Think: Sustainability

Illegal logging is an immensely profitable global activity, linked to corruption, human rights abuses, criminal networks, and environmental destruction. So why is the federal government currently considering significantly weakening regulation that prevents the import of illegal timber? Speakers: Beatriz Garcia: Lecturer, Western Sydney University Lance Leslie: Professor, School of Mathematical and...

Scientists have warned we are facing another mass extinction event. The last one occurred over 65 million years ago, but due to global warming and human caused habitat loss, the next one is just around the corner. So what do we do when a species goes extinct? Are our efforts helping or making things worse? Speakers: David Bader, Communications Officer for Vaquita CPR Professor Michael Archer, Scho...

Naomi has spent the last two years living in a tent in regional New South Wales. But she's not a backpacker, she's not doing a roundhouse trip of the Australian countryside. Naomi is capturing cane toads and turning them into sausages. Presenter: Jake Morcom. Producer: Jake Morcom and Miles Herbert.

In April 2010, the largest environmental disaster in US history struck the Gulf of Mexico - the explosion of oil rig Deepwater Horizon. After burning for more than a day, Deepwater Horizon sunk taking with it 11 lives, costing oil major BP more than $40 billion and an onslaught of environmental damage still being felt today. Over the last seven years the blame game for who was responsible and liab...

It's one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, but no ones seems to be talking about it. And that's because a lot of us don't know that much about it. Dana Cordell from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney has spent the past decade researching phosphorus, what it is, what it does, why it's so important and how quickly we're running out of it....

We're on break this week while 2SER is in the middle of Supporter Drive. 2SER Radio is the station that makes Think: Sustainability and our two sister programs Think: Health and Digital Futures possible, however running a radio station doesn't come cheap. You can support the Think programs, 2SER and make a tax deductible donation by heading to 2ser.com/donate.

We're on break this week while 2SER is in the middle of Supporter Drive. 2SER Radio is the station that makes Think: Sustainability and our two sister programs Think: Health and Digital Futures possible, however running a radio station doesn't come cheap. You can support the Think programs, 2SER and make a tax deductible donation by heading to 2ser.com/donate.

Today on the show, the carbon footprint of data. On paper that sounds like a contradiction - how can a photo I post to Facebook be affecting the health of the planet? Well, it's not the post itself that's doing the harm, it's the technology that makes it possible. And it's these tech that live in places known as data centres. Speakers: Ella Barclay - Artist and Graduate Student in the Faculty of A...

The Great Barrier Reef has taught us much about marine ecology, but there's still so much we don't know. Do we have enough time to learn everything we can before the natural landmark is lost forever? Presenter: Jake Morcom. Producers: Miles Herbert and Jake Morcom.

Noise pollution is the only cardiovascular risk that can't be resolved by doctors or medications, it's purely up to the politicians. Speakers: Kirsten Parris - Associate Professor of Urban Ecology at the University of Melbourne. Thomas Muenzel - Chief in Caridology in the University Hospital in Mainz, Germany. Dino Pisaniello - Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health at the School of Pu...

The first recorded acid rain events date back to the 17th century, but it wasn't until the early 1970s that it became a huge problem. Today, while the global community seems focused on dealing with climate change, what's important about the story of acid rain is not only can it teach us how we can tackle global climate issues but also why we're so bad at doing it. Speakers: Derek Eamus - Professor...

On 26 November 2012, Australia's iconic Bondi Beach was closed as the crisp, blue coastline turned red. And although many likened the newly blood red waters to that written in scripture, it was in fact algae that was responsible for the beaches temporary pigmentation. Although not necessarily life threatening algal blooms as they're known can be harmful, as dangerous toxins can reside in the water...

Australia is in the middle of a debate about coal. The Queensland government is determined to expand its coal production. Indian billionaire Gautam Adani continues to gather support from politicians for his Carmichael Coal Mine in the Galilee Basin. There has been significant push back from scientists and citizens who know that coal production is the leading cause of CO2 emissions and a huge contr...

In 2015 Australia's Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews announced a plan to kill 2 million 'feral' cats in an effort to save the countries native species from extinction. More than two years on the feral cat population has not decreased. So are culling techniques an effective and humane way of population control? Producer/Presenter: Miles Herbert Speakers: Alex Vince: Animal Liberation...

You might already eat algae when you pick up a sushi roll. But it turns out algae may be a sustianable substitute for everything from Legos to surfboards to health products. Presenter/Producer: Miles Herbert Speakers: Dr Janice McCauley: Research Fellow, Climate Change Cluster at the University of Technology Sydney Judy Friedlander: Research Assistant, Institute for Sustainable Futures at the Univ...

We don't think about our waste once we flush the toilet. But will climate change and rising sea levels bring it back to our attention? Presenter/Producer: Miles Herbert

Where will you live when you're 65? Or perhaps you're retiring now, and you're thinking about your options? Cooperative living has come a long way since the hippy communes of the 1960s. It's a choice that's not only good for social wellbeing, but could be helping the environment too. Presenter: Jake Morcom. Producer: Jake Morcom, Lia Tsamoglou, Cheyne Anderson.

Between the 1960s and early 2000s, over 90% of Lake Chad has shrunk. Today, the lake provides water to over 68 million people in both Chad and Nigeria, and to the surrounding countries of Cameroon and Niger. But as water resources continue to dwindle, how long until Lake Chad is lost for good? Speakers: Danladi Yunana - Research Teaching Assistant at the Federal University Wukari, Nigeria. Dr Leig...

Last year, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates announced his foundation would donate 100,000 chickens to impoverished nations in an effort to help bring them above the poverty line. But with the Bolivian government already slamming the gesture calling it 'offensive', is the plan as feasible as Gates says it is? Producers: Miles Herbert, Jake Morcom, Lia Tsamoglou. Presenter: Jake Morcom.

Straws and plastic cups aside, how else might your beverage carry a carbon footprint? This week we meet up with the guys from Trolley'd, a bar venture hire with a sustainability ethos to talk how they make a good drink using only organic produce. Presenter: Jake Morcom. Producers: Cheyne Anderson and Lia Tsamoglou.

They're tailored to the bottom of your shoes, they line the coffee cup you drink from, they're even fixed to the outside walls of your home - how can we possibly escape a world that's dominated by plastic? Presenter: Jake Morcom. Producers: Jake Morcom, Lia Tsamoglou and Cheyne Anderson.

When Jason was living in New York, he knew the city inside out. Which 24 hour diners were the best for a 3am feed, which cafes had the best lattes. But due to rapid urbanisation, the city he once knew quickly began to change, which brought other complications along with it. Speakers: Jason Twill - Innovation Fellow in the Department of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technol...

Where many Australians have strong ties with the beach and coast, too comes the love-hate relationship we have with what lies beneath the water's surface. A new research project involving two researchers from the University of Technology Sydney could help identify sharks before they reach close to shore using an artificial intelligence drone technology. Producers and Presenters: Jake Morcom and Li...

As 2SER heads over to New York for the New York Radio Awards, we bring you the episode of Think: Sustainability that was nominated in the Environment and Ecology category. Why'd they name a fly after singing megastar Beyoncé? What do the sounds of small sea creatures say about the wellness of the ocean? And what does a sustainable house look like? Presenters: Jake Morcom and Ellen Leabeater. Produ...

Does steering off meat and turning to a leafy green diet lower the impact of our global carbon footprint? Hosted by Jake Morcom. Produced by Lia Tsamoglou.