Climate Change: an unlikely comedy? This week Heidi and Bella spoke with Australian comedian, performer and writer, Issy Phillips, about the intersection between climate change and comedy.  You'll come away with a barrel of laughs, plus a knowledge of: ASMR and how the heck is relates to climate changeHow we could use comedy to cope with climate anxietyHow the media talks about climate changeThat Heidi and Bella's microphones really aren't equipped to do ASMR and we'll leave it to the...

Welcome to Wk 2 of our month on Climate Change: Facts, Denial and Solutions! This week, in honour or COP26 and net zero targets, Heidi and Bella spoke with Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at ANU. What you'll learn: What is COP26 and what pledges came out of it?What is Australia's net zero target and how do we plan to reach it?Is this a good target? Can we reach net zero sooner?How much warming are we likely to experience? Useful...

What is the greatest human rights challenge of our time? and what are the solutions? For our final week of International Politics month, India and Heidi spoke with the inspirational Negaya Chorley, CEO of Results Australia. Results is an organisation dedicated to empowering women and girls around the world through providing everyone access to healthcare, knowledge and education.  You'll learn: What are some of the greatest human rights challenges of our time? And what is #1? (the answer may...

Icy landscapes on the largest desert on Earth, adorable fur seals, wind turbines on research bases... can you guess where we're travelling to this week? For our 3rd week of International Politics, Heidi and Bella learn all about Antarctic landscapes, governance and wildlife from PhD candidate and Antarctic researcher, Natasha Gardiner.  What we learnt: What's it really like to research in Antarctica? Like, how cold??Does Antarctica have a government? Can you be 'President of...

This week India & Heidi learn about 'the accountability trap' with Prof. Susan Park from the Sydney Environment Institute. What you'll learn: What incentives do states have to meet their agreed climate targets? (hint: not a lot)What happens if states don't meet these targets (hint: not a lot)What is the 'accountability trap'?How can we hold states responsible for not meeting these targets?Also listen in at 17:48 to hear the sweet sweet voice of Sir David Attenborough as he calls out the...

Climate change, climate emergency, the climate crisis - so much talk about climate change but so little talk about other issues... like biodiversity. Why? This week Heidi, Bella and India spoke with Associate Professor Charlotte Epstein about biodiversity and why we need to be talking about it.  What you'll learn: In 1992 leaders from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro for 3 major conventions: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeConvention on Biological...

The final week of Australian Politics month has arrived!!  We are sad it’s over but we look forward to next month which is International Politics. In this Ep, Bella speaks with Australian Federal Liberal MP, Jason Falinski. Jason was elected the Member for Mackellar in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 Australian election. We spoke with Jason about: - What is the philosophy of the Australian Liberal Party? Is this always practiced? - How and when can Australia reach net...

BONUS episode for week 3 of Australian Politics! This week Heidi and Bella spoke with PhD candidate, Bhiamie Williamson about Native Title and how we can strengthen ties with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; ties that have previously been severed by colonisation. What you'll learn: What is Native Title? What does it mean? How is it granted?What is cultural burning and what does it do for Indigenous communities?What unique opportunities does climate change provide for...

For Episode 3 of Australian Politics month, Heidi and Bella spoke with the inspirational Dr Christine J Winter about intergenerational environmental justice theory, and more specifically... What is Intergenerational Environmental Justice (IEJ)?What is our relationship to nature?Time is a spiral of past, present and future in which, we are all connected.Why have some people lost their connection to nature? How can we repair this?How can we (as individuals and the gov.) work with Australian...

Week 2 of Australian Politics month has arrived!! On Ep #48 Heidi and Bella talk with Dean Bialek about Australia's role (or lack of) in the COP26 summit and in the global race to net zero carbon emissions. Dean is the Head of the International Politics Unit for the COP26 Climate Champions Team and is leading the development of renewable energy projects across Australia. What we learnt: - How does Australia's climate goals compare to the rest of the world?  - The U.S. aims cut 50% of their...

EPISODE 47: Strong Indepdendent Women in Australian Politics with Zali Steggall. This week Heidi and Bella spoke with inspirational sportsperson, speaker and independent member of Australian Parliament, Zali Steggall. We discussed: - What was Zali's experience as a woman in Australian politics?  - What is the latest news on her climate action bill?  - What keeps Zali so motivated to push for climate action despite frequent pushback from the Federal Gov? Learn more about women in Aussie...

Yes. According to many economists, climate change poses the biggest long-term threat to the global economy.  This week Heidi and Bella strapped on their economist hats to review our month on economy and understand: what is economic risk?what risk does climate change pose to the economy?how do we calculate such risk? (hint: DICE)is the Paris climate agreement useful or redundant?what can governments do to halt climate change?This left us thinking, what is the solution? "I dont know any...

We are into our third week of the economics series, and kicking it off with Cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is a buzz word at the moment but does it really have a future as a currency? We explore cryptocurrency and blockchain technology with Barney Tan, an associate professor at the University of Sydney. We breakdown blockchain technology to get an understanding for the technology behind cryptocurrency and then dive into all of the work that has to be done in order to mine just one...

Topic: Economics Part 2: Economics and Climate Change This week we interview Tom Quinn who is the Head of Policy and Research at the thinktank Beyond Zero Emissions. Tom sees the opportunities for Australia to be at the forefront of future jobs. There is an increased demand for sustainability products and services.  Beyond Zero Emissions is trying to help Australia build the policies to create jobs and a cleaner world in Australia.  In the interview, we discuss the Beyond Zero Emissions,...

EPISODE #43 Topic: Economics  Guest: Maddy and Sophie from the podcast You're in Good Company This week we kick off our first topic for the month of August. The topic we will be discussing this month is Economics. Of course, not just economics but economics and how it relates to sustainability. Our first topic will be Sustainable investing and we had a lovely interview with the very knowledge women from  the podcast You’re in Good Company- Maddy and Sophie! You’re in Good Company is an...

It's a busy time of year with COVID-19 lockdowns across the globe and Olympic news dominated our newsfeeds. In all this excitement you might've missed a few stories that we think are worth talking about. This week Bella and Heidi discuss the UNESCO World Heritage Commitee's  recent recommendation to add the Australian Great Barrier Reef to the 'in danger' list. The Australian Government faught hard to block this, despite top Australian scientists supporting the choice. Take a listen to find...

This week Heidi and Bella spoke with ocean governance and marine debris researcher, Jordan Gacutan. Jordan is a PhD candidate at the University of NSW who is working closely with NGOs such as Tarangoa Blue to collect big data and identify the sources and sinks of plastic. What you'll learn from this episode: what is the source to sink pathway of marine debris?what is the role of NGOs and the government in this space?are we doing enough about the plastic problem?extra link: NSW Plastic...

This week Heidi and Bella discuss the pathways to the future, the non-plastic pathways to be exact. In this episode you'll learn: What is Plastic Free July about?What is biobased plastic? And is it always biodegradable?What are the best options we have for plastic alternatives? Incl. Loliware, B'zeos, Ecovative Design.Can we start wearing mushrooms and eating seaweed!? (and if yes, where do I sign up?)How can we all be futurologists?Thanks for listening and let us know your thoughts by...

To kick off Plastic Free July we spoke with Life on Planet A's resident marine ecologist, Bella Charlesworth about all things plastic! We discuss the unlikely places where plastics have been found, as well on tips on how you can reduce the plastic you're using, wearing and chucking. Did you know you could be shedding plastics into the environment every time you wash your clothes? But what happens next? Press play to find out. In honour of #plasticfreejuly we're dedicating the entire month to...

Last week we travelled (virtually) to the Phillipines to interview biologist and conservationist Jean Utzurrum about Seaspiracy; here's Part 2 of our chat! This episode we learnt: does the film over-dramatise the dangers of South East Asia?what struggles do conservationists go through (often daily) in South East Asia?should we stop eating fish?what positives are there to look to in the future of the fishing industy?what is the meaning of life?Also stick around at the end for some news about...

Chances are you've heard of the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, and you're probably also familiar with the controvery that came with it (if not, where have you been!?) Did the documentary make you question your actions? and everything you thought you knew about the fishing industry? Us too! But then we saw the mixed reviews appearing in the media and thought this was a dilemma we had to get to the bottom of. That's why we travelled (virtually) to the beautiful oceans of the Phillipines, to...

How would you debate with a climate change denier? This week Heidi and Bella will do it for you as they take on new personas to battle it out about the climate change debate. Heidi will play De Ny, a coal lobbyist and firm denier of climate change and Bella will be Cli Mate, climate scientist and activist. Extra points if you spot the name puns!  Special guest appearances:  1. Shane Cornell discusses the price of renewable energy (from Episodes 23 & 24) 2. Richie Merzian discusses jobs in...

Elsa has a degree in Geography and Sustainable development and is currently finalising her Master's degree in Comparative Public policy.  Elsa is particularly interested in the relationship between political trust and political participation (their...

Episode is out with Ryan Collins from Planet Ark. We discuss Circular economy and all things recycling!Timestamps:2:50 - Planet Ark - Circular Economy Hub 3:17 - Introduction to Ryan6:03 - Background on Planet Ark8:18 - Recycling the Un recyclable 11:00...

This week we speak with Babet de Groot.  She is a PhD researcher in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. We speak about the following in the interview at the following times:3:53 - The struggles of doing...