Soil Matters

Angela Gallego-Sala joins us in this episode to discuss their peatland research. This episode is being on International Bog day which is on the 24th July. Angela is a professor at the University of Exeter and is a specialist in peatlands. Angela is working to understand why peatlands form in certain places and other places not and is working towards improving the mapping of peatlands globally. Peatlands are wet, carbon rich ecosystems where dead plant material, or OM, is not given the opportunity to break down. For this reason, peatlands store large amounts of carbon and even play a role regulating the Earth’s climate.

SPOILER ALERT: Angela expects that peatlands may expand with human-induced climate change because this is what we’ve witnessed under previous periods of climate warming.

We also discuss the implications that accompany protecting peatlands from agricultural land use in developing countries with widespread poverty. Angela is also a member and organiser of C-PEAT - an international consortium of peatland scientists, attended the COP26 in Glasgow to contribute to the Peatland Pavillion. Angela also contributes to PAGES, an international palaeoclimate research group.

Soil Matters respectfully acknowledges all indigenous peoples connected to the soils and lands across this planet. We particularly offer respect to the elders past, present, and emerging that are, have been, or will be caretakers of peatlands.

Angela Gallego-Sala:

https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/tropeacc/team/angela-gallego-sala/

https://geography.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Angela_Gallego-Sala

This is a queer coming of age story about Jacq's journey into weed and women. The Northern Ireland peatlands are the backdrop during this defining journey and we discuss the role of their home soil, these beautiful and windswept landscapes.

Jacq Doherty is a local expert in cannabinoid edibles around Amsterdam. The pilgrimage to become the head baker of weed edibles has been inseparable from their inner and outer journey exploring queer women.

Amsterdam coffee shop recommendations:

Yeah the Otherside

Coffeeshop Amsterdam

This episode was recored on Friday 7th May 2021 at radiopatapoe.nl

In this episode I interview Stefanie Wells. Stephanie wells is a champion of Sextinction Rebellion, working in the Erotic Department of Extinction Rebellion Amsterdam. As well as being a hardcore climate activist, Stefanie Wells is a fabulous anti-fashion-designer from the Netherlands. We speak about the XR erotic calendar that has been produced for 2022. In this episode, Stefanie gives us a how-to on how to become an anti-fashion-designer and we touch on ways to make trash fabulous.

This episode was broadcast live on radiopatapoe.nl on 5th November 2021 from Nieuwland.cc.

We are in the lead up to the 26th Conference Of the Parties. The aim of COP26 is to produce a text outlining what happens next in regards to climate change.

The previous major meeting in Paris, led to the Paris Climate Accord; the strongest, firmest international climate agreement ever.

The good news: The corporate world, governments, and civil society generally agree that climate change is happening and that we need to do something about it. More countries have net zero emissions targets than ever before. Price of renewables are decreasing.

The bad news: It is unlikely that we will move fast enough to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

The 5 main points at COP26:

1. Coal must go. To give up coal, we need to decarbonise the world economy before 2050. and asap. Targets need to be turned into policies.

2. The carbon pricing system must evolve. Multilateral Development Banks (MDB) play important roles.

3. Rich countries caused the damage. The question of who pays remains largely unanswered.

4. Recognise that vulnerable countries need help transitioning and adapting.

5. Investments in adaptation must increase.

The COP26 World Bank Meeting emphasised 4 main financial actions:

1. Pricing carbon. We must shift from $3/tonne today to $75/tonne in 2050.

2. more fiscal investment in green transformation - urban development, water management

3. recognise vulnerable communities/countries that need help.

4. prioritise adaptation in those countries who are heavily impacted but have contributed very little.

Climate related investments are increasing but are tiny. 1/4 of 1% of total investment flows. More commitments regarding finance dedicated to climate action are needed. More funding needs to be being allocated to adaptation. We must accelerate financing aligned with the Paris Agreement policies.

Featured audio recordings: 1. Cassetteboy - Cameron's Conference Rap, 2. Connect4Climate & Greta Thunberg, Greta Thunberg full speech at UN Climate Change COP24 Conference, 3. Display Homes, Climate Change, 4. Berlin Guardian News & Greta Thunberg, Fridays for Future: climate protests kick off with Greta Thunberg in Berlin Guardian News

The IPCC Assessment Report 6 (AR6) Working Group I (WGI) report was published last month. The first assessment report (AR1) was published in 1990. WGI reports the Physical Science Basis and will be followed by Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (WGII), and Mitigation of Climate Change (WGIII). AR6 WGI delivers this report with much higher urgency.

I outline 3 key messages, followed by the 17 key scientific points. For the die hards out there, I  read out the second half of the Summary for Policy Makers (having read the first half in an earlier live episode).

KEY MESSAGES:

1. Climate change is measurable and has been observed.

2. Induced levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly CO2, will cause a threat to human way of life and the biosphere.

3. Reductions of GHG are needed to reduce the impacts and risks of future climate change.

SCIENTIFIC POINTS (1st 5 of 17):

1. Climate change is more visible and is increasing intensity, more than expected and indicated in earlier assessment reports.

2. Natural variability influences extreme events. We are now seeing more extreme events.

3. There is now more water vapour in the atmosphere. This has led to more flooding.

4. Current warming has already increased cyclone, hurricanes, and tropical storms.

5. Reducing GHGs and decreased deforestation are necessary.

Thank you all for listening!

This episode was broadcast live on radiopatapoe.nl on Friday 1st October 2021.

Erica (ADM's Green Ass Garden), Samantha (SharesGarden Community, De Luwte, Rijkshemelvaartdienst), and Shoko (GreenTribe) share their tips and tricks of a successful squatted community garden. We digest, compost, and decompose experiences in squatted Amsterdam gardens.

In our rainy, summerless, sunless, Amsterdam environment; in our city where the rich peat soils have been converted into building sites and rubbish tips, these abandoned building sites and rubbish tips are our homes and our backyards, and are the alternative to industrial agriculture, neo-techno-pharmaceutical medicines, and carcinogenic-containing cosmetics.

We discuss techniques, what works well, and what doesn’t work so well. If you’re already an active gardener, you can learn some new tips and if you don’t yet garden, you’re going to be motivated to get those hands and feet dirty.

This discussion was broadcast live from the Green Tribe by radiopatapoe.nl on Sunday 17th September 2021 as part of Amsterdam's Culterele Stelling Open Dag. Photo by Danielle Oilfairy.

Two-Spirit genders & urban herb foraging 

with Bear Silver (he/they), and masharu (they/them)

We began this episode by asking Bear about what it was like to live as a queer person on Paiute Shoshone reservation.

How I describe Two-Spirit:

Two-Spirit is a modern, umbrella term that unites diverse and distinct gender roles and responsibilities that are culturally embedded in some Indigenous cultures. For some Indigenous peoples, Two-Spirit describes a spiritual identity, having masculine and feminine characteristics, being responsible for tasks typically associated with both male and female gender roles, and/or a specific role within traditional societies, as mediators, keepers of certain ceremonies, or middle gender(s).

Bear shared a bit about their life, living as a queer person, and what it means for them, to identify as Two-Spirit. Colonialism has forced many Indigenous practices to morph, merge, and change shape over time. It is clear that stronger ties to the natural environment are embedded in traditional indigenous practices and it is sad that much knowledge, practices have been lost. Bear shared a bit about what they learnt from their upbringing. Bear told us how parts of their upbringing began their interest, passion, and love of learning and foraging wild herbs.

Bear is a person of the Cherokee and Blackfoot people, now living in Amsterdam. The Cherokee are one of the indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. The Blackfoot people is a name given to four Native American tribes in the Northwestern Plains, which include the North Piegan the South Piegan, the Blood, and the Siksika tribes. Before colonisation, they occupied a large territory stretching from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Missouri River in Montana, the U.S. Bear has a studio at the OT301 in Amsterdam. Bear is a queer, Two-Spirit, kinky, warm hearted and bad ass wild herb forager around Amsterdam.

I extend a very big and a very warm thank you to Bear Silver for sharing these personal experiences and insights. I send you extra strength, and laughter for the rest of your journey.

This episode was broadcast live in Amsterdam on 21st May 2021 through radiopatapoe.nl