The Sustainability Agenda

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Robert Romanyshyn, a retired emeritus professor of clinical psychology. Prof. Romanyshyn is an internationally recognized scholar in depth psychology, which attends to how unconscious dynamics shape human behavior. A prolific author, he has published many books, chapters, and, articles on the cultural and historical origins and development of the scientific and technological worldview. His most recent book Victor Frankenstein, the Monster and the Shadows of Technology; The Frankenstein Prophecies continues this work. Within the context of that dramatic tale, his new book describes for a general audience the story of technology that he told in Technology as Symptom and Dream.Along with his nearly 50 years as teacher and practitioner of clinical psychology, he has focused his work on the increasingly dire issue of climate challenges, emphasizing the role of unconscious dynamics in shaping the ways we see ourselves in relation to the natural world. Using numerous examples, he describes how the various social, political, economic and ecological crises that we face today are the dark shadow side of our unexamined and unquestioned belief that we are apart from the natural world and not a part of it.Drawing on his many years of experience working with unconscious dynamics in the private contexts of psychotherapy, he acknowledges the challenges of bringing these skills into the public sphere. He argues, however, that alongside political, economic and technological responses to climate crises, a psychological perspective is essential. In his remarks he provides examples of how a perspective that would make a place for unconscious factors offers seeds of hope for the future of our planet and our species. The post Episode 81: Interview with Dr. Robert Romanyshyn on Frankenstein, technology and climate collapse appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

With over half of CO2 recaptured from the atmosphere going into the world’s oceans, they are by far the world’s largest carbon sink. Regenerating the oceans both for the benefit of the climate and the millions of people who rely on them for their livelihoods is therefore essential. In this episode, we are joined by Drawdown Advisor Dr Brian Von Herzen for an exploration into one of Drawdown’s most exciting “Coming Attractions”; marine permaculture.As has become well established, the accumulation of pollution, ocean plastic and overfishing have left the planet’s oceans in a dire state. In addition, with the oceans absorbing over 90% of warming we are not only seeing a massive die-off of the ocean’s coral reefs but also a breakdown of ocean overturning circulations that is erasing the marine food chain and causing massive dead-zones. As Brian explains, warming is pushing vital cold nutrient rich water deeper underwater so that they are increasingly unable to come to the surface and sustain life. As a result, the oceans are fast becoming vast aquatic deserts. Marine permaculture is a way to address this by bringing these colder waters up to “irrigate” the surface. Effectively it seeks to regenerate the oceans by creating the planet’s most productive ecosystem; the kelp forest.Kelp forests are the basis and habitat for vibrant ocean ecosystems. With the potential to grow up to half a meter a day, kelp is also an excellent means of sequestering carbon as it grows. If sunk at sea at a depth of over one kilometre, this carbon is effectively taken out of the atmosphere for centuries giving kelp and other forms of seaweed enormous potential as an effective means to sequester capture. Coupled with the fact that seaweed is already a billion dollar industry, with an array of new applications emerging, such as a source for biofuel and animal feed (see “A Cow Walks onto a Beach”), marine permaculture could regenerate the oceans and provide sustainable long-term financial returns.The potential is thus enormous and Brian takes us through the Climate Foundation’s efforts, since it began exploring marine permaculture a decade ago. Following two successful trials in Hawaii and Indonesia the team are now gearing up to prove that marine permaculture is viable in the open ocean. Brian’s vision is to create “marine permaculture arrays” – effectively floating structures of interconnecting tubing with a wave-powered pump to bring colder waters to the surface. Kelp can then attach to the beams thereby creating the conditions for what are effectively a floating ocean forests; the ultimate organic farm. The beams are suspended fifteen meters below the ocean surface keeping it safe from extreme weather events and shipping lanes. Brian ultimately envisions that these arrays can be scaled to the extent that they can even sustain the economy of small island states – or “big ocean states” as he calls them, whilst regenerating the oceans and providing vital ecosystem services. We discuss the momentum behind this vision and opportunities and challenges around funding and support. Brian finishes by reminding us of the scale of the challenge posed by global warming and stressing that technological innovations, like marine permaculture, provide the “teeth” to match the established political consensus of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.Brian Von Herzen is an ocean scientist, engineer and entrepreneur. Much of his career has been in Silicon Valley where he developed innovative technical solutions for companies like Pixar, Dolby and Microsoft. Brian is founder and Executive Director of the non-profit The Climate Foundation, an institute working to regenerate life in the world’s oceans and reverse global warming within our lifetimes.Follow this link to find out more about marine permaculture.This is an edited version of the interview originally broadcast on The Drawdown Agenda podcast.The post Episode 80: Interview with Brian Von Herzen on Marine Permaculture appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

With the growing reach of climate change-induced extreme weather events and increasing urbanization, it is becoming more and more important to be deliberate about the way we build our cities. In this episode, we talk with Peter Head about resilience and the importance of systems-thinking for cities and city regions.Every day, intense weather events such as flooding, earthquakes, mudslides and more, disrupt local infrastructure such as energy, water, and food systems, and tests the resilience of the surrounding community. Will they come together to problem solve? Are there alternative means of supplying their needs? Resilience requires communication and collaboration, good governance structures with participation rather than dictatorship, and alternative supplies, systems to help get life back to normal again.Peter founded Ecological Sequestration Trust and the Trust’s Resilience Broker program to address many of these issues. Its focus is making tools and systems available to every country make sustainable systems a reality across the world. It also works with cities to help them attract capital and investors to set up investment funds.Peter Head is a civil and structural engineer who is passionate about using sustainable development principles in construction. In 2011, he founded the Ecological Sequestration Trust with the goal of helping cities, regions, and communities develop sustainable energy and water systems and enhanced food security in the face of the combined environmental challenges they are now facing. Prior to that he worked for many years in the design and engineer group Arup. He is a recognized world-wide leader in major bridges (he received an OBE for successfully delivering the Second Severn Crossing as Government Agent), advanced composites, and of course, sustainable development. He has won many awards for his work including the Award of Merit of IABSE, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal and the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind. The post Episode 79: Interview with Peter Head, resilience champion appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

Two years on from the book’s publication, the Drawdown team have got their sights on how they can turn their groundbreaking research into action. In this interview, we talk to Drawdown Executive Director Dr. Jonathan Foley to reflect on the research’s impact and discuss plans for Drawdown 2.0, the next iteration of Drawdown that will help implement solutions across sectors and across the globe.As a renowned scientist and science communicator, Jonathan tells us that he initially admired Drawdown from afar before taking over as director from Paul Hawken. According to Jonathan, Drawdown’s core strengths lie in how it combines rigorous scientific research with strong storytelling. Moreover, by setting a clearly defined goal to reverse global warming, it has resonated with both the public and those leadership positions. We also take a broad look at Drawdown’s research and reflect on some of the key takeaways, notably the vital importance of agriculture and land use solutions, something that is now entering the climate mainstream. With regards to progress in each sector, Jonathan reflects that it is a mixed picture, with substantial success in electricity but solutions still lagging in both buildings and transport. Although the steep drops in emissions required to stay under 2°C of warming may seem insurmountable, Jonathan stresses that it is nonetheless possible should one consider exponential roadmaps of emissions reduction.Looking ahead, we discuss in detail plans for Drawdown 2.0. Jonathan tells us that the team are looking to further digitize the research through a platform that is updated in real time. In addition, there are also plans for a directory with a comprehensive list of different organizations and groups that are implementing solutions to help create a network of changemakers. Another strategy is to work with actors on the ground in key jurisdictions, notably cities, business leaders, investors and philanthropists, especially to marshal capital towards climate solutions that typically receive less attention. Finally, the team also intend to carry forward Drawdown’s empowering climate message by seeking to reach prominent influencers to shape the public’s perception of the climate crisis. Finally, we also briefly discuss whether our political and economic paradigm is capable of meeting the challenge, looking specifically at the role of business. Jonathan firmly believes that climate is above all a technical problem and that there is ample opportunity to work with committed and sincere businesses to help nudge the system towards change.Dr. Jonathan Foley is a world-renowned environmental scientist, sustainability expert, author, and public speaker. His work is focused on understanding our changing planet, and finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources we all depend on. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including many highly cited works in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is also a trusted advisor to governments, foundations, NGOs, and business leaders around the world. A noted science communicator, Jonathoan’s presentations have featured at hundreds of international venues, including the World Bank, the National Geographic Society, the Commonwealth Club and TED.com. His writing regularly appears in leading publications and he is frequently interviewed by major television networks.Before joining Project Drawdown, Foley led a number of world-leading environmental science and sustainability organizations. He has founded and led climate and environment departments at the University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota. He also served as the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences, one of the greenest and more forward-thinking science museums in the world.This is an edited version of the interview originally broadcast on The Drawdown Agenda podcast.The post Episode 78: Interview with Dr. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director of Project Drawdown, on the next-steps for this pathbreaking project appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this interview with Mark Campanale, we discuss divestment from coal, oil and gas and the carbon bubble. Mark asks the important question, if we can’t even burn all the reserves of fossil fuel companies, why are we still investing in their expansion, which could end the world as we know it? Stock prices are not properly valuing the climate risk. He goes on to describe the substantial momentum that has begun to take hold, with many taking a step up to voice their concerns and divest by moving their investments to clean energy technology or simply away from coal, oil, and gas. Over 8 trillion dollars of investments have announced divestment.Momentum around climate risk still varies a lot by geography, and some still think that only the government can solve the issue. Fortunately more and more are saying we can’t wait for the government and we must act now. What we need companies to act responsibly, and incorporate climate risks into their goals and bottom line. We need a steady change to a low carbon future to avoid the bubble bursting.Mark Campanale is the founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a non-profit think tank launched to pinpoint with clarity how global capital markets have failed to deal with climate risk. Mark developed the unburnable carbon capital markets thesis, the idea that there are substantial fossil fuel energy sources that cannot be burnt, if the world is to adhere to the necessary carbon budgets to limit global warming. Mark commissioned and was editor of the “Unburnable Carbon – Are the World’s Financial Markets Carrying a Carbon Bubble?” report that launched launched in 2011.The post Episode 77: Interview with Mark Campanale, Founder of Carbon Tracker Initiative appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this episode we speak with Eva Garen, Director of ELTI, Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative. ELTI focuses on capacity development in human-dominated mosaic landscapes, primarily in Latin America and Indonesia, teaching the people who manage landscapes to restore and rebuild biodiversity.Much of ELTI’s work is in tropical regions that were once forested, and one of the reasons ELTI’s programs are so important is that only 9.8% of tropical forest is protected. In Latin America, ELTI primarily works with farmers and cattle ranchers, while in Indonesia they primarily work with coal companies charged with environmental restoration of their mining sites. ELTI provides field-based training that are experiential.In one case study with cattle ranchers in Panama, the field-based training on how to create a silvopastoral system was eagerly received because in the dry season, in the tropics, cattle with only access to grass will die from starvation. With the combination of diverse trees fruiting at different times providing nuts with proteins, a silvopastoral system provides the necessary food to keep them alive.Eva underscores the complexity of power dynamics and need to work with the local organizations and individuals in order to understand the local economic, cultural and political practices. ELTI also has online coursework that has reached over 1000 individuals around the world.Eva Garen, Ph.D. is the Director and Principle Investigator of ELTI, Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative. Based at Yale University, she has spent almost twenty-five years working on the social aspects of conservation and development in the tropics.Previously Eva worked as a technical advisor on the social aspects of REDD+ with Conservation International’s Science and Knowledge Division. Eva also worked with USAID’s Forestry and Biodiversity Teams in Washington D.C. as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.The post Episode 76: Interview with Eva Garen, Director of Environmental Leadership Training Initiative appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

As a society, we constantly hail growth as the mark of progress and solution to our problems, whether it be poverty or inequality. In doing so, we ignore that there are limits to growth and the ecosystem we live in has finite natural resources. In this episode we speak with Herman Daly, the dean of ecological economics, on his pioneering work on steady-state economy, based on the idea a constant population of people and a constant stock of physical wealth.Professor Herman Daly is a pioneering figure in economics, at the forefront of the development of the field of ecological economics, ideas he has been working on for more than 50 years, in particular the idea of the steady state economy. Herman was Senior Economist in the Environment Department of the World Bank in the 1990s where he worked to develop key sustainable development policy guidelines. In 1996, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for “defining a path of ecological economics that integrates the key elements of ethics, quality of life, environment and community”-and a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. He wrote Steady-State Economics in 1991 and edited the 1993 anthology, Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics (a revision of earlier anthologies).The post Episode 75: Interview with Professor Herman Daly, the dean of ecological economics, on the Steady state economy appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

In this interview with Caroline Lucas, the first Green Party Member of Parliament, we discuss how “green” the UK is, and what progress – if any – is being made towards achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.Climate change is getting more and more attention from across the political spectrum. Theresa May, in one of her last acts as prime minister, committed the UK to net zero emissions by 2050 – a target Caroline says it is too late. We are off target on near-term goals and the longer term goals are weakly implemented, she says. What we need is a massive 10 year mobilization strategy, on the order of a third world war.With predictions that the global economy will triple in size, we need to take a step back and focus on living with what we have. We should focus our energy on green growth instead of net growth. International action on repairing the damage to the ozone layer was successful because everyone responsible was brought together. There are 100 companies responsible for 70-80% of emissions; this is one place we need to start.Caroline was elected as Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion in 2010, becoming the first Green Party MP. Before that, she served as one of the Green Party’s first Members of the European Parliament. She has twice led the Green Party of England and Wales. Prior to politics, she worked at Oxfam for ten years.Caroline’s book, Honourable Friends, details her first parliamentary term as a fresh, green voice to the House of Commons. She also co-edited a book on cross-party working called The Alternative.The post Episode 74: Interview with Caroline Lucas, Green Party member of UK House of Commons appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

Biological diversity and climate change are two incontrovertibly intertwined issues. Destroying and degrading ecosystems releases huge amounts carbon into the atmosphere, and in turn, increasing carbon in the atmosphere adversely affects the delicate balance of biodiversity where it presently exists. Professor Thomas Lovejoy has spent many years studying the relationship between biological diversity and climate change, today he talks with us about why we should think about them together and what we should do for the future, and Biodiversity and Climate Change, which Professor Lovejoy co-edited.In this interview, Professor Lovejoy discusses the clear evidence of climate change on biological diversity–how it has wreaked havoc on historical patterns, changing the annual calendar and location of species; how the largest wildlife habitat, the ocean, has become more acidic; and shockingly, how the amount of carbon in the atmosphere from degraded ecosystems is the same as the total remaining in extant ecosystems.Professor Lovejoy argues here that we can take action to restore ecosystems. Conserved or restored forest ecosystems, for example, lead to better watersheds and provide wildlife habitats; conserved or restored coastal ecosystems such as mangroves are more effective to reduce storm surge than a sea wall which simply spreads the impact; restoring agricultural systems to carbon additive systems unlike the modern approaches that leak carbon results in better soil fertility. If we are unable to mitigate ecosystems, we can also take an approach to do ecosystem-based adaptation, which is conservation design so that species can move from one elevation or location to another.Although the Global Climate Action Summit in September will in all likelihood renew our focus on biodiversity and conservation, we don’t have a minute to lose. Professor Lovejoy argues we need to pivot, and start to think for all the effects our daily choices have within our economic system. There is a need for dramatic change, now, and we need society to reach tipping point where this becomes a central focus.Thomas Lovejoy, PhD has been a University Professor at George Mason since 2010, focusing on the application of ecological science to conservation policy. Previously, he held the Biodiversity Chair at the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and was President from 2002-2008. Starting in the 1970’s he helped bring attention to the issue of tropical deforestation and in 1980 published the first estimate of global extinction rates (in the Global 2000 Report to the President). He conceived the idea for the long term study on forest fragmentation in the Amazon (started in 1978) which is the largest experiment in landscape ecology. He coined the term “Biological diversity”, originated the concept of debt-for-nature swaps and has worked on the interaction between climate change and biodiversity for more than 30 years. He is the founder of the public television series “Nature”. In the past, he served as the Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation, as the Chief Biodiversity Advisor to the World Bank as well as Lead Specialist for the Environment for the Latin American region, as the Assistant Secretary for Environmental and External Affairs for the Smithsonian Institution, and as Executive Vice President of World Wildlife Fund-US.The post Episode 73: Interview with Thomas Lovejoy, “The Godfather of Biodiversity” appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.

People feel defeated when they hear the grand cost of achieving carbon neutrality. But what if some of the solutions were to be found in revitalising the collective imagination, harnessing the dynamism of local communities and rethinking local economies to achieve a sustainable future? In this episode we speak with Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition movement, which seeks to do exactly that.The Transition movement is all about dreaming the future we want to create and rebuilding the world at the level of individual communities. When you look at a local community through a Transition lens, you find numerous opportunities to bring the economy home, recreating it in a way that enables money to stay local and cycle locally, all the while creating community connection and entrepreneurship.There are currently Transition groups in more than 50 countries worldwide and Rob shared some of the unique local projects. One example was Black Isle peninsula in Scotland was given funding to focus on transportation solutions and because they knew their situation best, they arrived at a solution of encouraging biking, ridesharing, and walking in ways were synergistic, so much so that they reduced their mileage by an amount equivalent to driving to the Moon and back two and a half times. The City of Liege in Belgium asked “what if in a generation’s time the majority of the the food eaten in Liege were grown on the land closest to Liege. This resulted in 21 new cooperatives, 5 million euros of investment by local people, two new farms started, two vineyards, a brewery, and 3 shops in town. Lastly, in the thriving Transition town of Totnes, the Reconomy Center is an innovative incubator for new enterprises. They run an event every year where people step up to support each other with their new enterprises. Totnes also has some projects that are building over 100 homes, workshop spaces, a hotel, and a new space for public events, which will all be in community ownership forever and will generate funds going forward.A common thread of successful Transition efforts is that you see solutions that have benefits beyond a direct reduction in carbon emissions – you also see public health strategy, biodiversity, economic strategy, people feeling invested in their community, and more.Because of the way things work with subsidies, externalities unaccounted for in costs, existing infrastructures and organizations, we get stuck in our current way and often lack the imagination or dedication to do the necessary rethinking of systems and rebuilding of economies to create a better future. The Transition movement invites and inspires us to think outside the box about the future we wish to create. Rob shares his vision of reimagining the future into something positive, realistic, and hopeful through storytelling and creating ‘memories of the future’. We need great leaders to help us overcome our imaginative poverty.The post Episode 72: Interview with Rob Hopkins, founder of Transition movement appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.