In this series, Jonathan Foster takes a closer look at the lives of youth leaders and activists, discussing the current climate, environment, and health crisis and the possibilities, alternatives, and ideas for transformational change.

Listen to what global youth leaders really think about the handling of our intensifying Climate and Health Emergency.

This is our ninth episode brought to you by the Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2023: Setting A New Health Agenda - At The Nexus Of Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity. The conference will be held on the 24-29 January 2023, Bangkok, Thailand

Jonathan Foster and Lavetanalagi Seru discuss values and principles, the importance indigenous cultural traditional relationship with nature and the impact of colonialism on indigenous cultural traditions including introducing a new brand of intolerance. Lavetanalagi Seru talks about his own experiences growing up in Fiji, the effect of the Cyclone Winston and the ongoing climate emergency on life on the islands. He also speaks about how the climate emergency effects marginalised people especially people of diverse sexual orientation. And he talks about the effects of inequality, the issue of increasingly limited resources and what we can do to address this global problem of resource based conflict and other social tensions.

Lavetanalagi Seru is climate and health activist with background in youth development, climate change, gender & human rights, and social inclusion in disaster risk reduction. He is currently the Regional Policy Coordinator of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, the regional umbrella organisation that brings together civil society organisations and groups that are working on climate justice issues in the Pacific. Lavetanalagi is also the Co-Founder of the Alliance for Future Generations – Fiji, the largest young people led network on sustainable development in Fiji. In 2020, he was appointed as the Vice-Chair of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit’s Track III on Boosting Nature Positive Production, and he currently serves as the Pacific’s Regional Board Advisor for the Next Generation Climate Board of the Global Greengrants Fund, and Board Member of Climate Action Network – International.

This podcast is brought to you by the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC), and Jonathan Foster of Foster Media, in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation (SIGHT), FHI 360, The World Health Organisation, The British Medical Journal, USAID, and Foster Media.

First established in 1998, the Prince Mahidol Award Conference has grown to be one of the most important fora to discuss public health issues of global significance and the largest to be led by a low- or middle-income country.

Theme tune written and produced by Caleb Fawcett. Find him on www.calebfawcett.com