year’s summit will be held at the iconic Grand Palais in Paris — a symbolic nod to the city where the Paris Agreement was negotiated and adopted in 2015. The event is often seen as the precursor to the upcoming COP negotiations.

Known as ‘the most impactful event on the planet’, ChangeNOW will run from March 30th to April 1st, hosting 140 countries, 40,000 attendees, 10,000 companies, 1,200 investors and 1,000 journalists.

Grouped into thematic zones such as food, health, agriculture, cities, circular economy, fashion and biodiversity, it will showcase 1,000 sustainable solutions that respond to major environmental or social challenges — all selected for their strong positive impact and their potential to be deployed on a large scale.

In addition, there will be over 50 workshops, an extensive program of talks from global thought leaders and a wide range of networking opportunities including ice-breaker sessions, 1:1 meetings and open meet-ups by sector or region. The summit is a thriving hub for collaboration and has seen numerous impactful partnerships being created.

With previous success stories including Slovenian startup PlanetCare teaming up with the French Ministry of Ecological and Social Transition to change policy and prevent the pollution of 500 tons of plastic microfibres. The Blue Ocean Partners collaborating with Swen Capital Partners led to millions of pounds being raised to invest in innovations to regenerate ocean health, and the French and Kenyan Red Cross joined forces to launch the Women Social Entrepreneurship Institute — after connecting with innovators and investors at the expo.

Who is taking part?

The ChangeNOW summit will host over 500 visionary speakers including scientists, activists, public leaders, business actors and celebrities — across five conference stages and a pitch stage. The voices will unite to address topics such as emissions mitigation, nature-based solutions and the already visible impacts of climate change.

Among the first announced speakers is Laurent Fabius, President of COP21 and former President of the French Constitutional Council, who will speak on the theme of information and governance. Representatives from the United Nations will include Melissa Fleming, the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications and Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice-Chair of the IPCC.

Big name speakers include the scientist who developed the planetary boundaries framework, Johan Rockström, who is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, economist Kate Raworth, who is the founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, and actor, screenwriter and producer, Matt Damon, who will join the conference as a virtual speaker to discuss his expertise on water and sanitation issues —in his position as co-founder of asset manager WaterEquity and the NGO Water.org.

Other notable speakers include Ilwad Elman, Chief Operating Officer at the Elman Peace Centre, Rob Hopkins, Founder of the Transition Movement and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Honorary President of the Club of Rome and Executive Chair of Earth4All.

The ChangeNOW summit will host a hugely diverse variety of talks, with the first morning alone covering topics as wide ranging as ‘Environmental Intelligence’, ‘How to Organise Collective Action’ and ‘Making Nature Protection Sexy’.

Can the general public attend?

ChangeNOW 2026 is a vibrant place to learn and be inspired, with plenty of opportunities for the general public to get involved. Join activities on Wednesday 1st April, when the general public can explore the exhibitors showcasing their innovative solutions in the Grand Palais nave and attend any of the conferences that day.

Attendees can also enjoy the impactful and sustainable artworks on display in the 15 artistic capsules, and let the kids join the fun and learning through the Families for Change program — note visitors under 18 can book a ticket for free.

Wednesday is also the day of the Impact Job Fair, where 500 recruiters offering 600 plus jobs, and over 15 training providers, will help those looking for their next meaningful job or training opportunity.

For all those who want to come together to build a better world, book your ChangeNOW 2026 ticket here.