Gassed promises and intentional lives

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:00:00 — 73.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS | More

The Sustainable Hour no. 503?| Transcript | Podcast notes

Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 503 is Joakim (Joppe) Pettersson? from Sweden who lives in Solbyn, an Intentional Village.

We also listen to speeches by?Julie Saylor-Briggs, Dr Sanja van Huet?and?Wayne Jury?at Richard Marles MP’s office in Geelong, the office of Labor member for Corio and our country’s Deputy Prime Minister, during last Friday’s Vigil for a sick planet, and we listen to?Richard Denniss?from the progressive think tank the Australia Institute, who delivers this short and sharp evaluation of the Labor government’s new ‘Future Gas Strategy’: “It’s sick,” he says.

. . .

Our conversations in The Sustainable Hour no. 503 focus on climate justice, the impact of the fossil fuel industry, and the need for stronger environmental laws. We call out and critique the Labor Party’s ‘Future Gas Strategy’ – a so-called gas-led transition to decarbonisation policy – and its denial of climate science.

We listen to the many concerns raised by environmental groups. The speakers emphasise the dangers of expanding the gas industry, the influence of money in politics, and the importance of activism, public support, and holding the government accountable. They also discuss the role of indigenous peoples in addressing climate change and preserving their culture and land.

. . .

Guest of the Hour, Joppe, shares his personal journey of transitioning from a corporate executive to living in an intentional community in Sweden. The community of 50 families focuses on sharing resources and reducing consumption. He emphasises the importance of storytelling and community engagement in creating positive change.

If you’d like to find out more about Joppe, go to his linkedin page.

. . .

We also hear from?Simon Stiell,?a senior minister in the Grenadian government and now Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

. . .

That’s another Sustainable Hour podcast episode done and dusted. Joppe’s optimism in telling his story from his well rewarded financially, but unsatisfying employment to his current life style, which is much more nourishing to him, is a good foil against the Albanese-Marles Labor government’s Future Gas Strategy announcement which would add further CO2 emissions into an atmosphere already super saturated with this planet heating gas.

You can read more about the vigil in Geelong Advertiser. If you’d like to send a Get Well Card to Hon Richard Marles, you can download the card and email ?[email protected] – or go to his website: richardmarles.com.au/contact

The government’s plan defies all the scientific advice that to keep the planet below a 1.5°C degrees global average increase in temperature, no new fossil fuel projects should be approved anywhere. The government justifies this by saying that carbon capture and storage projects will be able to sequester the resultant CO2 increases. All advice on this says that it won’t work. The term “state capture” has been coined to describe the influence that the fossil fuel psychopaths have over our government and our democracy.?

The question we continually ask here is: how can these politicians face their children and grandchildren when they return to their homes after making such decisions? It would seem that their political ambition overcomes any concerns they may have about the world in which their kids and grandkids will grow up. This can’t be good for them or their families, and it certainly isn’t any good for our country, or the planet. There is no doubt what history will make of their decision.

We’ll be back next with more questions and answers, and more guests who are making a difference in their own ways, plus some interesting discussions about the work they do and the impacts it’s having. We’ll also keep preparing for the upcoming election and support the rise of Community Independents.

Until then, put Michael Franti’s ‘Brighter Day’, which rounds off our Hour today, on hot rotation on your phone and reflect on his insightful words there.?

“Our environment laws, aka the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, were introduced by this desiccated coconut a quarter of a century ago, which probably explains why we’re the world leader in mammal extinctions.” ~ Wayne Jury, speaking in front of Richard Marles’ office

→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via Apple Podcasts