The SEI Podcast Series

In this instalment of the SEI podcast series, it is discussed how the biodiversity crisis is inextricably linked to the climate crisis, and we can’t save the climate by destroying nature in the process. In fact, we need to repair nature to help solve climate change. The opening panel of the Sydney Environment Institute’s Climate and Biodiversity Crises Series explored the broader planetary crisis and the interconnections between the climate and biodiversity crises.In partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation and as part of Sydney’s first Climate Action Week, a panel of leading voices from academia, not-for-profit, business and government discussed the need for a unified approach. Protecting biodiversity serves as both a defence against climate change and a system threatened by it. Embracing this holistic perspective will be crucial for a resilient and thriving future.Timestamps00:56 - Introduction09:41 - Learning from Indigenous knowledges for a positive nature future14:40 - How has the Australian Conservation Foundation's messaging transformed?20:17 - What does science tell us about the interlay of the dual biodiversity and climate challenges?28:50 - How is the business sector responding to climate and biodiversity shifts?40:22 - How can we learn from Indigenous stories as key knowledge?45;24 - How are government departments integrating Indigenous cultural knowledge with western science?52:21 - How can business move from short-term business models to long-term climate solutions?58:30 - Why is it important that we shift the dominant narrative to reflect the larger planetary crisis?1:05:16 - Q+A beginsSpeakersDanielle Celermajer (Chair), Sydney Environment InstituteMitch Gibbs, Indigenous marine biologistBasha Stasak, Australian Conservation FoundationGuy Williams, consultant in nature positive solutionsJane DeGabriel, conservation scientist at the NSW Government

In this instalment of the SEI Podcast Series, writer Dr James Bradley  joins new scholarship that reckons with humanity’s complex relationship to the natural world. Through the lens and narratives of the ocean, it offers vital new ways of understanding and being in the world, and how we anticipate our climate future. Hear James expand on these ideas alongside Maria Byrne, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Sydney and world expert on echinoderms; Tishiko King, proud Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Island woman, marine biologist and climate campaigner; with Guardian Australia’s Helen Sullivan, who hosted this event.This event was held in partnership with Sydney Ideas.Timestamps:0:55 - Welcome from Helen Sullivan2:07 - How did you approach such a vast topic like the ocean?4:39 - How has this book changed you?9:20 - Living on an island when waste washes up on your shores20:04 - The importance of sea urchins ecologically27:50 - Massive loss of abundance36:34 - Lived reality of Indigenous people in the Torres Strait Islands Speakers:Dr James Bradley OAM, writer, critic and author of Deep WaterProfessor Maria Byrne, marine biologist at the University of SydneyTishiko King, scientist and climate campaignerHelen Sullivan (Chair), columnist and world news reporter at The Guardian

At the 2024 Iain McCalman lecture, Dr Sophie Chao considered how mourning has become a necessary disposition of our times: one that enables us to create and commemorate connections by recognising the vulnerability and finitude of non-human others. Dr Chao drew on philosophies, practices, and protocols of “multispecies mourning” enacted by Indigenous Marind People in the Indonesian-occupied region of West Papua, where mass deforestation and monocrop oil palm expansion are undermining communities’ intimate and ancestral relations to forest landscapes and lifeforms. Learn more about the event here.Timestamps04:43 - Oil palm plantations in West Papua14:05 - Noken weaving as a form of mourning21:23 - Singing for lost kin31:00 Planting to blur the line between suffering and surviving SpeakerDr Sophie Chao, Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in the Discipline of Anthropology at the University of Sydney

How can we balance the need to halt biodiversity loss against human needs for shelter, fuel, and nutrition? Could a more multidisciplinary approach help? This discussion was hosted by Sustainability at Sydney in partnership with the Sydney Environment Institute. Learn more about the event here.Speakers:Associate Professor Ed Couzens, University of Sydney Law SchoolDr. Tristan Salles, Faculty of ScienceDr. Lauren Cole, Taronga Conservation Society AustraliaAssociate Professor Thom van Dooren, Sydney Environment InstituteAssociate Professor Catherine Grueber, Faculty of ScienceDr. Eliza Middleton (Chair), Sustainability at Sydney

In this episode, Professor Susan Parks sits down with political scientist Dr Donald Kingsbury as they delve into the contrasting experiences of mining communities in Canada, Australia, and South America. Explore the influences of mining company dynasties, extractive processes, and citizen engagement. Uncover how governments are actively de-risking the critical minerals industry and incentivising private investment. They’ll discuss how the mining industry is reducing harm thanks to pressure from labour organisations and environmental activism and where there are still areas for improvement.Learn more about the Unearthing Critical Minerals podcast series and read the show notes here.Credits:Featuring: Professor Susan Park, Assistant Professor Donald KingsburyProduced by: Genevieve WrightEdited by: Celine Huynh

In this episode, Professor Susan Parks sits down with geographer Dr Lian Sinclair to understand how critical minerals impact the communities and environments they interact with along their global production networks. They’ll discuss the geo-economic politics, power struggles and conflicts that are arising within these supply chains and the impacts at the local scale where the mines are located.The episode will explore how Australia is positioning itself as a critical minerals powerhouse with state investment in refinement infrastructure and they’ll question why governance standards are failing to reduce social and environmental impacts of critical minerals extraction.Learn more about the Unearthing Critical Minerals podcast series and read the show notes here.Credits:Featuring: Professor Susan Park, Dr. Lian SinclairProduced by: Genevieve WrightEdited by: Celine Huynh

In this episode, Professor Susan Park will unpack what are critical minerals and why they are key in our fight against climate change? Renewable energy is vital for the rapid global decarbonisation needed to reduce global warming. Yet renewable technologies comprise of rare earth elements like copper, cobalt and lithium, whose extraction and refinement process come with many significant environmental and social costs. How can we establish governance mechanisms that ensure just and equitable outcomes in the extraction of critical minerals?We delve into the 'friend-shoring' of supply chains of critical minerals, a practice that is reshaping traditional offshore dependencies and altering the global landscape. With prominent global players like China, USA, Australia, and the European Union taking an avid interest, we examine the strategic underpinnings that underscore the quest for these essential minerals.Learn more about the Unearthing Critical Minerals podcast series and read the show notes here.Credits:Featuring: Professor Susan ParkProduced by: Genevieve WrightEdited by: Celine Huynh

University of Sydney researchers discuss the recent United Nations Global Sustainable Development Report and how multidisciplinary research can help achieve a sustainable world. Learn more about the event here.Timestamps:03:00 How the University of Sydney supports researchers in working alongside global partners to meet the SDGs - Amanda Sayan13:20 How is the world performing at the SDGs? - Jamie Miranda42:15 The impacts of a warming world on our health - Ollie Jay54:45 The power of science communication - Alice MotionSpeakers:Professor Jaime Miranda, University of SydneyProfessor Alice Motion, Sydney NanoProfessor Ollie Jay, Heat and Health Research IncubatorAmanda Sayan, University of Sydney