The GroundWork Podcast

The end of COP30 saw the establishment of two key roadmaps, focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels, and ending/reversing deforestation. What progress have we made in integrating these into national agendas, and how have Indigenous Peoples helped shape the frameworks?

With insights from Oscar Daza Guieterrez (OPIAC), Wara Iris Ruiz Condori (IPRI), and Ignacio Arroniz (Earth Insight), this episode dives into the inside machinations within the roadmap conferences.

Link to Earth Insight.

Hosted by: Philippa Bailey

This episode was based on a Groundwork Seminar on May 12th, 2026. Watch the webinar here.

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Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a part of our daily lives. But AI is not an amorphous technology -- it is deeply rooted in material and energy costs. Often, Indigenous communities are the ones paying the bill.

This Groundwork Policy Briefings for Action session brings attention to the effect artificial intelligence, and the data centres that power it, have on indigenous communities. 

With insights from Bryan Bixul, Mariam Tamari, Katharina Ruckstuhl, and Tommy Bayer, we explore the true cost data centres have on energy and water usage, as well as how extractivist practices are going digital.

Moderator: Paula Alvarado

This episode was based on a Groundwork Seminar on October 23rd, 2025. Watch the webinar here.

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Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

We must act now to ensure the energy transition is a just one. What pathways are available for us to act? 

This Groundwork Policy Briefings for Action session highlights the actions and opportunities indigenous communities have to shift the energy transition.

With insights from Yblin Román Escobar, Ana Carolina González Espinosa, Emily Iona Stewart, and André de Castro dos Santos this session moves the conversation forward: we have heard about the problems indigenous communities face, but what does action actually look like?

Moderator: Paula Alvarado

This episode is based on a Groundworks Seminar from October 9th, 2025. Watch the full webinar here.

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Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

This GroundWork session explored how the funding landscape is shifting, and what it means for IP & LC advocacy and direct access to resources.  

Deborah Sánchez shared insights on emerging mechanisms—including the Forest Tenure Pledge, the Cali Fund, and the Green Climate Fund—that aim to channel support more directly to communities safeguarding lands, waters, and traditional knowledge. 

Moderator: Philippa Bayley

This episode is based on a Groundwork webinar from Septmeber 18, 2025. Watch the webinar here.

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Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

How do transition mineral policies impact Indigenous Peoples? 

This Groundwork Policy Briefings for Action session explores the social, political, and environmental risks Indigenous communities face in the context of the energy transition. 

With insights from Galina Angarova, Julie Klinger, Vuyisile Ncube, and Kate Finn, the session examines how legal frameworks, geopolitical agendas, and current practices intensify inequities—and how rights-based approaches can lead the way forward. 

Moderator: Paula Alvarado

This episode is based on a Groundwork webinar from August 21, 2024. Watch the webinar here.

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Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

What are transition minerals, and why do they matter for climate justice? In this Groundwork Policy Briefings for Action session, we unpack their role in the energy transition and their social and environmental consequences. With insights from Lesley Muñoz Rivera, Matti Blind-Berg, and Beverly Besmanos, this conversation explores how these minerals are used, the risks tied to their extraction, and Indigenous-led responses from impacted regions. Moderator: Paula Alvarado

This episode was based on a Groundwork webinar from August 7, 2024. Watch the session here.

Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.

Welcome to the GroundWork Podcast, where policy meets action. 

GroundWork is a policy briefing and strategic engagement initiative supporting Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and their allies to navigate complex global climate and biodiversity processes. Since 2023, it has translated fast-moving political dynamics into accessible, actionable insights, enabling more informed and strategic participation in spaces such as the UNFCCC, CBD, and related international fora.

The initiative is financed by the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) and delivered through a collaboration between Seeds for Change, the International Climate Politics Hub (ICPH), and TINTA – The Invisible Thread. It operates through multiple channels—including live briefings, written analyses, and podcasts—to expand reach, deepen understanding, and strengthen Indigenous-led advocacy across global agendas.

https://www.seedsforchange.se/groundwork

Music in this episode: Documentary Background Music by Lexin_Music at https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-documentary-background-119940/, used under the PixaBay Content License.