On Air with Zephyr

We are BACK for Season 2 for more conversations with leading experts in emissions, air quality and climate change.

COP28 was held in the UAE in November and December 2023.

The Conference of the Parties (or COP) are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties to assess progress in dealing with climate change.

COP28 will convene in the United Arab Emirates in November and December of this year. The conference serves as a possible (and crucial) chance to bring the world together to tackle the climate crisis.

Indigenous cultures and traditions are built upon sharing natural resources. Australia’s First Nations peoples have cared for Country for sixty-five thousand years with both innovative and traditional land management practices and play a crucial role in the ecosystems we all inhabit.

The impact of climate change can endanger the survival of indigenous communities both in Australia and worldwide. Indigenous people are and will be uniquely impacted by climate change and with unrivalled knowledge of the land, this must be included in the challenge of combatting climate change.

The idea of nuclear power in Australia has been hotly debated for decades. Today we’re going to talk about whether the new breed of nuclear power plants are part of the solution to the climate crisis and how air quality links into the nuclear energy discussion.

Methane is a greenhouse gas emitted from coal mines, oil and gas wells, landfills, wetlands and the agriculture sector. Methane emissions are the second largest contributor to climate change and it is more potent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2). This means there are potential “quick wins” in targeting methane reductions early in the decarbonisation process.

Satellite data of total-column methane concentration is being used to estimate methane emissions on a global scale. Recent media headlines suggest that methane emissions from the oil & gas and coal mining sectors could be underestimated.

Our pod today is going to explore satellites, methane measurement methods and the future of methane emissions.

December 2022 marked 70 years since the Great Smog of London which claimed 12,000 lives. This event lead to a significant change in air quality management and control and the emergence of the Clean Air Act of 1956. This month's guest, Dr Gary Fuller, talks about the Great Smog of 1952, amongst other things in his book 'The Invisible Killer: The Rising Global Threat of Air Pollution- and How We Can Fight Back'. This podcast revisits the Great Smog of London and the air quality progress that we've made since.

We are all aware that global emissions will need to be reduced to limit global warming below 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.

From late 2020 to the middle of 2022, the world experienced a triple La Nina which brought a record amount of rainfall to south-east Australia.

We are all aware of the impact that climate change is having across the world. The facts are there to see.