Fuzzy Logic Science Show

"Sustainable"... really?

It's a fair bet that if you're listening to this podcast, you care about sustainability. But unfortunately has become grossly abused, almost to the point of meaningless.

This podcast marks the start of a new series, Rethinking Sustainability, where each week we'll be broadcasting a new episode. And if you'd like to contribute an episode, please get in touch.

https://rethinkingsustainabilitypod.blogspot.com/

 

How to destabilise a system: NENA conference 2023

What makes a system fragile? In this short talk, Rod sketches what drives a system towards collapse.

Can you see the parallels to our civisliation today?

Proceedings from the NENA conference, November 2023 in Canberra.

 

More about the book, The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation here.

Rethinking Sustainability, Adelaide

The word "sustainability" has become cliché, loaded with myths, half-truths and outright lies that try to convince us that a few tweaks to ‘business as usual’ will be enough.

What then, does ‘sustainability’ really mean? A fundamental problem requires fundamental solutions - yet these are often completely ignored.

In this talk at the Conservation Council, sponsored by Sustainable Population Australia, Rod Taylor digs into the themes of the in The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation co-authored with Mark Diesendorf.

 

Let’s Not Lose Them

We are fortunate to live on a planet that surrounds us with the wonders of nature. From frogs to koalas and even snakes and sharks. Yet what are we to make of the sixth great extinction now underway, caused by humans?

Suzanne Ferris' book Let's Not Lose Them: Endangered Species in Australia embodies both the joy of life and a warning that we are unwinding our life support system.

Joining us in this conversation is Jeremy Barrett, in which we touch on the economic thinking that is driving environmental destruction.

 

For more on the economy, we recommend the upcoming NENA conference to be held in Canberra, 17-19 November.

Also mentioned in - and highly recommended - is the Rethinking Capitalism weekend run by Steven Hail and Gabrielle Bond.

Interview by Rod.

 

 

One Voice Medicine Conversations with First People Healers

We open today's broadcast with a question: what would you do if you did not have access to your doctor, your GP, a hospital or even a local pharmacy? Without "western medicine", this is what indigenous cultures have been doing for thousands of years.

For all its prodigious advances in medical science, what do these cultures have to teach us? This is a theme that has driven Valerie Albrecht for many years across many countries. And now she's distilled much of what she's learned into a beautiful new book One Voice Medicine Conversations with First People Healers.

Visit her at https://www.theoceansofenergy.com/

Interview by Rod

 

Rocks That Shape Australia

This week Broderick and Camille are joined by geoscientist Dr Verity Normington and science communicator Alice Ryder, both from Geoscience Australia, to discuss their new exhibition Rocks that Shape Australia.

The Rocks that Shape Australia exhibition explores how rocks can be valued by Australians for many different reasons, including their economic, historical, cultural and environmental significance.

The Titanic: economics, neoliberalism and state capture

That our civilisation is unsustainable is abundantly clear. And yet we plough onwards as if business as usual in the faith that somehow the problem will fix itself. In this seminar, authors Dr Mark Diesendorf and Rod Taylor outline the themes in their new book, The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation.

The seminar is introduced by Professor Lorrae Van Kerkhoff from the ANU Fenner School with keynote speaker Dr Richard Denniss from The Australia Institute.

Recorded at Thor's Hammer in Canberra, 4th July 2023.

The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation

It seems every day, we hear yet more news about the declining world environment. It's not only climate change, and if when we add other threats including loss of biodiversity and depleting resources, it becomes a dangerous brew.

These are having impacts on people - and the economy - which are largely ignored by neoclassical economics and neoliberalism

Dr Mark Diesendorf and Rod Taylor discuss their new book The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation (Palgrave Macmillan) out now in eBook and soon as paperback. This book tackles the fundamental drivers of this crisis, and what we can do about it.

Pre-order copies are now on special.

Walking on the Moon

Standing, walking or running is something most of us take for granted. And yet it is a remarkably sophisticated thing we do without even thinking about it.

Professor Gordon Waddington and PhD student Ashleigh Marchant walk us through the beautifully synchronised dance that coordinates parts of your body to make this happen. Muscles, tendons, joints, bones and, of course, your nervous system.

We highly recommend being part of Ashleigh's research project at the University of Canberra, where she tests your proprioception skills and be part of a real lab experiment. Ashleigh.Marchant@canberra.edu.au

Interview by Rod. And sorry about the puns.

Healthy waters, healthy lands

If you were to visit a river, it might look beautiful, but is it healthy? Looks may be a good start, but properly assessing a water body takes a bit more and, yes, how it smells is another indicator.

And then, why should we care whether a river or stream is in good condition?

Leon Metzling was a Victorian EPA senior water ecologist for 30 years. Here he's talking to Rod.