Planet Beyond

TreVaughn Ellis is a recent graduate of American University, and winner of the Scott A. Bass Outstanding Scholarship Award. During his studies, he interned as a researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of NOAA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in Alaska.

In this episode, he describes his research in Alaska, where he studied lampreys and their parasites, bringing new light to the relationship between these fish and other commercially and culturally important species, such as cod and salmon. 

He is an advocate for greater scientific research of many of the ocean’s understudied co-dependencies if we are to save it, and with it, the livelihoods of many coastal communities that rely on the health of our ocean.

He also discusses his involvement with the not-for-profit group Black in Marine Science. He describes the loneliness of working in a largely white field of research, the one tweet from Dr Tiara Moore that led to the formation of the network, and what it has done to give voice and connection to Black marine scientists.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Young people have the most to lose from climate change, but are not given a voice or a vote in how the crisis is tackled. In this episode, Jon Baston-Pitt speaks to three young women, Raina Ivanova, Chloe McKenna and Paula Garcia Rodriguez, who are taking action to make sure their voices—and those of their peers—are heard. 

Chloe and Raina are members of Heirs to our Oceans (H2OO), and Paula is a member of the ECOPs programme. While Raina and Chloe are completing an undergraduate degree and a masters, respectively, they both have long careers of engagement and organising behind them.

Raina is a member of Children Versus Climate Crisis and an environmental advocate. Chloe is a National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation education consultant for the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and co-founder of the Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador Programme.

Paula developed her focus on sustainability as she completed her MSc in Governance of Sustainability at Leiden University. Now a participant in Fugro’s international leadership track, she also volunteers as a Water Quality Officer with the Surfrider Foundation Netherlands. At Fugro, Paula continues to pursue her interest in ocean health and ocean science. She works closely with Government Accounts Director for the Americas, David Millar, and Louis Demargne, who is currently on secondment from Fugro as Data & Knowledge Management Officer at IOC/UNESCO. 

In this episode they describe the obstacles youth face in contributing to humanity’s response to climate change. They describe their own work on climate change, and the work they do to give voice to others.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guests

Raina Ivanova, undergraduate student, Geography, University of Hamburg.

Chloe McKenna, masters student, Marine Systems and Policies, University of Edinburgh

Paula García Rodríguez, Ocean Sciences Programme Support Manager, Fugro International Leadership Track,

Resources

H2OO has prepared a Guide to Organising a Youth Advisory Council for The UN Ocean Decade.

In this Planet Beyond episode hosted by Jon Baston-Pitt, experts Irina Mirkina from UNICEF, Marek Kowalkiewicz from QUT Business School, and Pawel Michalak from Fugro discuss the future of AI and its wide-ranging impact on society. Beyond just language models, like ChatGPT, they highlight its role in disaster management, climate modelling, and decision-making processes.

In the last shortcast we heard about the environmental impact of building and running large AI models, however this episode explores how it will, in the near future, impact on our physical world. Irina Mirkina brings attention to global challenges like climate change and digital inequality, emphasising UNICEF’s efforts to equip future generations with responsible AI skills.

Marek Kowalkiewicz points out its long history of integration into everyday life and its current evolution towards generative AI. Pawel Michalak shares practical examples of AI in action, demonstrating its use in autonomous data processing for subsurface mapping and sustainable infrastructure projects. 

They also explore AI’s potential in predictive analytics for disaster preparedness and improving water access in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. The discussion also touches on ethical concerns such as data privacy, transparency, and the responsible deployment of AI. While the guests all view the worst, most dystopian outcomes of AI as exceedingly unlikely, they do stress the importance of balanced progress that benefits society while managing potential risks.

Host 

Jon Baston-Pitt

Guests

Irina Mirkina, AI Lead, UNICEF

Marek Kowalkiewicz, Professor at QUT Business School

Pawel Michalak, Global Director of Innovation, Fugro

In this Planet Beyond Shortcast, host Jon Baston-Pitt delves into the environmental costs that come along with the transformative potential of AI. Training and serving AI models requires vast amounts of energy, and water used in cooling server farms.

Jon is joined by Merouane Debbah, AI researcher, professor at Khalifa University and senior advisor at the Technology Innovation Institute. Debbah explains the revolutionary potential AI has in areas such as space exploration, potentially paving the way for human colonies on Mars. 

However, AI comes with major environmental costs, with estimates suggesting AI energy consumption could reach 1,000 TWh by 2026, equal to the annual electricity consumption of Japan. While AI companies face economic constraints through the cost of powering and cooling AI systems.

Debbah stresses the importance of a more holistic approach to AI development, considering the entire lifecycle of AI systems and their energy sources. Debbah also highlights the need for innovative and sustainable energy solutions that can be built alongside AI projects. 

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guest

Merouane Debbah, Professor Director of 6G Research Center, Khalifa University of Science and Technology

Photo credit: flickr | Hansecom

In this final episode of our International Partnering Forum miniseries, we explore how the dynamic American offshore wind industry is attracting a passionate and diverse workforce of young professionals eager to tackle climate change and make a difference.

Jon Baston-Pitt is joined by Samantha Mullen from RWE, Sarah Schwitzer from PEAK Wind, and Darcy Caja and Margarita McInnis from Fugro, who share their personal journeys and motivations. Additionally, we hear from Oceantic Network’s Next Wave attendees about what the industry has to offer.

In this episode our guests discuss the importance of early industry exposure, networking, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. They hope their stories inspire and guide listeners in their pursuit of a meaningful and impactful career. 

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guests

Samantha Mullin, Implementation Manager, RWE

Sarah Schweitzer, Senior Consultant, PEAK Wind

Darcy Caja, Proposal Manager, Fugro

Margarita McInnis, Business Development Manager, Fugro

Photo credit: © Fugro 2020 | Photographer Paul Barendregt

At night on May 24, 2024, a devastating landslide hit the village of Yambali, in Papua New Guinea. It took a week for rescuers to just reach the site, with heavy rain, poor roads, and ongoing conflict hindering access. The same factors have made the scale of the devastation hard to assess, but reports suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost their lives.

In this episode, we talk to two experts from Hong Kong on the risks landslides pose, and how they can be avoided. Jonathan Hart, of consultants GeoRisks Solutions, has been based in the territory since the late 1990s, and has worked on assessing slope stability around the world. He has worked in Papua New Guinea, and shares his experience of the vulnerable conditions that many in the country face. 

But Papuans are not alone in facing these risks. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. For much of the 20th century, it grew within tight constraints. With almost every inch of flat ground used, apartments and homes were built on steep slopes. And a series of terrible landslides have taken many hundreds of lives here too.

Jonathan is joined by Jesse Tam, associate director for Fugro in the territory, to discuss how, over decades, local regulators and industry experts have devised methods to assess the stability of slopes during project planning, and to mitigate the risks of landslides on older buildings. Landslides do not care for wealth or social class, and the lessons learned in Hong Kong are as important to anyone building an opulent hillside mansion, as they are to those struggling for a safe home in informal settlements.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt

Guests

Jonathan Hart, Director, GeoRisk Solutions

Jesse Tam, Associate Director, Fugro 

The Planet Beyond team has been recording live from the International Partnering Forum (IPF) 2024 in New Orleans. In this episode, host Jon Baston-Pitt is joined by three prominent women leaders in the offshore wind industry in the Americas: Liz Burdock from Oceantic Network, Jennifer Cullen from Vineyard Wind, and Celine Gerson from Fugro.

The guests highlight the significant contributions of women leaders in shaping the industry as we see it today, and how there is a long road ahead to increase on the 21% of women who currently work in the industry. They share the benefits achieved by fostering a diverse workforce, and discuss the industry’s evolving landscape. 

We learn how the insights and experiences of that diverse workforce are driving innovation and community engagement, and why they advocate for a collective approach between government, academia and commercial organisations in offering career development programmes to build a strong pipeline of talent if the industry is to achieve the goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030. 

Join us to hear how these women are inspiring the next generation and shaping the future of offshore wind.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guests

Celine Gerson, President and Group Director for the Americas, Fugro

Liz Burdock, President and CEO, Oceantic Network

Jennifer Cullen, Director of Labor Relations and Workforce development, Vineyard Wind

In this episode of Planet Beyond, host Jon Baston-Pitt speaks with Richmond Quarcoo, founder and director of Plastic Punch. Richmond shares the origins of Plastic Punch, which began after discovering sea turtles tangled in plastic waste along the beaches in Ghana. The organisation uses citizen science to address marine litter and inspire behavioural change. One key initiative is beach cleanups, which not only help protect turtle nesting sites but also collect data on the sources of pollution. This data is used to identify and hold accountable the companies responsible for producing the plastic waste.

Richmond discusses the limitations of recycling, arguing it has not proven to be an effective solution to plastic pollution. Instead, Plastic Punch emphasises reduction and reuse, encouraging community members to adopt sustainable practices like using reusable bottles and bags. The organisation is also developing innovative packaging solutions from vegetable fibres and promoting water dispensing machines to reduce plastic bottle usage. Richmond highlights the importance of redesigning products and collective action to combat transboundary pollution and protect the ocean.

Tune in to hear more about Plastic Punch’s inspiring work and their approach to tackling the plastic pollution crisis through community engagement, data-driven advocacy, and innovative solutions. Richmond’s insights underscore the need for systemic change and collective responsibility in preserving our oceans.

Host 

Jon Baston-Pitt

Guests

Richmond Quarcoo, Co-founder & executive director, Plastic Punch

How will innovation impact the future of the offshore industry?

In this fourth episode of the Planet Beyond IPF mini-series, recorded live at the IPF conference in New Orleans, we discuss the cutting-edge innovations shaping the burgeoning offshore wind industry in the US.

Jon Baston-Pitt is joined by guests Deanne Hargrave of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Chad Pastor of Fugro to explore the unique challenges faced, from navigating complex seabed conditions to evolving government regulations, and how innovative solutions such as VirGeo and Innomar deep-36, are addressing these hurdles.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guests

Deanne Hargrave, Geoscience Manager, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind

Chad Pastor, Applied Technologies Manager, Fugro

In this final episode of our Ocean Decade mini-series, released on World Oceans Day, we focus on the last of the Barcelona conference’s five plenary sessions, Resources and partnerships for the Ocean Decade. 

In the plenary, Alfredo Giron moderated a panel discussing collaborations in support of the Decade’s goal of promoting ‘the science we need, for the ocean we want’. In recordings from the session, we learn how the World Bank, the French ocean research institute IFREMER, and UNEP, the UN Environment Programme, are working to nurture a sustainable and equitable blue economy. 

The plenary was joined by Barbara Karuth-Zelle, COO of Allianz, the largest insurer in the world, and the largest financial services company in Europe. Barbara joined Alfredo in the studio with Jon Baston-Pitt to tell us how the insurer is supporting small NGOs and startups working on ocean health, including Plastic Fischer, Sea Shepherd, and Enaleia.

We also hear from one of the conference’s organisers, Alison Clausen, of IOC-UNESCO, who described the development of the Barcelona statement, and its key recommendations. Finally, we hear from Vidar Helgeson, Executive Secretary of the IOC-UNESCO, who called on conference attendees—and the international community—to work together to fill the science and knowledge gaps that limit effective policy making; to build, expand and sustain the infrastructure needed for fulfilling these knowledge gaps; and to create a shift in the way that policy and decision makers can co-design scientific research initiatives, so that the knowledge is produced in a timely, relevant way and put to use.

Host

Jon Baston-Pitt, Fugro

Guests

Alfredo Giron, Head of Ocean Action Agenda, World Economic Forum

Barbara Karuth-Zelle, COO, Allianz

Alison Clausen, Deputy Global Coordinator, UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable

Development Programme, IOC-UNESCO

Also featured

François Houllier, Director General, IFREMER

Susan Gardner, Director, Ecosystems Division, UNEP

Sylvia Michele-Diez, Senior Environmental Specialist | PROBLUE Manager, The World Bank

Vidar Helgeson, Executive Secretary, IOC-UNESCO