Earth Matters Bec Horridge, Jacob Gamble, Judith Peppard, Phil Evans

Much of the environmental catastrophe happening around the world is being driven by ongoing colonialism.Recently Friends of the Earth held a panel discussion looking at the intersection of colonialism and the environment, in context of the current genocide, and ecocide, in Gaza.We hear stories from Australia, Malaysia, and Palestine, drawing together common threads to inspire collective action.We hear from:Jasper Cohen-Hunter: A Gunung-Willam-Balluk man of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people with ancestral ties to the Ngurai-Illum peoples of the Kulin Nation. He is a podcaster focusing on the study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cinemas on his platform Mirring Yalingwa. Meenakshi “Meena” Raman: The President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Legal Advisor to Consumers Association of Penang and Coordinator of Third World Network’s Climate Change Programme. Meena practiced public interest law for over 25 years, representing grassroots communities taking on big corporations in Malaysia. She was a co-founder of Environmental Lawyers Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) and Chair of Friends of the Earth International, which has 75 member groups around the world. Meena served as an “Active Observer: of the Green Climate Fund from 2012 to 2015, and has actively participated in the UNFCCC negotiations since 2007. Abeer M. Butmeh: A water and environmental engineer, and the coordinator of PENGON - FOE Palestine. She is a leading woman activist in Palestine and an alliance of environmental justice organisations in Palestine. Abeer works closely with affected communities, the youth sector and with local government councils in addressing the environmental problems faced by the Palestinian people. She has various skills in campaigning, coordination, communication and facilitation between different bodies with more than 10 years’ experience in this area. She is a researcher in different environmental topics mainly in water and climate change, she is a trainer in different environmental subjects; water, wastewater and environmental issues. She also is an active member in many social and environmental networks at local and international levels.Featuring music by Yorta Yorta artist, Allara. Thanks to Friends of the Earth Melbourne for their kind assistance in production.Earth matters #1455 was produced by Phil Evans

Over the last twelve months, scientists have been documenting a string of record breaking temperatures.The global average between May 2023 and April 2024, reached a new record of 1.61 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.While Australia has avoided some of that heat the last month, south east Asia has been in the grips of an extreme heatwave.Jacob speaks to climate scientist Dr Linden Ashcroft, Filipino climate activist Jefferson Estela, and Research and Advocacy Staff at the Philippines Centre for Environmental Concerns, Kristine Joice Leray.Earth Matters presents local, national and international grassroots perspectives on environmental concerns and broadcasts weekly to a national audience since 1996. 

   Land rights and fight for environmental justice for PalestineProfessor Mazin Qumsiyeh is a scientist, author, activist and academic at Bethlehem University and Director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability. He's in Australia on a speaking tour on land rights and environmental justice in Palestine. Mazin tells us about the work of protecting biodiversity in the context of ongoing colonisation and conflict, the importance of hope and solidarity in the midst of struggle and the devastating impact of Israel's attacks on Gaza over the past six months on the people and the  environment. Earth Matters #1452, Produced by Judith Peppard  Music: Anouar Brahem For No Apparent Reason and Al Birwa, from the album The Astounding Eyes of Rita dedicated to the memory of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish--------------------

Reconnecting with nature; the living world,  through Deep Ecology workshops is taking off in Australia.   John Seed and his colleagues are helping people all over this country and overseas  find their ecological self. The Deep Ecology workshops are booked out and participants  are  much more mainstream than in the past.   Plus:  John gives practical suggestions on how to find direction in life.Music: A new recording of Johns Seed singing his song Expanding Universe. Links:John Seeds Deep Ecology workshop schedule on The Rainforest Information Centre website. Rising Tide: A national network currently mobilising ten thousand people for ten days of non violent action using  smalll boats to block the shipping channelto close down Newcastle coal kexport faciltiy for  48 hours.10,000 people, over 10 daysTues Nov 19 — Thurs Nov 28, 2024“2023 is a year of reckoning. It must be a year of game-changing climate action. We need disruption to end the destruction. No more baby steps. No more excuses. No more greenwashing. No more bottomless greed of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers.” — Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Falling in Love with the World - Active Hope Spiral - free online, Sundays @5pm AEDT.  Hosted by Nettie Hulme "Active Hope is a practice that encourages us to find and offer our best response to global issues during this time of unfolding crisis. It’s about facing the mess we’re in and playing our role in the collective transition toward a society and way of being that supports the flourishing of life1." [OpenAI, 2024]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm, x10 Week Online and In-Person Study Group. Hosted by Skye Cielita Flor "A deep dive into this profound body of work by renowned master herbalist, earth poet, bardic naturalist, deep ecologist and prolific award-winning author of 25 books, the late Stephen Harrod Buhner. Stephen was a radical thinker, polymath and synthesiser whose work continues to have a deep and lasting impact on Plant People and Deep Ecologists all over the world."           Skye Cielita Flor Earth Matters Episode #1451 produced by Bec Horridge on Darkinjung Country at the Narara Valley Ecovillage, NSW. 

Right now in Brunswick Heads in northern NSW, hundreds of activists are fighting to save an important ecosystem.Property developers have been given the greenlight to build apartment blocks across Wallum, a coastal landscape home to over a dozen threatened species of flora and fauna, and trees that predate British colonisation.Activists are calling the project a ‘zombie development’, with environmental approvals given to the site over a decade ago that likely don’t meet today’s standards.Jacob speaks to Save Wallum campaign organiser Svea Pittman, and NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson, about the proposed development and environmental conservation in planning laws.

We take a look at how the campaign to stop fracking and unconventional gas mining in WA is going.The long running campaign has had many successes along the way, and has managed to keep the industry at bay in the resource industry captured state.We talk with Claire McKinnon from Lock the Gate WA for the update. Check out and support their great work at frackfreewa.org.auMusic: End of the World Dub by Combat WombatPhoto: Lock the GateProducer: Phil EvansProduced on Whadjuk Noongar boodja - Boorloo/Perth WA.Earth Matters Episode #1449