The Sustainability Agenda

In this episode, we talk with Eric Holthaus about his outlook for the future with climate change. Although our circumstances are certainly dire and much damage has already been done, Eric maintains hope that with collective and focussed radical action to overcome our systemic problems, we can move forward and enact transformative change to stop temperature rise exceeding 1.5 degrees.Three ideas that bring him hope are in a Citizens’ Assembly model, where citizens are called together to problem solve, regenerative energy, and anti-racist thought, action and movement.Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist, writer, and ecosocialist, who seeks to change the narrative of the climate emergency away from dystopia toward courageous, imaginative possibility. In his recent book, The Future Earth, he describes a vision of what’s still possible, and what our future can look like if we make the necessary, radical changes to reverse the short- and long-term effects of climate change and address these crises head on. I’m a climate journalist for The Correspondent, and a fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. He is a former columnist for Grist, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal.

In this, the 100th episode of the Sustainability Agenda, we speak to Dr. Anne Poelina an indigenous Australian academic and human and earth rights activist. Dr. Poelina explains her role as a “Yimardoowarra marnin,” which, translated from the Nyikina language, means “a woman who belongs to the Martuwarra River,” in Western Australia. Dr. Poelina discusses what she calls “first law,” the Aboriginal peoples’ customary law covering the rules for living in coexistence with nature, the rules of conduct that hold together and bond a civil society, the principles of an ethics of care. She talks about the indigenous cultural approach to collaborative water governance underlying the legal work that she is spearheading to make sure that the development of the Fitzroy River does not lead to the mistakes made in the development of the Murray-Darling river.Please see the Matuwarra Fitzroy River Council website to learn more about the Council and its work.Dr. Anne Poelina is a Nyikina Warrwa (Indigenous Australian) woman who belongs to the Mardoowarra, the lower Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. She is an active Indigenous community leader, human and earth rights advocate, filmmaker and a respected academic researcher. Anne is currently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Notre Dame University and a Research Fellow with Northern Australia Institute Charles Darwin University. She is also Managing Director of Madjulla Incorporated, an indigenous not-for-profit non-government community development organisation working with remote Aboriginal communities.The post Episode 100: Interview with Anne Poelina, Indigenous Australian and Nyikina Traditional Custodian appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this episode we meet with Dr. Rebecca Henderson to discuss her ideas on how to reimagine capitalism, ideas at the heart of the new book, Reimagining Capitalism in a World in Fire. This is a wide-ranging spirited discussion, assessing the state of the corporation today, identifying key shortcomings–oligopolies, excessive pay, power, share buybacks –particularly in the United States—as well as the key role of investors -and the importance of shareholder primacy. Rebecca believes there is enormous opportunity for corporations to play addressing climate change, but that firms often need to be forced to do the right thing. Rebecca is optimistic that we can reimagine capitalism and make progress, while recognising that change is frustratingly slow. Rebecca Henderson is one of 25 University Professors at Harvard, a research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of both the British Academy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is an expert on innovation and organizational change, and her research explores the degree to which the private sector can play a major role in building a more sustainable economy, focusing particularly on the relationships between organizational purpose, innovation and productivity in high performance organizations. For several years she taught “Reimagining Capitalism: Business & the Big Problems”, a course that grew from 28 students to over 300 and that is the basis for her book “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire” (Hachette/Public Affairs, April 2020). Rebecca sits on the boards of Idexx Laboratories and of CERES. Her publications include Leading Sustainable Change: An Organizational Perspective, and Accelerating Energy Innovation: Lessons from multiple sectors. She was named one of three “Outstanding Directors of 2019” by the Financial Times. The post Episode 99: Interview with Rebecca Henderson, Economist and University Professor appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In today’s episode we talk with Rutger Bregman about the ideas underlying his thought-provoking new book, Humankind. Rutger Bregman is a historian and author. He has published five books on history, philosophy, and economics. His books Humankind (2020) and Utopia for Realists (2017) were both New York Times Bestsellers and have been translated in more than 40 languages. Rutger has twice been nominated for the prestigious European Press Prize for his work at The Correspondent. He lives in HollandThe post Episode 98: Interview with author Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this episode, we meet for the second time with Jeremy Lent and discuss the present time with COVID-19. Jeremy identifies how this disruption in our normal lives is a critical time to recognize and begin implementing solutions for some of the deep structural problems exposed. Jeremy builds on the ideas discussed in his first appearance on The Sustainability Agenda, focussing on patterns of ecological systems should be applied to human society-and introducing some of the new ideas he is exploring in his upcoming book.Jeremy Lent is an author whose writings investigate the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current crisis of sustainability. His most recent work, The Patterning Instinct, a cultural history of humanity’s search for meaning, traces the deepest dark of foundations of our modern worldview. Jeremy is currently working on his next book, provisionally titled the Web of Meaning: An Integration of Modern Science with Traditional Wisdom, which combines findings in cognitive science, systems theory and traditional Chinese and Buddhist thought, offering a framework that integrates both science and meaning in a coherent whole.The post Episode 97: Interview with Jeremy Lent, author of The Patterning Instinct appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

Geoff is Director of the Centre for Global Political Economy, Simon Fraser University in Canada- his teaching and research concern the politics and political economy of capitalism. Geoff the author of several books most recently Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future, written with Joel Wainright, a explores the challenges global climate change poses to the contemporary geopolitical order. In this broad ranging interview, Geoff shares his views on some important recent trends in the global economy, the impact of Covid, and current political scene in the United States. Geoff also talks about his recent book, Climate Leviathan, arguing that rapid climate change will transform the world’s political economy and the fundamental political arrangements most people take for granted. The post Episode 96: Interview with Geoff Mann Director of the Centre for Global Political Economy, Simon Fraser University appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this episode, we meet with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist who focuses on projecting and communicating tangible, local effects of climate change to increase people’s willingness to act now. Dealing with time lags, is one of our biggest challenges as humans; if we can’t see the impacts of our actions today, we’re unwilling to act. While we’ve seen a temporary drop in carbon emissions from COVID-19, and also general progress in adopting clean energy and carbon pricing, we have a long way to go and Dr. Hayhoe believes in appealing to people through their identities values is the way to achieve more progress.Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to understand what climate change means for people and the natural environment. She is a professor and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, and has a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Toronto and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Illinois. She is the founder and CEO of ATMOS Research, which focuses on bringing the most relevant, tangible information on how climate change will affect our lives to a broad range of clients.She is widely published including being the lead author on several U.S. National Climate Assessments, over 120 peer-reviewed publications, and co-authored A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions. She has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People along with numerous other honours, and is considered to be a world leader in climate policy, communication and innovation.The post Episode 95: An interview with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, atmospheric scientist appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In today’s episode, we discuss Earth System science and tipping points with Will Steffen. We often hear about tipping points in relation to climate change–the dangers of arctic ice melt, sea level rise and the 2-2.5 degrees C temperature threshold beyond which things become catastrophic. What we don’t always realize is the complexity of system dynamics. Will talks about the likelihood of a tipping cascade, when one tipping point kicks off a series of others. He also draws parallels between COVID-19 and climate change, in that it’s important to understand science and not just what intervention needs to take place but to plan for the amount of time it takes for it to take effect.Will Steffen has a long history in international global change research, serving from 1998 to 2004 as Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), based in Stockholm, Sweden, and before that as Executive Officer of IGBP’s Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems project.Will was the Inaugural Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute, from 2008-2012. Prior to that, he was Director of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. From 2004 to 2011 he served as science adviser to the Australian Government Department of Climate Change. He is currently a Climate Councillor with the Climate Institute, and from 2011 to 2013 was a Climate Commissioner on the Australian Government’s Climate Commission; Chair of the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee, Co-Director of the Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) initiative and Member of the ACT Climate Change Council.Steffen’s interests span a broad range within the fields of sustainability and Earth System science, with an emphasis on the science of climate change, approaches to climate change adaptation in land systems, incorporation of human processes in Earth System modelling and analysis; and the history and future of the relationship between humans and the rest of nature.The post Episode 94: Interview with Will Steffen, climate scientist appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this episode we speak with Eva Gladek, founder and CEO of Metabolic, and a leader in the space of circular economies. She talks about the importance of resilience especially in times of crisis as we’re experiencing now with COVID-19. Eva talks about the importance of taking a systems approach to the problems we are now facing–outlining key elements of this approach–at the heart of the book that she is currently completing. Eva highlights the critical importance of circular approaches to business-and the powerful results that can be achieved. Finally, she discusses how the current crisis might be a catalyst for us to reassess the way our economic social systems work and perhaps enabling substantial reform.Eva Gladek is the founder and CEO of Metabolic, a consulting, research, and venture building firm focused on tackling global sustainability challenges and advancing a circular economy. She has worked with organizations in nearly every economic sector, from progressive cities and NGOs, to industry leaders. Eva welcomes the most complex sustainability questions from any sector with an approach grounded in science and systems thinking.Over the last 10 years, Eva Gladek has developed broadly-adopted methodologies for systems transformation, the circular economy, and sustainable design. She speaks at forums and events around the world, sharing her vision to accelerate a collective greater impact, and is considered a top influencer in sustainability in the Netherlands, a country recognized as leading the transition to the circular economy. Eva works to create an economic system that benefits everyone. She has a master’s in industrial environmental management from Yale University and a bachelor’s in molecular biology from Amherst College.The post Episode 93: Interview with Eva Gladek, CEO of Metabolic and circular economy leader appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this interview, we talk with renowned Indian social activist Medha Patkar. She speaks about many of the social and environmental issues facing India for which she has been a leader and champion in fighting injustice with peaceful protests and marches. This includes dam and watershed projects which displace populations while also devastating farmland.Medha Patkar is the founder member of the 35 years old people’s movement called Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). NBA has been engaged in a struggle for justice for the people affected by the dam projects related to the Sardar Sarovar dams project, especially those whose homes will be submerged, but have not yet been rehabilitated. She is also one of the founders of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), an alliance of hundreds of progressive people’s organisations. In addition to the above, Patkar was a commissioner on the World Commission on Dams, which did a thorough research on the environmental, social, political and economic aspects and impacts of the development of large dams globally and their alternatives. She was the national co-ordinator and then convener of National Alliance of People’s Movements for many years and now continues to be an advisor to NAPM. Under the banner of NAPM she has participated in and supported various mass struggles across India against inequity, non-sustainability, displacement and injustice in the name of development. Her work challenges Casteism, Communalism and all kinds of discrimination.The post Episode 92: Interview with Medha Patkar, social activist appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.