Climate Talks

Stephen Minas, Professor at the School of Transnational Law, Peking University, and Senior Research Fellow at the Transnational Law Institute, King’s College London and Janine Felson, Enterprise Fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures at the University of Melbourne, join hosts Jackie Peel, Bek Markey-Towler and Cathy Oke, in the first episode of Season 4 of Climate Talks to talk about bridging the gap between COP28 and the road ahead to COP29 and COP30.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber speaking at an International Energy Agency event in February. 

In this episode we speak with Abigail Binay, Mayor of Makati, Philippines. Since 1975, the City of Makati has been part of the National Capital Region comprising the greater Manila area, incorporated as the seventh city in Metro Manila in 1995. With a population of over 629,000 within an area of 21.57 square kilometres, Makati is one of the most densely inhabited urban environments on the planet, which gives rise to a range of governance considerations. Seeing an average temperature during summer months reaching 34 degrees Celsius with consistently high humidity, inhabitability is an imminent threat with wet bulb temperatures of 35 degrees becoming increasingly common. Additionally, subjected to the threat of the world’s most severe typhoons, the exposure to climate hazards is particularly pronounced for Makati. 

To address climate threats and improve resilience for the residents of Makati, Mayor Binay’s office has initiated a range of interventions, including the declaration of a climate emergency, and the establishment of their CafeTalks climate outreach series. With an Investment and Incentive Code put in place to reorient private sector action, mobilized capital, primarily through public-private partnerships, has helped to bridge adaptation financing gaps for major projects, with adaptation finance incorporated into core administrative policies.

We also have joining us today some crucial team members from the City of Makati, Merlina Panganiban - Head of the Makati City Urban Development Department, Xenon Walde - Environmental Planner and Manager, Department of Environmental Services, and Liza Velle Ramos - Research & Planning Division Head, Makati City Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office. 

Providing a broader perspective on the value of municipal action, we’re joined by Dr. Bernadia Tjandradewi, Secretary-General, UCLG-ASPAC. These guests join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke, in the third episode of City Leaders, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM, a series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast series, to discuss Innovate4Cities and consider the potential for multilevel support for climate action.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is Mayor Binay speaking at the 14th Brunel International Lecture Series.

You can review the clip in full here: 

Join hosts Jackie Peel, Cathy Oke and Bek Markey-Towler in the tenth and final episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks to discuss their reflections on COP28. We will back for another series in 2024 to follow the journey to COP29.  

In this special episode we speak with Carolina Basualdo, Mayor of Despeñaderos, Argentina. We also have Jorge Rodríguez, Coordinator, Permanent Technical Secretariat, Mercociudades, and Valentina De Marco, Coordinadora, Alianzas y Proyectos Internacionales, RAMCC. These guests join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke in the fifth episode of City Climate Innovation, special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast produced by GCoM, a series of special episodes of the ClimateTalks Podcast series, to discuss Innovate4Cities and consider the potential for multilevel support for climate action.  

Fifty kilometres south of the state capital of Córdoba, Despeñaderos stands out for the progressive action Mayor Basualdo has taken towards gender equality and community engagement of all citizens, young and old, in climate change action to safeguard the future of their city.

When Despeñaderos joined GCoM in March of 2022, they were in the midst of launching the innovative “Resilient Women” program, aiming to achieve climate change mitigation goals while providing opportunities for women who have experienced gender-based violence to engage in entrepreneurship in circular economy initiatives. 

Recognized by the Ibero-American Union of Municipalities and the government of Córdoba, Despeñaderos is leading the way in the fight against gender-based violence and promoting gender equality in the region.

Professor Kathryn Bowen, Deputy Director, Melbourne Climate Futures and Professor, Climate, Environment and Global Health at the University of Melbourne and Professor Don Henry, Director, Climate Reality Project, Asia-Pacific Branch, join hosts Bek Markey-Towler, Associate Professor Cathy Oke, Deputy Director of Melbourne Centre for Cities, and Professor Jackie Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures and Professor, Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne in the seven episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks to talk about the global stocktake.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Simon Stiell speaking at the launch of the technical paper for the Global Stocktake. 

In this episode we speak with Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph, Canada. We also have David Messer, Executive Director Smart Cities Office, City of Guelph and Carole Saab, Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities. These guests join hosts Ben Jance and Cathy Oke in the first episode of the second season of the City Climate Innovation special series.

Situated in Southern Ontario between Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario, Guelph contains over half the population of Wellington County, with over 143,000 residents as of the 2021 census. The city is home to the University of Guelph, an institution of over 30,000 students which leads the nation in Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine.

However, the City of Guelph hasn’t stopped there, having also provided the Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad as a mechanism for maximising coordination between its robust private sector, food producers, and research & innovation resources. 

The clip at the beginning of the episode is Mayor Guthrie discussing circular economy around the launch of the COIL Lab. 

Dr Arj Dibley, Head of the Sustainable Finance Hub, Melbourne Climate Futures and Research Fellow, Melbourne Law School, Purdie Bowden, Program Lead – Policy and Sustainable Finance Solutions at the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute, and Erwin Jackson, Director, Policy at the Investor Group on Climate Change join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke in the fifth episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks to talk about the role of finance in climate action.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaking at press conference on climate.  

Elly Harrould-Kolieb and Yvette Kerslake, join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke in the fifth episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks to talk about oceans and climate governance.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaking at the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue held during the Bonn Climate Conference in June 2023. 

Anthony Stark, Manager at Melbourne Climate Futures, Daniel Sherrell, Senior Advisor on Climate and Energy at the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Daniel Miller, CEO of the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation join hosts Jackie Peel and Bek Markey-Towler in the fourth episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks to talk about the need for equity and a just transition in the face of a changing climate.  

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from youth activists at the Climate Strike in Bonn.  

Guests Dr Andrew King Lecturer In Climate Science, at University of Melbourne’s Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences ; Lisa Cliff Program Director Better Futures Australia Climate Action Network Australia and Dr John Cook Senior Research Fellow Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences join hosts Cathy Oke and Bek Markey Towler in the second episode of Season 3 of Climate Talks. They discuss how greenwashing and jargon of climate change and the climatetalks affects their progress, and the impact of companies and governments actions.    

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate blog that also features a video of an expert panel talking about greenwashing. 

Did COP27 deliver what the world needs to limit warming to below 1.5C? What were the losses, what were the gains, and where to from here? In the final episode of Climate Talks season 2, Robyn Eckersley, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor in the Discipline of Political Science, and Janine Felson, Melbourne Climate Futures research fellow join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke to discuss the outcomes of COP27.

Climate Talks is produced by Melbourne Climate Futures and Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne. Our theme music is by Music for a Warming World. Climate Talks acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast was produced, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, and pays respect to Elders past and present.

Robyn Eckersley, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor in the Discipline of Political Science at the University of Melbourne, Omnia El Omrani, the COP27 President Envoy on Youth, and Kathryn Bowen the Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Futures and Professor of Environment, Climate & Global Health join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke in the 9th episode of Season 2 of Climate Talks to provide some of their best guesses for the outcomes of COP27.

Climate Talks is produced by Melbourne Climate Futures and Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne. Our theme music is by Music for a Warming World. Climate Talks acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast was produced, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, and pays respect to Elders past and present.

Subscribe to Climate Talks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or here:

In the second episode of the City Climate Innovation: Special episodes of the Climate Talks Podcast ‘Networked and Innovative Cities’, special guests Maryke van Staden, Director of Business Development, the carbonn Climate Center, and Interim Head of Climate Action at ICLEI World Secretariat, Jean-Baptiste Buffet, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Rachel Huxley, Director of Knowledge and Learning at C40 Cities, join hosts Ben Jance, Cathy Oke, and Andy Deacon to discuss the importance of networking and innovation for city climate action - and key activities in the lead up to COP27 from major city networks.

The guests joining us in the 8th episode of Season 2 of Climate Talks are Virginia Marshall, practising lawyer and the Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow with the Australian National University, Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy at the ICLEI World Secretariat, Lisa Cliff, Program Director for Better Futures Australia, and Megan Tran, Youth Coordinator for Student Energy. These guests join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke to talk about the different stakeholders that attend COP and what they are looking to achieve from COP27 this year.

The clip at the beginning of the episode is Ambassador Mohamed Ibrahim Nasr of Egypt speaking on the priorities for COP27.

You can hear the clip in full here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xFlesIHrOMw

Climate Talks is produced by Melbourne Climate Futures and Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne. Our theme music is by Music for a Warming World. Climate Talks acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast was produced, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, and pays respect to Elders past and present.

Subscribe to Climate Talks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or here:

Alex Scott, Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics Programme Leader at E3G, Tony Wood, Energy program director at the Grattan Institute, and Rebekkah Markey-Towler from Melbourne Climate Futures and a former producer of this podcast, join host Cathy Oke and guest host Don Henry in the 7th of Season 2 of Climate Talks. Topics discussed include how the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine might impact on the climate negotiations ahead of COP27. This episode also considers fair share in relation to the climate negotiations and the potential consequences if countries fail to fulfill their climate targets.

The clip at the beginning of the episode features Mr. Simon Stiell, the newly appointed UNFCCC Executive Secretary.

Prof Sarah Bell, City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation at the University of Melbourne, Dr Kate Strachan, Manager of Climate Change Resilience at ICLEI Africa, and Dr Janine Felson, Enterprise Fellow at Melbourne Climate Futures at the University of Melbourne, join hosts Jackie Peel and Cathy Oke in the sixth episode of Season 2 of Climate Talks to discuss what we mean when we talk about resilience.

The clip at the beginning of the episode is from Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of the IPCC’s Working Group II Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.