Better Tomorrow Speaker Series

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is a member of parliament representing Te Tai Hauāuru on Aotearoa’s North Island, and she is co-leader of Te Pāti Māori, or the Māori Party. As an activist, executive, and elected official, Ms. Ngarewa-Packer has devoted her career to advancing public health, protecting the environment, and upholding Māori rights under the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the Treaty of Waitangi.

Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua is an award-winning author and professor of Indigenous politics at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She is a trustee at Kamehameha Schools. At UH, she leads Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao. 

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

In this episode we explore an awkward marriage between a sustainability paradise and a petrostate: Norway. 

If we were to conjure images of a modern green utopia – innovative cities coexisting with natural landscapes, visionary architecture topped with green rooftops and solar panels, ecological sustainability fused with techno futurism – we’d most likely be imagining a place that already exists: Norway. 

A country known for its breathtaking fjords, generous social services, and recent world cup fame, Norway is also internationally renowned for its ambitious climate adaptation and mitigation policies. More than 90% of the electricity in the country is generated by renewable sources, and Norway is a global leader in zero-emission vehicles. What remain aspirational carbon-neutral targets in most countries, Norway has already achieved. 

But here is the glaring contradiction: Norway’s green transition is substantially funded by oil and gas. 

Norway is the largest oil exporter in western Europe and a global super power in natural gas production. The fossil fuel industry accounts for roughly a fifth of the country’s GDP and its proceeds cover roughly a quarter of government expenditures. And while the rest of the world faces oil supply crises following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and President Trump’s war in Iran, Norway profits from increasing international demand for fossil fuels. 

In today’s episode, we are joined by climate journalist Ingerid Salvesen to break down this Norwegian Paradox. In addition to highlighting Norway’s environmental virtues and contradictions, we discussed the challenges facing climate journalists everywhere. How does one communicate the seriousness of the climate crisis without creating cynicism and overshadowing small victories? And how can journalists remain impartial while still advocating for scientific solutions?

Join us to discuss this highly particular and paradoxical climate case study with Dr. Ingerid Salvesen in her hometown of Oslo, Norway. 

Ingerid Salvesen is a journalist and researcher based in Oslo, with a long career in writing and environmental policy. She earned her Master’s from the Centre for Development and Environment at the University of Oslo, and has studied at Oslo University College, the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She is currently a scholar in climate journalism at Oslo Met University and a journalist at the Sunstone Institute. 

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

Production assistance: Oslo Metropolitan University, University of Hawai'i Center for Language & Technology.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

In this fascinating conversation, ocean physicist Helen Czerski explores the ocean not as an empty void, but as a dynamic “blue machine” that powers Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and even human civilization. Speaking from Hawaiʻi — a place where the ocean shapes culture, identity, and daily life — Czerski explains the hidden physics behind waves, currents, salt, sound, bubbles, and ocean circulation.

The discussion moves from Greenland sharks and whale communication to phytoplankton, concrete, climate change, and the astonishing complexity of marine ecosystems. Along the way, Czerski reflects on Hawaiian voyaging traditions, Hokuleʻa, and the relationship between scientific knowledge and Indigenous navigation.

Blending science, storytelling, curiosity, and wonder, this episode reveals why understanding the ocean is essential not only for confronting climate change, but for appreciating the living systems that make our world possible.

Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski is a professor of mechanical engineering at University College London, a science presenter for BBC documentaries, and co-host of Rare Earth on BBC Radio. She is the author of The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World.

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. His book, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, won the John Kenneth Galbraith Award. 

Producer: Willow Hutchison 

Sound Engineer: Leandro Nuckols

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The common belief that cities must compete for corporate investment is deeply flawed, Schragger contends. Instead of chasing stadiums and corporate HQs with tax breaks and giveaways, cities are most effective when they invest in people, infrastructure, and essential services.

Rich Schragger is a legal scholar and author of City Power. A Harvard Law graduate and former Harvard Law Review editor, he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals and has taught at leading institutions including Columbia, NYU, and the University of Chicago. 

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. His book, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, won the John Kenneth Galbraith Award.

Production: Willow Hutchison

Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

David Myers and Hussein Ibish discuss the savagery of the Gaza war, the destabilization and realignment in the larger region, prospects (however dim) for lasting peace, political polarization in the United States, as well as their own personal journeys toward mutual understanding. 

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is a weekly columnist for The National (UAE) and Now Media, and a monthly contributing writer for The International New York Times. 

David N. Myers is Distinguished Professor of History and holds the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA.

Production: Willow Hutchison

Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

Pitt Professor Annette Vee discusses how AI is reshaping writing pedagogy in higher education, moving beyond dystopian fears to focus on what faculty can actually do in the classroom. Drawing on her work in rhetoric and literacy, Vee examines where AI can support student learning—particularly in research and revision—and where it risks undermining intellectual development, especially when introduced too early in the writing process.

The conversation addresses practical concerns such as assignment design, AI-resistant pedagogy, student perceptions of fairness, and the importance of cultivating critical AI literacy, while also engaging larger questions about authorship, expertise, and the social purpose of writing. Ultimately, Vee suggests that AI forces educators to confront foundational issues: how students learn to think, how they develop voice, and whether writing remains central to human connection in an age when machines can generate fluent prose.

Dr. Annette Vee (University of Pittsburgh) is an expert in computer and programming literacies in the field of rhetoric and composition, and has published on the history of the Basic programming language; how blockchain technology affects rhetorics of trust; and how computational algorithms that write and read are affecting human writers and relationships. Her current work investigates how computers write for humans, especially through generative AI. 

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and Director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

Production: Willow Hutchison

Editing: Amika Matteson

Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer

Original Music: Will Watson

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

Taxes often make people’s eyes glaze over—but they shape nearly every aspect of our lives. 

In this episode, we unpack how tax policy influences inequality, public services, and the future of Hawai‘i. Featuring insights from advocates, economists, and lawmakers, the conversation explores everything from minimum wage and tax credits to wealth taxes and housing affordability. 

We dig into who really benefits from current tax systems, why the wealthy often pay less proportionally, and what reforms could create a more equitable, livable, resilient society. Along the way, we wrestle with the challenges of policy design, as well as enforcement and evasion, where good intentions sometimes collide with reality. Despite the challenges, our guests urge us to think of taxes as a reflection of our values and to think more about what they can do to make the world better.

Tina Grandinetti was born and raised on Oʻahu and serves in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives for District 20.

DW Gibson is an author of several books, including the award-winning The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification.

Will White serves as the executive director of Hawaii Appleseed.

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.

Production: Willow Hutchison

Editing: Amika Matteson

Recording and Sound Editing Assistance: Adeel Meer

Original Music: Will Watson

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The Trump administration is a torrent of provocations, policy changes, budget cuts, culture wars, and now, real wars. But how do you separate what really matters from all the noise? 

In this episode DW Gibson and Robert Perkinson sit down with political scientist Colin Moore to discuss immigration, foreign policy, higher education, and the state of American democracy.  In reviewing the first year of Trump’s second term, they try to map out a path through the next three years.

Political scientist Colin Moore is a political scientist with the University of Hawaii Economic and Research Organization (UHERO) and a political commentator for KITV. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard and previously held fellowships at Yale and UC Berkeley.

DW Gibson is an award-winning author and journalist, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Harper's Magazine. He’s now executive producer of podcasts and multimedia at Hawaii Public Radio.

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

Production Assistance:

Willow Hutchison

Sound Engineering:

Adeel Meer

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss

The conversation dives into topics like climate change, feminism, and political resistance, emphasizing that the biggest barriers to progress are often cultural and narrative—not technical. 

Writer and historian Rebecca Solnit is the author of 25+ books on feminism, history, and hope, including Men Explain Things to Me. A Guggenheim Fellow and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, she writes for Harper’s and The Guardian and is the Fall 2025 Dai Ho Chun Chair in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters.

Interviewer

Robert Perkinson is an associate professor of American Studies and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

Videography and Audio Recording

Greeneye Productions

Production Assistance:

Willow Hutchison

Sound Engineering:

Adeel Meer

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Learning Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. It is administered by the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters and in cooperation with the UH Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/uh_btss