Earth Matters

Western hubris about water leads to really bad water policy - kate harridenAustralia’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 (link is external) from the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (link is external)...

Follow the Money. Use “Market Forces” to go Fossil FreeMarket Forces provides free independent research and analysis online, assisting people who want to learn more about making their superannuation and banking fossil-free. It is a small group with a big impact, driving the shift away from fossil fuels towards ethical, climate-responsible investment in clean energy. Brett Morgan, the Australian Ca...

Israel's miltary annihilation of Gaza and the Palestinian population has been described as the world’s first live-streamed genocide. While the horrific loss of human life and catastrophic humanitarian conditions imposed on Palestinian people have dominated mainstream media output, other crises are also unfolding.  This week’s episode of Earth Matters explores the ongoing destruction of Palestinian...

How do we tell stories about a world in climate crisis?  What is the role of writers and storytellers at this critical ecological time? And do the narratives we tell drive climate action or exacerbate the doom and gloom? This week on Earth Matters we hear from two Australian climate advocates grappling with these very questions.   Gen Z millennial Connie Gamble is a Masters student of Public Polic...

On today’s show, we hear from two first nations advocates from the frontlines of the climate battle. They touch on climate change impacts in their communities; their fight to protect Country, and why First Nations voices must be front and centre.  Rosaline Parker is a Pasifika advocate and cultural consultant based in Western Sydney. Her work includes empowering young pacific leaders to engage in...

This episode of Earth Matters investigates the toxic legacy of waste on stolen Aboriginal land, from the radioactive scars of nuclear testing and uranium mining to the invisible spread of PFAS “forever chemicals” in our waterways. Drawing on stories from Maralinga, Kakadu, and the Blue Mountains, and with a personal reflection on Wreck Bay, the program explores how contamination doesn’t just harm...

Georgia and Angel from Seed introduce Australia’s indigenous youth climate action movement, their activities, and strategic plan for the next three years and goals to:to ban fracking in the Kimberley,a ban on fossil fuels across the continent,a significant presence at COP31 train 500 young peopleand more !Donate here  to help Seed achieve its goals

This week on Earth Matters we put the spotlight on the devastating South Australian algal phenomena that is rocking communities and scientists. While the causes of the bloom are becoming clearer, there are many unknowns, making the future difficult to predict. Ngarrindjeri elder Derek Walker is among the many facing uncertainty arising from the bloom. He is a sustainable fisherman harvesting kutis...

Dr Radha Wagle started life caring for goats in a Nepalese village.  She tells her story, how she came from there to lead Nepal's delegation in international climate negotiations. Radha somehow manages to find humour in  the  challenges women face in leadership roles within environmental sectors. Sophie Hardefeldt talks about the need for feminist system change to ensure women's voices are heard a...

Earth Matters presents local, national and international grassroots perspectives on environmental concerns and broadcasts weekly to a national audience since 1996. In this episode, host Keiran interviews Manju from the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance and discusses the importance of the upcoming annual ANFA conference. Links mentioned in show:https://australianmap.netwww.foe.org,au/anfa_donatehttp...

 "So we refuse that idea that we can accept any forms of gender-based violence and any forms that kill ourselves, other species and the living planet." Noelene Nabulivou, Pacific Islands Feminist Alliance for Climate Justice Fiji Every day around the globe women are protecting and defending human rights and nature. At the recent Global Women's Assembly for Climate Justice (link is external) grassr...

It’s been three months since we sent a clear message at the ballot box: climate action matters. In the lead-up, communities fought hard, running creative actions, countering fossil fuels propaganda and mobilising people to have impactful conversations.  In this episode, we hear stories from the frontlines of the energy election, about what unified communities in the fight for renewables. We need t...

"So many different voices” is about the ways that we bring diverse voices into all the roomsFive speakers representing student women, rural women, First Nations women, women with disabilities, and older women share their experiences of how to bring these marginalized voices into climate discussions, negotiations, and decisions to achieve better outcomes. Conference participants from the Victorian...

Australia’s most prolific killer isn’t a mining company or a bulldozer — it’s the common cat. Feral and domestic cats are responsible for over 2 billion native animal deaths every year, pushing species to extinction and decimating ecosystems across the continent. In this hard-hitting episode, Keiran Stewart-Assheton exposes the scale of the cat crisis, busts myths about pet cats, and lays down a n...

Climate change is upon us. We are the first responders. How will we keep each other safe? How will we meet our needs? Who gets to have a say? These questions, and many others, are being tackled by everyday people in the movement for climate adaptation. In their stories is a wealth of inspiration, as well as crucial knowledge for an increasingly pressing project.  If you, along with me, and three q...

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.