Why We Care

In today’s episode I’m speaking with Tom Mustill, a nature filmmaker and the author of ‘How to Speak Whale’. We recorded this a few weeks ago but since then I actually had the chance to travel to COP28, the climate conference, and see Tom and his friend Vahakn perform a whale song bath on the beach, which was absolutely magical. He was in Dubai to help give whales a voice with Whale and Dolphin Conservation, an organisation he’s an ambassador for. Tom is really great at telling the story of why whales matter and how crucial it is for us not only to try to protect them but also to allocate more resources and focus towards the technologies that could allow us to understand them and maybe even one day, communicate with them.

So we spoke about the anthropocentric approach we’ve taken to define language, and how both museums and zoos (the places most of us can easily go to to observe other species) are failing to capture behaviour and communication. We also discussed the philosophical idea of alignment within Ai (in other words, how do we teach new forms of computer intelligence to have value systems and a moral compass so they can operate within a framework that values human life and how the rest of the living world fits in.

Want to dive deeper?

• Buy ‘How to speak whale’ - https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/tom-mustill/how-to-speak-whale/9780008363420

Come say hi!

• Tom on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tommustill
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Mary Gagen, a Professor of Geography at Swansea University, and the Chief Advisor on Forests at WWF UK.

Forests are our strongest allies in the fight against climate change, and yet we are failing them. They absorb a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, are home to 80% of the world’s land-based animal and plant species, and provide livelihoods for 1.6 billion people. Yet forests all around the world keep being destroyed despite all the global pledges and declarations to protect them. So last month, WWF UK released a report called ‘Forest Pathways’, highlighting the solutions that exist to protect and restore our forests.

Mary and I spoke about the report, what it means and how she hopes it will be used. She also shared her thoughts on ancient trees and what they can tell us about climate change, and her perspective on the tension between the need for systemic change and individual action.

Want to dive deeper?

• Read the Forest Pathways report - https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/landscapes/forests/pathways-report-summary

Come say hi!

• WWF UK on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/climateincolour/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Joycelyn Longdon, a PhD researcher at Cambridge University and the founder of Climate in Colour, an education platform dedicated to making climate conversations more accessible and diverse for the climate curious.

Joycelyn works at the intersection of technology, ecology, sociology and racial justice. So there was a lot to cover in this episode! She describes bioacoustics and the technologies she works with for her PhD research as ‘Shazam for nature’, which I think is fascinating – she explained how by listening to the sounds of nature we’re able to monitor the health of ecosystems and enhance conservation work. We also spoke about the ethical implications of technology and how it can be used in service of nature and people, rather than against them. Another really important aspect of her work is participatory design, so she explained how she’s working very closely with local communities to reduce racial and climate injustice by involving them in the process, getting their insights and feedback.

Want to dive deeper?

• Subscribe to the Climate in Colour newsletter - https://climateincolour.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=web&utm_source=subscribe-widget
• Watch Joycelyn’s TED talk - https://tedxlondon.com/tedxlondon-countdown/programme/

Come say hi!

• Climate in Colour on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/climateincolour/
• Joycelyn on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joycelynlongdon/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Anne-Sophie Roux, a French researcher and ocean activist. Anne-Sophie is the deep sea lead for Europe at Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and in 2022 she started the Look Down campaign against deep sea mining, which encountered massive success. While deep sea mining hasn’t been completely stopped yet, in less than a year the campaign has grown to mobilise over 20 countries behind the cause. So we spoke about why the deep sea is so important and why it’s a terrible idea to try to mine it, how she and her team got their first meeting with the French government after 13,000 people sent an email to support the campaign, how activism gives her hope, and what is next for the movement.

Want to dive deeper?

• Learn more about deep sea mining - https://soalliance.notion.site/Kit-on-Deep-Sea-Mining-276bc99082d14ed69d3c003d647e391e
• Follow the Look Down campaign - https://www.instagram.com/look_down_action/
• Send an email to the Norwegian government (takes 30 sec) - https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1tvXn
• Take further action by emailing the governments of other countries - https://defendthedeep.org/

Come say hi!

• Anne-Sophie on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ansroux
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Cel Spellman, an actor, radio presenter and WWF ambassador. He’s also the host of the WWF podcast, Call of the Wild, which is one of the first environmental podcasts I started listening to a few years ago. Cel is one of those people who can talk about his love of the natural world for hours, and I felt like this conversation with him would be perfect to open this new season of Why We Care, as we dive deep into why nature is so central to our wellbeing, and how important it is to spend time connecting with it in our everyday lives. He also shared some of his most important learnings from his years as a host of the WWF podcast, and how he takes care of his mental health.

Want to dive deeper?

• Listen to WWF’s Call of the Wild podcast - https://www.wwf.org.uk/podcast
• Visit the WWF website - https://www.wwf.org.uk/
• Make My Money Matter - https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/

Come say hi!

• Cel on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/celspellman/
• WWF UK on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wwf_uk/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Biodiversity is the web of life we all depend on – life on Earth in all its forms from pollinators and fungi to entire ecosystems, from rainforests to deserts and oceans. Human activity is destroying nature all around us and over the past few years I’ve come to realise and understand that the reason why we care and feel such deep hurt when we see a forest being cut down or a whale being killed is because nature is where we come from. It’s our home and it’s who we are – and it is so central to our balance and wellbeing. Yet we’ve become so disconnected from it, most of us in the Western world living in concrete buildings, walking on concrete roads, living our lives away from the trees, rivers and wildlife we so crucially need to survive. For the health of the planet as well as our own, I really do believe we need to restore that connection with the natural world – now more than ever.

In Why We Care, activists, scientists, creatives, and changemakers are invited to share the story of their relationship with nature, and how they are helping protect biodiversity on our beautiful planet, both through the careers they chose and in their personal lives. For season 2, we’ll also dig deeper into figuring out how we can restore that connection – recognising that we can increase our health and wellbeing if we live in harmony with our environment and the other species we share the planet with.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Zandi Ndhlovu – an ocean explorer, South Africa’s first Black woman free diving instructor and the founder of the Black Mermaid Foundation. Zandi discovered free diving when she was 28, and fell in love with this beautiful practice and the underwater world. Ever since she’s been using her voice to advocate for more diversity and access in the ocean space and change the narrative that black people don’t belong in the ocean.

Through the Black Mermaid Foundation she started in 2020 in Cape Town, she teaches local kids how to swim and helps them discover the wonders of the ocean through snorkeling. She told me how she realised that working with kids had a much broader impact on the community, as they come home from a snorkeling adventure and tell their parents all about what they have learned and discovered that day. She also said that kids are the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow, and so by getting them to understand the ocean, they will learn to love it and want to protect it. She told me how they’re usually terrified of getting into the water but once they do, they gradually learn to love it and marvel at the beauty of what they see.

Want to dive deeper?

• The Black Mermaid Foundation - https://www.blackmermaid.co.za/home-1
• To get in touch with the foundation directly - [email protected]
• Watch WaterBear’s documentary about Zandi - https://www.waterbear.com/watch/the-black-mermaid

Come say hi!

• Zandi on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zandithemermaid/
• The Black Mermaid Foundation on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theblackmermaid_foundation
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/
• Discover Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discoverearth/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. A big thank you as well to Discover Earth for partnering with Why We Care and helping raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation.

Thank you for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Emy Kane, the managing director of Lonely Whale - a nonprofit organisation working to prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean. She told me how we know more about the universe and space than we do about the depths of the ocean, even though that’s what is sustaining life on Earth. I actually found out recently that more people have been to the moon than have explored the deepest part of the ocean - which is really crazy when you think about it.

Emy also explained how the health of our oceans ultimately impacts our own health and daily lives. She shared how Lonely Whale is using the power of radical collaboration to support innovation in the fight against plastic pollution through the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, which you might remember hearing about in episode 4 with Julia Marsh on seaweed as an alternative to plastic.

She also shared the cutest story on how she finds hope by restoring her backyard garden with a friend’s daughter who is almost 3 years old and marvels at how seeds grow and falls in love with nature for the very first time.

Want to dive deeper?

• Lonely whale - https://www.lonelywhale.org/
• For a strawless ocean campaign - https://www.strawlessocean.lonelywhale.org/
• Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize - https://plasticprize.org/
• Sway - https://swaythefuture.com/
• Julia’s episode - https://open.spotify.com/episode/15uTbWj6Z9NQpd7OJD1p7p
• Billion Oyster Project - https://www.billionoysterproject.org/
• 30x30 Only One petition - https://only.one/30x30

Come say hi!

• Lonely Whale on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lonelywhale/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/
• Discover Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discoverearth/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. A big thank you as well to Discover Earth for partnering with Why We Care and helping raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation.

Thank you for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Isaias Hernandez, an environmental educator aka Queer Brown Vegan - the social media platform where he helps people understand the climate crisis. Isaias is so good at explaining some of the worlds most pressing issues in a super simple and engaging way - highly recommend following him on Instagram to learn more about sustainability, research, and what he calls ‘evidence-based hope’.

We spoke about the link between the environmental crisis and social inequalities, how he believes the climate crisis is an educational crisis and how he perceives the tension between the need for systemic change and individual action. He told me the story of how and why he went vegan, and shared his perspective on ocean wildlife. We also discussed how to avoid climate doomism, and where to find hope - with the amazing example of the recovery of Monterey Bay, where ocean biodiversity is now thriving.

Isaias is such a joy to speak with and I had a great time recording this conversation - hope you’ll enjoy it as well!

Want to dive deeper?

• Watch the episode about Monterey Bay on Isaias’ YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13XomK_ASXs&t=650s&ab_channel=QueerBrownVegan

Come say hi!

• Isaias on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/queerbrownvegan/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/
• Discover Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discoverearth/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. A big thank you as well to Discover Earth for partnering with Why We Care and helping raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation.

Thank you for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I’m chatting with Charlie Young – a marine biologist and wildlife presenter also known as Ocean Magpie on social media, where she shares the behind the scenes of her life at sea. Yes you read that well, Charlie lives on a boat!! So we spoke about what her life is like, and how she and her partner renovated their boat in a super sustainable way. I asked her about her most magical wildlife encounter, which she spoke about in such a beautiful and moving way it brought tears to my eyes.

She also shared her perspective on human impact on the oceans and gave tips on what you can start doing in your everyday life to both feel more connected with the ocean and also help protect it – whether you live near it or not. Make sure you listen until the end as she also shared career advice for anyone who might be interested in working in ocean conservation or becoming a marine biologist.

Want to dive deeper?

• Whale shark diving picture she mentioned - https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm_85neKBfz/
• My Octopus Teacher - https://www.netflix.com/title/81045007
• Understand the impact of your money with Make My Money Matter - https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/
• Seagrass citizen science project - https://www.projectseagrass.org/

Come say hi!

• Charlie on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ocean_magpie/
• Why We Care on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/
• Tiphaine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/
• Discover Earth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discoverearth/

If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. A big thank you as well to Discover Earth for partnering with Why We Care and helping raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation.

Thank you for caring and sending you lots of love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.