Life on Planet A

For our final week of climate change Heidi and Bella take a dive underwater with Dr Alex Campbell to see whether there’s a blue solution to the climate crisis and... there is!  Seaweed and seagrass could be an unlikely hero in the battle against climatic change and not just because of carbon storage;  this slimy macroalgae is used in food, make-up, plastic-alternatives and so much more.  Through t...

Climate Change: an unlikely comedy? This week Heidi and Bella spoke with Australian comedian, performer and writer, Issy Phillips, about the intersection between climate change and comedy.  You'll come away with a barrel of laughs, plus a knowledge of: ASMR and how the heck is relates to climate change How we could use comedy to cope with climate anxiety How the media talks about climate chan...

Welcome to Wk 2 of our month on Climate Change: Facts, Denial and Solutions! This week, in honour or COP26 and net zero targets, Heidi and Bella spoke with Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at ANU. What you'll learn: What is COP26 and what pledges came out of it? What is Australia's net zero target and how do we plan to reach it...

What is the greatest human rights challenge of our time? and what are the solutions? For our final week of International Politics month, India and Heidi spoke with the inspirational Negaya Chorley , CEO of Results Australia. Results is an organisation dedicated to empowering women and girls around the world through providing everyone access to healthcare, knowledge and education.  You'll lear...

Icy landscapes on the largest desert on Earth, adorable fur seals, wind turbines on research bases... can you guess where we're travelling to this week? For our 3rd week of International Politics, Heidi and Bella learn all about Antarctic landscapes, governance and wildlife from PhD candidate and Antarctic researcher, Natasha Gardiner.  What we learnt: What's it really like to research i...

This week India & Heidi learn about 'the accountability trap' with Prof. Susan Park from the Sydney Environment Institute. What you'll learn: What incentives do states have to meet their agreed climate targets? (hint: not a lot) What happens if states don't meet these targets (hint: not a lot) What is the 'accountability trap'? How can we hold states responsible f...

Climate change, climate emergency, the climate crisis - so much talk about climate change but so little talk about other issues... like biodiversity. Why? This week Heidi, Bella and India spoke with Associate Professor Charlotte Epstein about biodiversity and why we need to be talking about it.  What you'll learn: In 1992 leaders from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro for 3 major co...

The final week of Australian Politics month has arrived!!  We are sad it’s over but we look forward to next month which is International Politics. In this Ep, Bella speaks with Australian Federal Liberal MP, Jason Falinski. Jason was elected the Member for Mackellar in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 Australian election. We spoke with Jason about: - What is the philosophy of th...

BONUS episode for week 3 of Australian Politics! This week Heidi and Bella spoke with PhD candidate, Bhiamie Williamson about Native Title and how we can strengthen ties with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; ties that have previously been severed by colonisation. What you'll learn: What is Native Title? What does it mean ? How is it granted? What is cultural burning and what...

For Episode 3 of Australian Politics month, Heidi and Bella spoke with the inspirational Dr Christine J Winter about intergenerational environmental justice theory, and more specifically... What is Intergenerational Environmental Justice (IEJ)? What is our relationship to nature? Time is a spiral of past, present and future in which, we are all connected. Why have some people lost their connection...

Week 2 of Australian Politics month has arrived!! On Ep #48 Heidi and Bella talk with Dean Bialek about Australia's role (or lack of) in the COP26 summit and in the global race to net zero carbon emissions. Dean is the Head of the International Politics Unit for the COP26 Climate Champions Team and is leading the development of renewable energy projects across Australia. We learnt: How do Aus...

EPISODE 47: Strong Indepdendent Women in Australian Politics with Zali Steggall. This week Heidi and Bella spoke with inspirational sportsperson, speaker and independent member of Australian Parliament, Zali Steggall . We discussed: - What was Zali's experience as a woman in Australian politics?  - What is the latest news on her climate action bill?  - What keeps Zali so motivated to push for...

Yes. According to many economists, climate change poses the biggest long-term threat to the global economy.  This week Heidi and Bella strapped on their economist hats to review our month on economy and understand: what is economic risk? what risk does climate change pose to the economy? how do we calculate such risk? (hint: DICE) is the Paris climate agreement useful or redundant? what can govern...

Let's talk CRYPTO. This week Heidi and Bella travel into the hyperverse, accompanied by guest and crypto-expert, Prof Barney Tan . Barney is an associate professor at the University of Sydney.  You'll learn: What is blockchain?  How do we 'mine' cryptocurrency? What effect does this mining have on the planet? If you want to know more about the cryptocurrency, the energy usage o...

It's hard to be optimistic about climate change with all that's going on at the moment, but this week's guest is able to do and can give us all the inspiration we need to keep fighting. This week we interview Tom Quinn, Head of Policy and Research at Beyond Zero Emissions . You'll learn: What is there to be optismitic about?  Australia has incredible opportunities for green job...

Guest: Maddy and Sophie from the podcast You're in Good Company We're jumping into Economics month with a collab episode! We're joining by the lovely, intelligent, smart and wonderful girls from You're In Good Company Podcast, Maddy and Sophie!  You'll learn: How do I even begin to invest? What should I know about a company before I invest? Where can I find information? Ho...

It's a busy time of year with COVID-19 lockdowns across the globe and Olympic news dominated our newsfeeds. In all this excitement you might've missed a few stories that we think are worth talking about. This week Bella and Heidi discuss the UNESCO World Heritage Commitee's  recent recommendation to add the Australian Great Barrier Reef to the 'in danger' list. The Austral...

This week Heidi and Bella spoke with ocean governance and marine debris researcher, Jordan Gacutan. Jordan is a PhD candidate at the University of NSW who is working closely with NGOs such as Tarangoa Blue to collect big data and identify the sources and sinks of plastic. What you'll learn from this episode: what is the source to sink pathway of marine debris? what is the role of NGOs and the...

This week Heidi and Bella discuss the pathways to the future, the non-plastic pathways to be exact. In this episode you'll learn: What is Plastic Free July about? What is biobased plastic? And is it always biodegradable? What are the best options we have for plastic alternatives? Incl. Loliware , B'zeos , Ecovative Design . Can we start wearing mushrooms and eating seaweed!? (and if yes,...

To kick off Plastic Free July we spoke with Life on Planet A's resident marine ecologist, Bella Charlesworth about all things plastic! We discuss the unlikely places where plastics have been found, as well on tips on how you can reduce the plastic you're using, wearing and chucking. Did you know you could be shedding plastics into the environment every time you wash your clothes? But wha...

Last week we traveled (virtually) to the Philippines to interview biologist and conservationist Jean Utzurrum about Seaspiracy; here's Part 2 of our chat! In this episode we learned: does the film over-dramatize the dangers of South East Asia? what struggles do conservationists go through (often daily) in South East Asia? should we stop eating fish? what positives are there to look to in the...

Chances are you've heard of the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, and you're probably also familiar with the controversy that came with it (if not, where have you been!?) Did the documentary make you question your actions? and everything you thought you knew about the fishing industry? Us too! But then we saw the mixed reviews appearing in the media and thought this was a dilemma we had to...

How would you debate with a climate change denier? This week Heidi and Bella will do it for you as they take on new personas to battle it out about the climate change debate. Heidi will play De Ny, a coal lobbyist and firm denier of climate change and Bella will be Cli Mate, climate scientist, and activist. Extra points if you spot the name puns!  Special guest appearances:  1. Shane Cornell discu...

Elsa has a degree in Geography and Sustainable development and is currently finalizing her Master's degree in Comparative Public policy.  Elsa is particularly interested in the relationship between political trust and political participation (their undergraduate thesis topic) as well as environmental politics, circular economy and different forms of governance, and the intersections of social...

The episode is out with Ryan Collins from Planet Ark. We discuss Circular economy and all things recycling! Timestamps: 2:50 - Planet Ark - Circular Economy Hub  3:17 - Introduction to Ryan 6:03 - Background on Planet Ark 8:18 - Recycling the Un recyclable  11:00 - Australasian recycling label 13:50 - Circular Economy  21:00 - Data and recycling 23:50- Will a circular economy solve our problems? 4...