The dire consequences of a rapidly warming planet were laid bare at COP27, the global climate change negotiations held in Egypt in November 2022. In this podcast, writer Paul Gorman talks to climate scientists Dr Dave Lowe and Hunter Douglas about their views on what needs to be done to forestall runaway temperatures. 

Dave is an atmospheric chemist who first measured southern hemisphere carbon dioxide levels at Baring Head near Wellington in the early 1970s. His memoir The Alarmist: Fifty years of measuring climate change was published in 2020. Hunter Douglas is at the other end of his career. Hunter is a PhD candidate in Geophysics at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Dr Dave Lowe and Hunter Douglass discuss climate change

Climate action is a broad term that Dr Amanda Thomas defines as “the tools people put together in order to address climate change”. Climate justice, on the other hand, looks at the equitable implications of our climate actions.  

Climate justice is important in addressing sustainability because climate change is one of the biggest threats to the long-term health and wellbeing of  the planet and its inhabitants, and its impacts are often disproportionately felt by marginalised and vulnerable communities. Throughout this episode key considerations related to both climate action and climate justice are discussed, including the role of industry and technology in addressing our climate challenges, as well as implications of climate change on social and gender equity. This episode highlights the need for climate justice to be at the forefront of our actions in contending with our broad sustainability challenges. 

In this episode our host, Dr Sarah Jane O’Conner, is joined by co-founder and CEO of TasmanIon, Dr Shalini Divya, and feminist political geographer, Dr Amanda Thomas, to discuss climate action from both a technological and a societal perspective.

Sustainability series #1: The rallying cry—talking climate action

Clean, fresh water is essential to our health—and is threatened, in Aotearoa New Zealand not only by climate change, but by poor industrial farming practices, population growth, and under-investment. This conversation illuminates the need for strong governance in addressing water security, as well as addressing the issues underlying the Three Waters discussion, and the place freshwater and the 100% Pure New Zealand concept play in our cultural identity.   

Our host Dr Sarah Jane O’Connor is joined in this episode by guests, green criminologist Dr Sarah Monod de Froideville, and environmental economist Dr Julia Talbot-Jones to discuss the murky depths of our clean water discourse.

Sustainability series #3: The Murky Depths—talking Clean Water

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington's podcast gives you the chance to catch up with our academics and guest speakers who lead thinking on the big questions facing society. Capital thinking. Globally minded.

Dr Dave Lowe and Hunter Douglass discuss climate change

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

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