Planet: Critical

Alice Frecknall is a poet, short fiction writer and fine artist whose collection will be published with Outspoken Press later this year.

Alice joined me on the podcast to discuss artistry, language and the creative process. In this wonderful conversation, she highlights her journey from literature student to published poet, and delves into what being an artist and a writer means to her, and how the different mediums of her work continue to influence each other and evolve.

This is a beautiful discussion on that highlights just how remiss the world would be if we lost our Art and Artists. Ease in, and enjoy. You can also watch the full episode here.

You can also listen to the episode Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Alice’s website: www.alicefrecknall.com

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Are international groups that manage declining tuna populations doing too good a job? Two guests on our show this week illustrate how these managers aren't aiming for sustainability, but rather enable maximum extraction of the 'tuna resource' that graces peoples' dinner plates.

Author Jennifer Telesca calls the Atlantic bluefin tuna program one of 'managed extinction' while Mongabay staff writer Malavika Vayawahare discusses how the European Union controls the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna fishery to such a degree that developing nations like the Seychelles that actually border those waters enjoy too little benefit from the fish's formerly extensive population.

Telesca's book "Red Gold: The Managed Extinction of the Giant Bluefin Tuna" was published in 2020 and Vayawahare's two April articles for Mongabay elicited strong support from the nation of The Seychelles and a stern riposte from the EU:

• Red flag: Predatory European ships help push Indian Ocean tuna to the brink
• European tuna boats dump fishing debris in Seychelles waters ‘with impunity’

Are the allegations of a “neo-colonial” plunder of developing nations' resources  accurate? Should a small number of highly profitable industrial fishing companies be allowed to hunt iconic wildlife like bluefin tuna to extinction? 

Listen and let us know your thoughts, [email protected]

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonproft media outlet and all support helps!

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

This week I’m joined by the Stuart Bowman, creator of Satellite, a social network that puts decentralization and data ownership at the heart of its code.

Satellite is mind-bogglingly good. Simply put: it’s the answer to the Facebook problem—you know the one I mean. Built on the blockchain, Satellite prioritises authenticity, diversity and privacy, with an algorithm specially coded against echo-chambers.

I’m a Satellite convert since recording this interview a few weeks ago. To prove it, I’ve uploaded the video of this podcast episode to Satellite only. Watch my jaw drop 100 times during this conversation here. You can also listen to the episode Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Sign up to Satellite here. Be quick about it and you might still be able to claim your first name as your username (unless your name is Rachel; that ship has obviously sailed).

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This week I am joined by Adventure Hydrology, the twin duo on a journey to educate their audience to the wonders of the planet, and inspire them to help save it.

Using the lens of adventure, join Twin Brothers Chris & Ryan Wolff share stories about your world, inviting you to join them on a journey across our amazing planet. Experience what makes our world so amazing. Understand how it is changing. Learn how we all can help save it. Because the most dangerous world views are the world views of those who have never viewed the world.

Listen to the episode Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.

Subscribe to Adventure Hydrology on Youtube.

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Climate change & loss of biological diversity are just two of the 9 planetary boundaries scientists say humanity is currently pushing the limits of.

How long can we sustain society if we keep pushing these limits?

We explore this question -- and some leading solutions -- with two guests: Dr. Claire Asher is a freelance science communicator and author who joins us to discuss a recent article she wrote for Mongabay that describes the boundaries, the 4 we are already exceeding, and the opportunities we’ll have in 2021 to transform the way we live on this planet and restore equilibrium to Earth’s vital ecological systems, from sustainable design and agriculture to key international meetings.

"We don't have to give up the nice things to have a planet that is habitable, but we have to start to invest now," Asher says.

Then Andrew Willner discusses his recent Mongabay article “New Age of Sail” that would transform the global shipping industry, a major source of CO2 emissions that are shifting the climate. Willner shares how cutting edge technologies are deployed on ships right now to decrease their fuel consumption, including a number of modern types of sails that are once again harnessing the wind to power the ships moving our goods around the world.

Related reading:

• Claire Asher: The nine boundaries humanity must respect to keep the planet habitable
• Andrew Willner: New age of sail looks to slash massive maritime carbon emissions

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonproft media outlet and all support helps!

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Feedback is always welcome: [email protected].

Telekommunisten core member, Baruch Gottlieb, joins me to discuss data, democracy and economics on this week's podcast. He discusses how crypto can be used to code an inherent theory of value that prioritises human economies, and reveals Telekommunisten's latest crypto project, Haket.

Telekommunisten: http://telekommunisten.net/

Haket: https://haket.info

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.

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This week I am joined by acclaimed poet, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa to discuss poetry, joy and why young writers are challenging the archaic traditions of the literature world.

Safiya’s debut collection, The Inheritance, is forthcoming with Outspoken Press. Sign up to their mailing list to get it hot off the press.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.

Subscribe to receive episodes delivered straight to your inbox every week.

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonproft media outlet and all support helps! Supporting at the $10/month level now delivers access to Insider Content at Mongabay.com, too, please visit the link above for details.

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Feedback is always welcome: [email protected].

Ela Kagel, cofounder of Supermarkt Berlin, joins me to discuss economies: collaborative, caring and digital.

Supermarkt Berlin: www.supermarkt-berlin.net/

MoneyLab Berlin: www.moneylab-berlin.de/schedule/

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.

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'I'm amazed how resilient, adaptable and optimistic the people of Sumatra are,' conservationist and HAkA Sumatra founder Farwiza Farhan says in the first moments of this episode about the women and communities she works with during the final episode of Mongabay's special series on Sumatra.

The giant Indonesian island of course faces many environmental challenges, but there is also tremendous hope and good progress thanks to the work of people like her and educator Pungky Nanda Pratama, who also joins the show to describe how his Jungle Library Project & Sumatra Camera Trap Project are opening the eyes of the next generation to the need for protecting their fabulous natural heritage.

Host Mike DiGirolamo shares the effectiveness of their efforts, what they are hopeful for, their biggest challenges, and the role of grassroots organizing in protecting and revitalizing the land, wildlife, and people of Sumatra.

More about these guests' work:

• Farwiza Farhan: Women's Earth Alliance mentor & board member
• How one conservationist is sparking a ‘young revolution’ in Indonesia
• Saving Sumatran orchids from deforestation, one plant at a time

Listen to the previous 9 episodes of Mongabay Explores Sumatra via the podcast provider of your choice or find them at our podcast homepage here.

Episode artwork: Pungky with the biggest flower on Earth, Rafflesia arnoldii. Photo by Alek Sander.

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store and in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! Supporting at the $10/month level now delivers access to Insider Content at Mongabay.com, too, please visit the link above for details.

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Feedback is always welcome: [email protected].