Earth Cast

🎙In S1E24, Olivia Taylor (@ olivia_earth ) speaks to J otham Makarudze about project finance, what it is, and why has it been so successful for enabling the financing of REIPPPP in SSA. Jotham also explains how project finance is facilitating a deeper and more just energy transition and how it can stop the perpetuation of inequalities. He also unpacks whether project finance can only succeed under...

Earth Cast Season One: The Just Energy Transition 🎙 In S1E23, Olivia Taylor ( @o l ivia_earth ) speaks to Peter Newell where he unpacks the global political energy transition: identifying and recognising who participates and who makes decisions, mobilising for change, bringing future ideas into the present paradigm to ensure a socially just ecological transition, the international oil economy, ens...

Earth Cast Season One: The Just Energy Transition 🎙 In the first episode of season one, Olivia Taylor ( @o l ivia_earth ) speaks to Dr Nthabiseng Mohlakoana about her personal journey exploring the energy sector, her findings regarding tackling the dual goals of decarbonization and development, and their interconnections with gender equality, what an energy transition is, the enabling factors (and...

In this World Ocean Day special, Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Jamila Janna about the nuances of environmental racism and how it affects inclusivity in the ocean space, the harmful effects of mainstream conservation narratives on environmental projects’ success, opportunities for youth in marine conservation, and more! Jamila is a filmmaker, social media strategist, and marine biologist...

In this episode Olivia Taylor (@olivia_earth) speaks to Dr Harriet Davies-Mostert about honey badgers & bee keepers, family planning for women and girls and how this affects conservation, aligning business with biodiversity, the importance of partnerships & collaboration, working with Eskom, the African Wild Dog Program, and so much more! Harriet is Head of Conservation at the Endangered W...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Faine Loubser about The Great African Sea Forest, emotional ecology, ocean accessibility, marine protected areas, cold water swimming, independent media, strategic partnerships, and so much more! Faine is a documentary filmmaker and environmental storyteller with a deep passion for the ocean. Her love for nature was fostered by her parents through long campi...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Roushanna Gray about food as a powerful learning tool & connector that all people can relate to, access to land & limiting policies, the importance of preserving plant & animal names in vernacular, the untapped potential of seaweeds, whether foraging is a romanticised notion, how to personally re-connect with nature, and so much more! Roushanna G...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Aaniyah Omardien about World Ocean's Day & restoring historic injustice, the innovative work being done by The Beach Co-Op, storytelling & the power of community, the colonial context of conservation in South Africa, the role of women and girls in the marine environment, and so much more! Aaniyah is an intersectional environmentalist living in Cape T...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Samir Randera-Rees about the importance of intergenerational storytelling, Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), poverty traps & environmental degradation, building stakeholder trust, understanding & respecting community needs & their solutions, and so much more! Samir is the programme manager for Water Source Areas at WWF-SA and has a Masters in...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Elzanne Singels about the wonders of fynbos, archeology & how human's relationships with plants have changed: conservation to commercialisation, the inaccessibility of nature & biodiversity in South Africa, the role of plants in human evolution, the dangers of industrial agriculture, and so much more! Elzanne is a botanist and archaeologist interested in the...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Niharika Elety about regenerative fashion, sustainable supply chains and the people behind them, the real cost of a garment & affordability, the role humans play in the ecosystem, greenwashing, and so much more! Niha is a Creative Artist and Sustainability Activist on Instagram. She uses fashion, art and heritage as a vehicle to bring awareness about sus...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Jolynn Minnaar about fracking in the Karoo, economic development & job opportunities, gender-based violence, storytelling, dispelling myths about the gas industry, the possibility of a just renewable energy transition & divesting, climate change, Eskom's rolling power cuts, building inclusive wildlife filmmaking communities, and so much more! Jolynn...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Andile Ngcobo about financial savviness, agriculture supply chain trends, the transition from subsistence production to commercial farming & the use of pesticides, bees & climate resilience, upskilling, the limitless career opportunities that lie in the agri sector, and agriculture as a viable investment opportunity. Andile Siphesihle Ngcobo is a 27-...

In this episode Olivia speaks to Maxine Gray about the history and role of the sustainable development goals, financial services’ ability to enable responsible and impact seeking investment behaviours, the role of philanthropy in achieving the SDGs and its potential to focus on creating strong partnerships, tackling global problems with local innovation, and so much more! Maxine Gray is passionate...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Jackie May about fashion as a positive force for good, Twyg & independent media, generational needs & conspicuous consumption, capitalist greed, inclusivity along the value chain, the power of storytelling, and then Jackie flips the switch and asks Olivia a question too! Jackie founded Twyg in response to a need for compelling stories about sustainability an...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Denisha Anand about the layered historic injustices of the Cape Town fires, intersectional environmentalism, indigenous plant practices, holistic approaches to care, ancestry and, the criticism of hardcore sciences as being too linear. Denisha is an intersectional environmentalist working in marginalized biodiversity spaces characterised by racialised neglec...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Bonné de Bod about the links between air pollution, cancer and rhino poaching, the role of governments in species conservation, traditional medicines, dispelling racist myths, Stroop Documentary and more! Bonné is an award-winning television presenter and filmmaker, and well-known for her in-depth reporting on wildlife and environmental issues. She has been...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Yusuf Omar about transparency and independence in journalism, social media algorithms, what makes a top news story, "eco-anxiety", and digital activism! Yusuf Omar is a Co-founder of Hashtag Our Stories, which is a global video publisher reaching millions of people daily on social media platforms. Hashtag Our Stories have empowered over 10,000 trained mobile...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Edie Lush about how to motivate change using storytelling, the inclusivity of the Sustainable Development Goals, purpose, profit, and so much more! Edie Lush is a British-American journalist & author, the executive editor of Hub Culture, a communication trainer and MC. She is co-host for the award winning Global Goals Cast podcast which tells the stories...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Gracelin Baskaran about development economics, the complexity of the sustainability polycrisis, mining, and making decisions at the margin! Gracelin is a consultant economist for the World Bank. She is a US-national with experience living and working in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. Gracelin is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Facult...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Ben Goldsmith about regenerative farming, politics (Common Agricultural Policy vs Environmental Land Management Scheme), beavers, bears, boars, awakening to the ecological collapse and, indigenous knowledge. Ben is the co-founder and CEO of Menhaden Capital, a London-listed investment trust with a focus on energy and resources. However, Ben has many other in...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to James Mwenda about hope & optimism, species conservation, poaching & the threat of extinction, education and, so much more! James is a member of the rhino unit team at @olpejeta Conservancy in central Kenya, where he and his teammates provide care and protection for the last northern white rhinos in existence. A 2018 recipient of the African Ranger o...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Aunnie Patton Power about impact investing, climate change, distributive ownership and, how to get involved with accelerators! Aunnie is the founder of Intelligent Impact, A firm working in technology for social impact advisory, and a university lecturer on Innovative Finance, Impact Investing and Technology for Impact.  Aunnie is also, an Entrepreneur-...

In this episode Olivia Taylor speaks to Wandile Sihlobo about inclusive growth, permaculture, land expropriation without compensation, and so much more!  Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity, and Agriculture.” He was appointed as a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Preside...