Earth Matters

We are living on a compromised planet. Alongside acting to slow the pace of change, we have to adapt; and prepare for increasingly challenging conditions. Communities everywhere are already doing this, often independent of - and in spite of - the actions of their governments. On this show, and next month, I share some examples of community-led climate adaptation on this continent. You’ll hear how...

Food sovereignty is the ability to make informed choices about our food, to define our own food systems, and to access healthy, culturally appropriate food that is produced sustainably. Food sovereignty puts the needs of the people who produce and consume food at the heart of food systems, and is key to addressing the overlapping crises of climate, hunger and inequality.  On this show, you’ll hear...

Genocide and ecocide are not separate crimes — they are two sides of the same colonial system that has brought the planet to the brink of collapse. From the invasion of these lands to the global climate crisis, colonialism is an engine of ecocide. But Indigenous peoples, here and around the world, continue to resist — defending lands, waters, and all life. Because if the destruction of Country con...

Vicky Ellmore is an organiser from the Act on Climate initiative within Friends of the Earth Melbourne. Vicky joined us to chat about the need for climate adaptations,  and findings from recent research undertaken by Friends of the Earth. Find their  report about climate adaptation here. Aawa is from Kinglake Friends of the Forest (KFF), a volunteer community group committed to protecting native f...

Tackling Plastic Waste: Producer Responisibility + Plastic-Free July ‘…85% of Australians are hugely concerned about plastic pollution…We need our leaders to lead by example and show that the circular economy is possible…’ Birte Moliere, Packaging Campaign Lead, Boomerang Alliance This week Earth Matters speaks to Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of the Plastic Free Foundation and Plastic Free July an...

In this episode of Earth Matters, host Keiran Stewart-Assheton discusses the ongoing impacts that PFAS contamination has had on the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community, as well as a look at the broader impacts of PFAS globally.

In his introductory show, host Keiran Stewart-Assheton talks about his people's historic connecion to Beowa (Orcas) of the South Coast, and the impacts of the extractive whaling industry post-colonisation.

The food system accounts for about 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is commonly left out of discussions about the climate emergency. Over half of the land on this continent is used for agriculture, but rarely do we bring food and farming into landback discussions. As a climate solution, as a nexus of decolonisation, as a battleground for workers’ rights and more, food is so close, so...

Western hubris about water leads to really bad water policy - kate harriden  Australia’s First Peoples looked after the country’s waterscapes for millennia before colonisation brought Western ways that exclude their contribution. This week on Earth Matters Wiradyuri woman and indigenous water expert kate harriden from the Monash Sustainable Development Institute explains how educating settler soci...

Join the throng of Seed Savers with their small table stalls of free seeds and activities at the Canberra City Farm. Why save seeds? How to save seeds. Make a Seed bomb.  Guests:Arien MacVeigh; Founder; Canberra Seed Savers NetworkVarious Folk. Dave on Guitar.  Episode #1500 was produced by Bec Horridge on Ngnunawal and Ngambrii Country in Canberra.

Calls for national Moratorium on Seismic BlastingCommunities gathered in Warrnambool to call for an end to gas exploration in the Otway Basin and a national moratorium on seismic blasting to stop the damage being done to marine life and the marine environment. They want the recommendations of the Senate Inquiry into the Impact of seismic testing on fisheries and the marine environment implemented....

Restoring Democracy in the Disinformation Age Access to reliable, accurate information is essential for democracy. From misleading health advice to conspiracy theories, unchecked disinformation risks swaying elections, jeopardising ecosystems, and even inciting violence. In fact, the World Economic Forum ranks misinformation and disinformation the number one short-term threat to humanity and progr...

Trump politics, anti-woke rhetoric and Australian climate policy. Wilderness Society takes on Federal Minister for Environment ahead of election. As Trump shockwaves ricochet around the world, we ask how significant is the President’s election for future global climate change action? And how is the changing world order affecting the political appetite for climate action at home? In this episode of...

In the Northern Territory, communities are in the fight of their lives. The fracking industry is determined to expand operations, which have so far been exploratory, and begin to produce gas for commercial sale - as soon as this year. This poses serious threats to water security, cultural sites and climate, and has community advocates turning out to protect country and our future.  In the second p...

In what has been called a ‘transformational decade’ towards 2035 emissions reduction targets, this conversation explores how two underrepresented groups in climate change decision making, First Nations and settler women, can form innovative partnerships to amplify, while not conflating, First Nations and all women’s voices to support gender justice and self-determination to transform nation-buildi...

Today’s show is the first of two exploring fracking, one of the more controversial elements of the government’s ‘gas-led’ future roadmap. We hear from climate scientist and policy expert Dr Bill Hare, on why fracking poses a serious risk to our climate, and from Dr Monique Ryan, independent Member of Parliament for Kooyong and outspoken opponent of fracking. This episode was produced in collaborat...

Climate Fear in an Election Year As we prepare to hit the polls again this year, the major parties are scrambling to demonstrate their environmental credentials. Grassroots organisers are looking at what it will take to cut through the noise and mobilise voters for climate action. In this episode, we hear from grassroots campaigners who are mobilising for climate action. Speaking at a recent 350 c...

Have you been to a farmers’ market recently?  If so, you’ll know the great feeling that buying locally grown food and connecting with your community brings. You’ll also be contributing to something bigger. Localisation is a rapidly growing movement resisting globalisation through the rebuilding of place-based cultures, strengthening local communities, and reconnecting people with nature. It’s an a...

The founder of The Women’s Climate Congress (WCC) Janet Salisbury invites women of Australia, in all diversity, to come together in Castlemaine at the end of March, with other women to explore how women are leading a national and international paradigm shift to promote more rapid action on climate change based on compassion, kindness, and care for all life on Earth. The  Arid Lands Environment Cen...

Today we see inside one of Australia's longest-running environment organizations, the Gecko Environment Council on the Gold CoastTackling Council and State Government, this volunteer-based group has shaped the look of their skyscraper city and 50 kilometers of beachside suburbs. It is also trying to protect the Gondwana land magic of Springbok National Park from human impacts like illegal biking t...

Native Title and Nuclear Colonialism "The sacred sites we're protecting have been handed down to use from generation to generation... We're fighting to protect that country because that's where it all is... Our spirituality is out there, that's our church, our grocery shop, our butcher's, our pharmacy. Everything that we have been taught over all our lives is on country." - Aunty Sue Coleman-Hasel...

 As fires rage and temperatures exceed the 1.5-degree threshold, learning about environmental changes in Antarctica helps us understand what's happening. This week we speak to two women raising awareness about Antarctica’s crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate systems. In the first half of the programme acclaimed filmmaker and climate activist  Liz Courtney speaks about her documentary fi...

Indigenous rangers in the Kimberley have put metal turkey feeders filled with kangaroo pellets to help one of Australia’s rarest animals survive, after a devastating wildfire swept through its habitat. Thankyou to the World Wide Fund for Nature for audio. In the second half, Gurridyula is convincing telling why water is sovereign. Music: Gurridyula "Onamission" [edited for profanity] with permissi...

Time to meet Anjali Beames an 18 year old climate activist, co -coordinator of the Rising Tide caucus for People of Color, interviewed by Nicky Page from Radio Adelaide. “When People of colour shape what the movement looks like,it's not also just for the benefit of people of colour, but for the benefit of all marginalised identities and everyone in general"  Anjali Beames Hear about her involvemen...

Join the community at the Rising Tide Peoples Blockade of the ships that export coal and the climate crisis. Put on this life jacket, and you can paddle out with Bec and Tatt. It's safe to leave your luggage at the Knitting Nanas bag check.   Then meet a couple of mums who took their children to the Rising Tide protestival.  Hear why Jill got up at 4am. The stirring Yarrabar Performers bring this...