The SEI Podcast Series

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 the final episode of the Unearthing Critical Minerals series, Professor Susan Park sits down with Dr Jewellord (Jojo) Nem Singh, an Assistant Professor in International Development, to understand the role the European Union (EU) is playing to reduce the environmental and social harms of critical mineral mining for renewable energy. The EU’s recently launched Critical Raw Minerals Act seeks to build a resilient critical minerals supply chain, strengthen domestic capacity and capability, and establishes a need to build a circular economy.They emphasise the significance of tracking the EU's role as a key player in the critical minerals race. The EU's pursuit of both higher environmental standards and the success of the clean energy transition in the coming decades adds complexity to this multifaceted challenge, demanding a coordinated approach involving multiple policy instruments.Learn more about the Unearthing Critical Minerals podcast series and read the show notes here.Credits:Featuring: Professor Susan Park, Assistant Professor Jewellord (Jojo) Nem SinghProduced by: Genevieve WrightEdited by: Celine Huynh

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

In this instalment of Grounded Conversations, political theorist Alyssa Battistoni joins Sydney Environment Institute researcher Anna Sturman to discuss the practical transformation of unjust systems in relation to climate change and critical scholarship. They will reflect on the role of care and multispecies justice in climate movements, and the different social and political contexts the USA and Australia present for organising towards more just futures. Learn more about the event here.Timestamps:07:40 The politics of nature: how capitalism values nature20:35 Australia vs. US climate movements & Green New Deals32:15 How are people building power and addressing socio-ecological issues42:45 The role of academia in informing and being informed by movementsSpeakers:Dr. Alyssa Battistoni, Barnard CollegeDr. Anna Sturman, Sydney Environment Institute