We are witnessing unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss, with species disappearing at a pace not seen in millions of years, which is posing serious risks to people and the planet. To mitigate those risks, the global community has committed to protecting 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. But will this be enough? And how likely is it that we reach this target in the first place?

In our final episode, we speak to each other. Drawing on our research on community-based conservation across Australia, we talk about the importance of biodiversity for all live on earth, the benefits and limitations of protected areas as conservation tools and the usefulness of agreements like the Global Biodiversity Framework.

We also reflect on the conversations we have had throughout the series and what each of them revealed about the steps that have been taken and the steps that still need to be taken towards a sustainable future.

Learn More

• Melissa’s and Ariane’s research profiles:
  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/melissa.nursey-bray
  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/ariane.gienger
• Melissa’s and Ariane’s recommendations:
  • Naomi Klein: “Let Them Drown: The Violence of Othering in a Warming World”
  • Richie Howitt: “Rethinking Resource Management: Justice, Sustainability and Indigenous Peoples”
  • Richie Howitt: “Unsettling the Taken (for Granted)”

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Failing to take action on climate change and biodiversity loss is deeply unjust, as those lease responsible for these crises often bear the greatest burden. Yet taking action can be just as unjust if our solutions inadvertently reinforce the very inequalities we are trying to overcome. So how can we navigate this complexity in our pursuit of sustainability?

In this episode, we sit down with Associate Professor Kristina Sehlin Macneil, the Deputy Director at Várdduo Center for Sámi Research at Umeå University in Sweden. Drawing on her extensive research on Indigenous peoples’ experience of energy production, Kristina talks us through the impacts of the green transition on Sámi reindeer herders and shares their aspirations for more genuine involvement in related projects.

Learn More

• Kristina’s research profile:
  • https://www.umu.se/en/staff/kristina-sehlin-macneil/

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While there no doubt that transitioning away from fossil fuels is crucial for the future of our planet, it is still important to consider what we are transitioning towards. Wind and sunlight may be renewable and infinite, but can the same be said for the resources that wind turbines and solar panels are made of?   

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Rachelle Kernen from the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences at the University of Adelaide. As a geoscientist with a research focus on hydrogen and critical mineral deposits, Rachelle is perfectly positioned to answer our questions about every stage of renewable energy production and highlight the technological innovations and policy reforms we still need to further enhance its sustainability.

Learn More

• Rachelle’s research profile:
  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/rachelle.kernen
• Rachelle’s recommendations:
  • Rachelle Kernen: “Energy Geoscience”

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It can be overwhelming to think about feeding eight billion people. But in our current food system, choices in one place can influence lives around the world. So what can we collectively do to make sure that people everywhere have access to fresh and healthy food?

In this episode, we talk to Associate Professor Douglas Bardsley, a fellow human geographer from the University of Adelaide. Drawing on his extensive research on environmental and agricultural risk management, Doug shares his insights into experiences of food insecurity in different contexts, the challenges that climate change poses to human and environmental stability and the importance of thinking of food as a human right.

Learn More

• Doug’s research profile:
  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/douglas.bardsley
• Doug’s recommendations:
  • Ulrich Beck: “Living in and coping with world risk society”
  • Ulrich Beck: “Climate for change, or how to create a green modernity?”
  • Vandana Shiva: “Solutions to the food and ecological crisis facing us today”
  • Vandana Shiva: “The Violence of the Green Revolution: Science and Politics of the Green Revolution”
  • Douglas Bardsley: “Climate change threatens to cause ‘synchronised harvest failures’ across the globe, with implications for Australia’s food security”
  • Douglas Bardsley: “Risk alleviation via in situ agrobiodiversity conservation: drawing from experiences in Switzerland, Turkey and Nepal”
  • Douglass Bardsley & Andrea Knierim: “Hegel, Beck and the reconceptualization of ecological risk: The example of Australian agriculture”

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We know climate action is crucial, yet so many of us struggle to live fully sustainable lives. But does it really matter how much we, as individuals, engage in climate action? Who is ultimately responsible for addressing global challenges like climate change?

Melissa and Ariane sit down with Dr Scott Hanson-Easey from the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide to explore the often-discussed gap between knowledge and action in addressing climate change.

Drawing on his background in health promotion, science communication, psychology, and social policy, Scott shares fascinating reflections on why people’s behaviours often fall short of their ideals and discusses the kinds of contextual transformations that could help individuals better align the two, paving the way for more meaningful and sustained climate action.

Learn More

• Scott’s research profile:
  • https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/scott.hanson-easey
• Scott’s recommendations:
  • Naomi Klein: “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate”

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How renewable are renewables? How do we feed 8 billion people? Why is 30% the magic number for protection in protected area management? And how we can adapt to the challenges we face today in sustainable and resilient ways?

Welcome to Steering Sustainability, where we explore the questions that need to be asked – and answered – to unlock a better future.

Join Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray and Dr Ariane Gienger, as they tackle these questions, and try to understand the challenges and opportunities in answering them.

Steering Sustainability explores options for nourishing humanity and preserving ecosystems, delve into the environmental and social impacts of the green transition and reflect on the importance of engaging diverse communities in our pursuit of sustainability.

Steering Sustainability is supported by the University of Adelaide’s FAME Sustainability Strategy. It is produced by Solstice Podcasting in collaboration with Ramona Palfy.

• Melissa’s research profile: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/melissa.nursey-bray
• Ariane’s research profile:  https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/ariane.gienger

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.