Our Common Future Conversation

Our Common Future (OCF) is a podcast that seeks to dive critically into the issues of our contemporary world in hopes to use the nuanced understanding to reimagine the future of the people, planet, and prosperity.

Every week, Shamir Shehab sits down with thinkers, makers, and leaders from across disciplines to have a multidisciplinary understanding of our world today. On this episode of the podcast, he sits down with Dr. Abdus Salam to explore the complex and terrifying world of air pollution, discuss the many forms and hazards of air pollution, its many shapes and nature, causes and consequences of air pollution, the state of air pollution in Bangladesh, and how we can combat the growing problem of air pollution in Bangladesh, and much more.

Dr. Abdus Salam is a Professor at the Chemistry Department of Dhaka University and a prolific researcher who has been working with different aspects of air pollution for the last twenty years. He has great expertise in the subject matter, having worked with a wide array of themes, research techniques, and methodology over a range of national and international research teams.

Show Notes:

[00:03:58] Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam introduces himself and shares his work on air pollution.

[00:04:40] Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam explains air pollution and how it works.

[00:09:00] Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam explains how different particles can cause harm to the human body.

[00:11:35] Discussion regarding air pollution in major cities of the world and Dhaka.

[00:15:58] Reasons for air pollution in Dhaka during winter and transboundary air pollution.

[00:19:05] Trends of air pollution over the years in Bangladesh.

[00:29:56] Seasonal air pollution in Bangladesh.

[00:37:10] Sources of air pollution in Bangladesh.

[00:44:48] The current state of air pollution in Dhaka.

[00:49:30] Impacts of air pollution on human health, climate and economy.

[01:01:12] How air pollution affects mental health.

[01:04:25] The way forward

[01:16:56] THE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 2019.

“Our Common Future Conversation” is hosted by Shamir Shehab, produced by Shamir Shehab and Ruhul Kader; the audio is edited and mixed by excellent Towhidul Islam Rafi; transcription by Ayushi Khan and transcription review by Saleh Md. Sadi and  Maliha. Special thanks to Bohubirhi from Shikho for technical support. OCF Conversation is a joint initiative of Future Startup and BYEI. You can listen to our whole conversation by following “Our Common Future Conversation” on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts and Future Startup website.

In this episode of the OCF Conversation, Shamir Shehab speaks with Kate Raworth about economic and planetary challenges and possible paths forward. Kate Raworth is a renegade economist focused on making economics fit for 21st century realities. She is the creator of the Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries, and co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab.

Her internationally best-selling book Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist has been translated into over 20 languages and has been widely influential with diverse audiences, from the UN General Assembly to Pope Francis to Extinction Rebellion. Kate is a Senior Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, where she teaches on the Masters in Environmental Change and Management. She is also Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Over the past 25 years, Kate’s career has taken her from working with micro-entrepreneurs in the villages of Zanzibar to co-authoring the Human Development Report for UNDP in New York, followed by a decade as Senior Researcher at Oxfam. She holds a first class BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and an MSc in Economics for Development, both from Oxford University. She is a member of the Club of Rome and currently serves on the World Health Organisation Council on the Economics of Health for All.

Kate has written extensively for media including The Guardian, The New Statesman, Newsweek.com, and Wired.com, and has contributed to many radio programmes including for BBC Radio 4, The World Service, ABC and NPR, as well as television including CNN World News, Al-Jazeera, BBC, ITV and CBC. The Guardian has named her as “one of the top ten tweeters on economic transformation”.

Show notes:

[00:02:27] Kate Raworth introducing her works and shares her inspiration behind Doughnut Economics

[00:05:43] Kate talks about being a renegade economist

[00:08:25] Planetary health in economics discussion

[00:11:49] are mainstream economic theories responsible for the crises we face?

[00:13:49] The problems in the way we teach economics

[00:16:52] GDP as a faulty growth measurement

[00:19:45] Kate explains the doughnut model

[00:21:56] Rethinking growth for the global south and low income countries

[00:30:11] Navigating institutions, unending growth and wellbeing governments

[00:35:14] Bhutan's approach to measuring economic progress

[00:36:41] Kate's though on institutional role and her experience as a part of the Human Development Report team

[00:43:31] Kate's three messages for today's youth for rethinking economy and the world

[00:49:00] Kate's recommended books [00:50:59] Doughnut Economics Action Lab and social media address

You can find full transcript here.