Rethinking Climate: Communicating Sustainability

[25] Nature and Humans: How does their relationship affect the world we live in? In Conversation With Serena Feloj (hosted by Davide Gobbicchi)

[Episode 25] How do humans understand the nature surrounding them? And how does this understanding impact environmental security?
This interview discusses these topics through a philosophical perspective, by trying to analyze the main traits of the often troubled human-nature relationship with Serena Feloj a professor from the University of Pavia, hosted by Rethinking Climate contributor Davide Gobbicchi. 
Serena Feloj is a professor of aesthetics at the University of Pavia and has published monographs and articles at the international level. She deals mainly with Kantian studies, aesthetic intersubjectivity, philosophy of nature and environmental aesthetics.
Davide Gobbicchi, is a security studies graduate specialising in environmental security. For Rethinking Climate, he investigates the topic of human perception of nature and its implications on environmental sustainability.
Rethinking Climate is a youth-led nonprofit on environmental communication. You can find more information at www.rethinking-climate.org. 

On Climate & Law: Youth's role in the Just Transition with Ioanna and Kostis (Part 2)

[Part 2] This is the second part of the episode on youth's role in the Just Transition, before tuning in do not forget to listen to the first part! 
The EU has prioritised a just transition concerning areas of the economy heavily reliant on the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels. Such areas include West Macedonia and Megalopoli in Greece, where many households relied on income from brown coal mines and power plants. As coal is phased out to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce GHG emissions, locals have to look for alternative methods of income generation; a socioeconomic challenge therefore appears, particularly in Greece which has been hardly hit by unemployment.
In this second part of the podcast episode, hosted by YEE Alex Kassapis, he talks with experts exploring how resources can be most effectively utilised to strengthen the role of youth in the just transition, create employment opportunities and provide benefits for young people. 
In particular, Alex is joined by two experts: Ioanna Theodosiou from the renowned Greek think tank "The Green Tank", shedding light on how resources can be effectively utilized to strengthen the role of youth in Greece's just transition areas. Followed by Kostis Stergiou from the Association of Active Youths of Florina (www.oenef.eu) and Head of Europe Direct Western Macedonia, who directly supports youth initiatives in the just transition area and constitutes a link between the EU Commission and local affairs.
On Climate & Law is a podcast discussing the legal sphere to implement stronger policies in fighting climate change with a resulting collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) to promote clarity on this topic.
 

On Climate & Law: Youth's role in the Just Transition with Ioanna and Kostis (Part 1)

The EU has prioritised a just transition concerning areas of the economy heavily reliant on the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels. Such areas include West Macedonia and Megalopoli in Greece, where many households relied on income from brown coal mines and power plants. As coal is phased out to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce GHG emissions, locals have to look for alternative methods of income generation; a socioeconomic challenge therefore appears, particularly in Greece which has been hardly hit by unemployment.
In this first part of the podcast episode, hosted by YEE Alex Kassapis, he talks with experts exploring how resources can be most effectively utilised to strengthen the role of youth in the just transition, create employment opportunities and provide benefits for young people. 
In particular, Alex is joined by two experts: Ioanna Theodosiou from the renowned Greek think tank "The Green Tank", shedding light on how resources can be effectively utilized to strengthen the role of youth in Greece's just transition areas. Followed by Kostis Stergiou from the Association of Active Youths of Florina (www.oenef.eu) and Head of Europe Direct Western Macedonia, who directly supports youth initiatives in the just transition area and constitutes a link between the EU Commission and local affairs.
On Climate & Law is a podcast discussing the legal sphere to implement stronger policies in fighting climate change with a resulting collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) to promote clarity on this topic.
 

On Climate & Law: Can Laws protect forests from climate change? With Amila Meškin (EUSTAFOR)

We launch the second season of "On Climate and Law" with an episode interviewing expert  Amila Meškin, Senior Policy Advisor at European State Forest Association | EUSTAFOR, exploring how climate change is impacting Europe’s forests, how we can adapt to these changes and what the role of regulations is in preventing climate change from impacting forests.
This sixth episode was co-hosted by Alex Kassapis (YEE) and Davide Gobbicchi (Rethinking Climate). 
Forests will experience dramatic changes as the average world temperature is increasing. Depending on the local geographic characteristics, forests may be affected by different extreme weather events and changing climatic patterns. These could be droughts, forest fires, floods, or deadly diseases which affect flora and/or fauna. At the same time, forests are carbon sinks and major biodiversity hotspots, which render their healthy existence vital and very useful for sustainability. It is therefore of paramount importance to adopt the necessary climate adaptation measures to ensure that forests stay healthy.
On Climate & Law is a podcast discussing the legal sphere to implement stronger policies in fighting climate change with a resulting collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) to promote clarity on this topic.

On Climate & Law: EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation with Ioannis Agapakis (ClientEarth)

In this episode of "On Climate and Law" we talk about the European Union's Nature Restoration Regulation with Ioannis, a lawyer in ClientEarth’s “A Thriving Planet – Protected Wildlife and Habitats” group. 
On Climate & Law is a podcast to discuss the legal sphere to implement stronger policies in fighting climate change with a resulting collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe to promote clarity on this topic.
Ioannis Agapakis is a lawyer in ClientEarth’s “A Thriving Planet – Protected Wildlife and Habitats” group. Among other topics, he is working on the EU’s upcoming Nature Restoration Regulation and its relationship to existing EU sectoral legislation. He is also working on the implementation of the recently adopted Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, with a focus on transparency and rights-based conservation. He is admitted to the Greek bar and holds an LLM on Public International and Environmental Law from the University of Utrecht.
This episode was hosted by Sophia, a student in International Forestry who recently joined YEE as one of their Liaison Officers on Biodiversity.  In this context, she got involved in the #RestoreNature campaign to push for an ambitious Nature Restoration Law.
 

On Climate & Law: Suing Against the Energy Charter Treaty with Alex (YEE) and Julia

5 young people from European countries who have experienced extreme weather events caused by climate change are suing 12 states, alleging that their membership in the Energy Charter Treaty violates Articles 2 and 6 of the ECHR, regarding their right to life and right to privacy & family life respectively. 
 
In this episode we listen to youth claimants, Alex (YEE) and Julia, suing States against the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) tell us about this case.
 
ECT is quite nuanced; it sort of allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments when the latter take actions against their interests, such as announcing that they will phase out coal. This can lead to individual claims that amount to millions or even billions, as has already happened in the 12 states the young claimants are taking action against. The claimants argue that the barrier the ECT poses to mitigating climate change constitutes a violation of Articles 2 and 6, regarding the right to life & right to privacy, and family life respectively.
 
•Julia is a 17-year-old student from the Ahr River Valley in Germany. She is a climate justice activist and one of the plaintiffs in the legal action against the ECT. 
• Alex is a 22-year-old master's student in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He is originally from Athens, Greece and his home has been threatened by forest fires multiple times. This has inspired him to take action against the ECT with four more young activists.
 
Link to the case: https://www.exitect.org/the-case
 
On climate and law, a podcast to discuss the legal sphere to implement stronger policies in fighting climate change with a resulting collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe to promote clarity on this topic.
 

[24] Guardians Of Zambia: In Conversation With Darwin Malwele

[Episode 24] We spoke with climate activist and founder of Earth Guardians Zambia, Darwin Malwele, who is looking to make a difference in Zambia through activities of forestation and eco-education.
Darwin is the founder of Earth Guardians Zambia and Stop Ecocide Zambia. He is a trained Climate Reality Leader and Alumni of the International Exchange for the United States. He is a 2020 International Climate Action Challenger and Eco-Champion Award Winner.
You can find more information about Earth Guardians Zambia on their Facebook page. 

[23] Discourses Of Climate Delay: In Conversation with William Lamb

[Episode 23] While science confirms the effects of climate change, people still have different opinions about it. With researcher William Lamb, we discuss the forms of delays in climate action.
It is not about climate denial nor other forms of radicalism, climate delay looks at those forms – also of misinformation – and rather forms of climate action that justify the inadequate actions. Those actions that appear to be doing some good, rather are still not doing what is necessary to slow down the consequences of climate change.
You can read the entire publication on this topic written by William and his colleagues.
William Lamb is a research associate in the working group Applied Sustainability Science. He is interested in a human well-being framework for assessing climate change mitigation, with a focus on several areas of work:
Country development pathways
Human needs and energy consumption
Carbon emissions budgets
Political economy of climate change mitigation
William completed his Ph.D. at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Manchester in 2016. He obtained a Master’s degree in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh in 2011.

On Climate & Law: Cities, Energy, and Fitfor55 With Katerina Fortun (EC)

In the third episode of "On Climate & Law," we focused on the role of local governments in the green transition provisioned by the EU Green Deal with Katerina Fortuna, Policy Officer at Directorate General for Climate Action European Commission (EC).
The podcast is the result of a collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe. In three episodes we’ll explore the legal sphere around the implementation of climate policies in Europe.
Katerina Fortun is a Policy officer of the Directorate General for Climate Action at the European Commission. She is an economist who among many other things divides her time between the management of the European Covenant of Mayors, the European Climate Pact, pioneer citizens, and particularly youth engagement and networking. Katerina has worked at the European Commission for over 15 years.

On Climate & Law: Renewable Energy & Biodiversity With Laura Hildt (EEB)

In the second episode of "On Climate & Law," we focused on the REPowerEU plan, with a special focus on the protection of nature and biodiversity in the context of renewable energy sources’ permitting, and interviewed Laura Hildt, Policy Officer on Biodiversity at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). 
“There are important points to be tackled when speeding renewable energy installations that require urgent attention by legislators." It is important to make sure that phasing out fossil fuels does not undermine nature and biodiversity protection.
The podcast is the result of a collaboration between Rethinking Climate and Youth and Environment Europe. In three episodes we’ll explore the legal sphere around the implementation of climate policies in Europe.
Laura is the EEB’s Policy Officer for Biodiversity where she focuses on nature restoration, nature-friendly renewables, the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives. She has contributed to YEE’s legal seeds work in the past and has an LLM in Public International Law focusing on Environmental Law from Utrecht University, a Law Degree from the University of Cambridge and an LLM from the University of Mainz.