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Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast
Interview with Dr Hélène Jacot Des Combes on Climate Change and the Marshall Islands
In this episode, Christina De La Rocha talks to Dr Hélène Jacot Des Combes, Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Advisor to the National Disaster Management Office of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. They discuss sea level rise, infrastructure that can adapt to climate change, and land reclamation and protection. Dr Des Combes speaks passionately about reparations (for decades of colonialism, the US’s testing of atomic weapons on the atolls of the Marshall Islands, forced relocation of the Marshallese people, climate injustice, and much more) and advocates for the Marshallese peoples’ right to their own lands.
You can read more about the Marshall Islands' unique position at the forefront of sea level rise at PacificaRisa.org. For further reading, check out the Republic of the Marshall Islands' Climate Change website here, you can read up on the Government of the Marshall Islands' Adaptation Communication (Dec 2020) here, and the World Bank's page on the Marshall Islands has some informative visuals.
Connect with Solarpunk Magazine at solarpunkmagazine.com and on Twitter @solarpunklitmag
Connect with Solarpunk Presents Podcast on Twitter @SolarpunkP or Mastodon @solarpunkpresents@climatejustice.rocks
Connect with Ariel at her blog, on Twitter at @arielletje, and on Mastodon @arielkroon@wandering.shop
Connect with Christina at her blog, on Twitter @xtinadlr, and on Mastodon @xtinadlr@wandering.shop
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15. Disaster Prep is Community Care Pt 2 of 8
31:36||Season 6, Ep. 15On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson brings you part 2 of our series of disaster prep as community care, and this episode is all about wildfire season. How do we prepare for the smoke, the evacuation orders, and fire? And how to ensure that those who need help aren't left behind to fend for themselves?Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag
14. Radio Free Luna, Signing Off by Sylvie Althoff
42:32||Season 6, Ep. 14On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson reads a short story from our most recent issue, Solarpunk Magazine Issue #27. This story was written by Sylvie Althoff, and is titled, "Radio Free Luna, Signing Off."Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagYou can learn more about Sylvie Althoff and her work on her website, and you can connect with her on Bluesky @sylvie-althoff.bsky.social.
13. No One Survives Alone
40:39||Season 6, Ep. 13On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, we’re launching our series on disaster prep, not as a hyper-individualist apocalyptic fantasy, but as mutual aid and community resilience. We're calling this series "Disaster Prep is Community Care: An Anti-Prepper Survival Guide." Each Monday for the next eight weeks, we'll explore how real disaster preparedness isn't about hoarding supplies and hiding in a bunker, but is an organizing tool for building stronger communities and ensuring that when systems fail, no one is left behind.Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag
12. Solar Is About to Win, So Why Are We Still Paying So Much?
23:05||Season 6, Ep. 12On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson looks at the rise of solar power and examines the systems that keep us paying so much for electricity when sunlight is so abundant.Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagSOURCES AND LINKSSolar’s day in the sun is rapidly approachinghttps://www.ft.com/content/2d78227e-d74d-43f0-ba92-13543e22b1d3New Energy Outlook 2026https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/new-energy-outlook/#row-6a19c1eed9b5aCORRECTION: In the episode, it's stated that battery storage deployment could rise from 223 GW in 2025 to 3.8 TW by 2035, but that was said incorrectly. BloombergNEF’s executive summary says storage rises from 223 GW in 2025 to 3.8 TW by 2050, not 2035. Our apologies for the mistake.
11. Is Regenerative Agriculture the Next Greenwashing Scam?
24:30||Season 6, Ep. 11On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses the recent Regenerative Agriculture pledge signed by over 40 major food and agriculture companies, and asks if regenerative agriculture is becoming the next greenwashing scam. Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagSOURCES AND LINKSGlobal food and beverage giants join forces on regenerative agriculturehttps://www.reuters.com/business/environment/global-food-beverage-giants-join-forces-regenerative-agriculture-2026-05-19From pilots to practice: a new bid to scale regenerative agriculturehttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/pilots-practice-new-bid-scale-regenerative-agriculture--ecmii-2026-05-18Climate reporting rules for food sector set high bar for regenerative agriculturehttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/climate-reporting-rules-food-sector-raise-bar-regenerative-agriculture--ecmii-2026-04-15Rewarding farmers for regenerative agriculture is ‘critical for decarbonising the food sectorhttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/rewarding-farmers-regenerative-agriculture-is-critical-decarbonising-food-sector-2024-06-10
10. Beyond Mortar and Magic + What the Sea Remembers
31:33||Season 6, Ep. 10On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson reads two short stories from Solarpunk Magazine Issue #27: "Beyond Mortar and Magic" by Alex Vossler, and "What the Sea Remembers" by Dennis Mombauer.Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comGet Issue #27: https://solarpunkmagazine.com/shop/solarpunk-magazine-issue-27Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag
9. Climate Action Is Not Charity
23:45||Season 6, Ep. 9On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses the recent UN General Assembly vote on climate action and the idea that climate aid isn’t charity or leverage in political negotiations, but instead, is an obligation. Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagSOURCES AND LINKSNews Articles on the UN Vote:https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-vanuatu-trump-administration-international-court-90b89dc776e0bece17f2ab4064b7f71ehttps://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/un-backs-world-court-climate-opinion-us-among-few-oppose-2026-05-20https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/22/un-climate-crisis-vote-shows-political-momentum-growing-expertsUN Resolution Text: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4113865/files/A_80_L.65-EN.pdfhttps://www.icj-cij.org/case/187ICJ Advisory Opinion: https://icj-web.leman.un-icc.cloud/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-adv-01-00-en.pdfColumbia Law Blog Articles: https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/08/13/a-panoply-of-consequences-remedies-and-reparations-in-the-icjs-climate-opinionhttps://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/08/05/new-standards-in-government-framework-litigation-legal-implications-of-the-icj-advisory-opinion-on-climate-change
Coming This Summer
00:58|When disaster comes, the fantasy says: run, hide, protect your own. But real survival has never worked that way. When the smoke rolls in, when the floodwaters rise, when the power fails, when the evacuation order comes too late—what saves people isn't a bunker. It’s a neighbor with a spare room, a phone tree, a ride across town, a community center with clean air, a pantry built for sharing, and a plan that includes everyone.This summer on Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, we’re talking about disaster prep as mutual aid, community care, and the infrastructure of survival.Because no one survives alone.---------------Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag
8. Can a River Have Rights?
29:04||Season 6, Ep. 8On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses local, national, and international efforts to grant legal rights to nature.Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagSOURCES AND LINKSLane County Watersheds Bill of RightsFull ballot measure language: https://www.protectlanecountywatersheds.org/read_ordinanceThe ballot measure explained: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373Explanatory.htmlArguments in favor: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373ArgInFavor.htmlArguments opposed: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373ArgOppose.htmlGeneral Rights of Nature Sources"Should Trees Have Standing" by Christopher D. Stone: https://southerncalifornialawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Christopher-D.-Stone-Should-Trees-Have-Standing_%E2%80%94Toward-Legal-Rights-for-Natural-Objects-45-S.-CAL.-L.-REV.-450-1972..pdfGlobal Alliance for the Rights of Nature: https://www.garn.org/rights-of-natureCase StudiesTamaqua, Pennsylvania: https://celdf.org/2015/08/tamaqua-boroughToledo, Ohio: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/06/lake-erie-bill-rights-federal-court-unconstitutionalOrange County, Florida: https://aldf.org/article/legal-rights-recognized-for-rivers-in-florida-and-quebecGrant Township, Pennsylvania: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13062023/pennsylvania-fracking-wastewater-injection-wellshttps://celdf.org/2023/05/unrepentant-and-vindicated-proposed-frack-waste-injection-well-in-grant-township-to-be-plugged-and-abandonedNew Zealand: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2017/7/en/latest/#DLM6831462Columbia: https://apnews.com/article/atrato-guardians-illegal-mining-contamination-threats-choco-977ad1e171715b8f7fb20a8ac6b9e149