Amy Steel is a climate adaptation expert and PhD candidate with Adrift Lab at Curtin University, Western Australia. With over a decade of experience advising on decarbonisation and climate resilience, Amy is now focused on a vital question: should humans intervene to help ecosystems on the verge of collapse—and if so, how, where, and when?

Amy's research centres on the Yowli (otherwise known as Flesh-footed Shearwaters) breeding on islands in the Recherche Archipelago off Kepa Kurl, Esperance. These seabirds face increasing and worsening threats from lightning-ignited wildfires during their peak breeding season, impacted by climate change. Working with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, Amy is exploring how Wudjari cultural burning can protect these fragile habitats. Amy also reflects on moving from high-level strategy to hands-on fieldwork, the importance of Indigenous knowledge, and what it means to protect ecosystems in a rapidly changing climate.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Amy’s diverse background and what led her from leadership roles in climate strategy to research
• The long-term impacts of heat stroke that ended her competitive netball career and influenced her path
• Joining the Adrift Lab team and what inspired her to undertake a PhD
• Why islands and seabirds like the Yowli are critical indicators of ecosystem health
• The increasing severity of wildfires and extreme weather, and their impacts on vulnerable species
• Whether seabirds and other wildlife can adapt to human-driven climate change, and if natural checks and balances are breaking down
• The ethical and ecological questions around human intervention in collapsing ecosystems
• Working closely with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, and the role of Wudjari cultural burning in ecosystem resilience
• The importance of place-based policy and honouring Indigenous knowledge in climate responses
• How to communicate climate and conservation issues effectively, and create lasting change within communities
• Staying motivated in advocacy through collaboration and community action
• The role of athletes in climate conversations, and how to stay safe while being active in a changing climate
• What gives Amy hope as an environmental researcher

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Christelle Bakhache is a climber, conservationist, Lagoped ambassador, and Nature Sports Project Manager at Asters, the Conservatory of Natural Spaces in Haute-Savoie, France. With a background in environmental science and fieldwork that includes time with global organisations like WWF, Christelle brings a deep, practical understanding of conservation to her current work protecting some of France’s most fragile alpine environments.

Christelle works where outdoor adventure and environmental protection meet. She focuses on making sure that people can still enjoy the mountains without causing lasting harm to the ecosystems that make these places so special. Whether it’s shaping policy, supporting grassroots projects, or helping athletes think differently about their impact, she’s passionate about finding practical ways to balance human presence in these special and unique environments.

In this conversation, Christelle shares how her love for wild spaces fuels her mission, what she’s witnessing firsthand in the face of climate change, and how outdoor athletes and everyday adventurers alike can reduce their impact. She also reflects on her personal journey—blending exploration, advocacy, and a commitment to low-impact living to pursue a more sustainable future.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Christelle’s path into conservation and her drive to protect the natural world
• Life and work in Haute-Savoie, and how the region shapes her environmental outlook
• Her role at Asters and their mission to safeguard mountain biodiversity
• The rapid and visible impacts of climate change in the European Alps
• Conservation wins, persistent challenges, and reasons for hope
• The hidden environmental toll of large-scale sporting events
• What genuinely low-impact outdoor events could look like
• Sustainable training and travel tips for athletes and adventurers
• Practical ways we can all reduce our footprint in nature
• The influence of individual athletes and institutions advocating for change
• Christelle’s year of travelling simply and living with intention
• Steps toward becoming a more thoughtful, respectful presence in the outdoors

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Joseph Boctor is a PhD researcher at Murdoch University’s Bioplastics Innovation Hub and a passionate advocate for sustainable environmental solutions. Originally from Egypt, Joseph’s work is driven by a personal mission to address the growing plastic pollution crisis in the Nile River and other regions where waste management and recycling systems are underdeveloped or ineffective.

At the Bioplastics Innovation Hub — a collaborative initiative between Murdoch University, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and industry partners — Joseph’s research focuses on developing innovative ways to break down plastics in environments where traditional approaches fall short. With expertise in chemical sciences and biotechnology, he’s helping pioneer next-generation strategies for plastic degradation and sustainable materials.

Together with the team at the Hub, Joseph is contributing to Australia’s efforts to rethink the plastic lifecycle, to create a cleaner, more resilient future for ecosystems around the world.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Joseph’s background and what sparked his passion for tackling plastic pollution
• The shocking scale of plastic waste in the Nile River and its broader implications
• The two sides to the plastic problem—beginning and end of life strategies
• His lead authorship on the paper “Microplastics and nanoplastics: fate, transport, and governance from agricultural soil to food webs and humans”
• Why micro- and nanoplastics are so concerning, and how their size makes them nearly impossible to escape
• From soil to salad: How micro and nanoplastics enter agricultural soils and what that could mean for our health
• The urgent need for regulation and standardised risk assessments of plastics in food webs
• Packaging solutions that don’t leave a legacy: The groundbreaking work of the Bioplastics Innovation Hub
• Australia’s love affair with plastic, and the alarming statistics behind our consumption
• Joseph’s lead authorship on the review “Nature’s Plastic Predators: A Comprehensive and Bibliometric Review of Plastivore Insects”
• The intriguing insects that can feed on plastics—and how they could revolutionise waste management
• The Hub’s Smart Sprays Project and its potential to transform the agricultural industry
• Practical steps we can take as consumers to reduce our plastic footprint and avoid contamination

Joseph offers a wealth of knowledge and insight. This episode will give you

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Gareth Hughes is a former Member of Parliament, political commentator, author, and passionate advocate for economic transformation. With a decade of experience in Parliament representing the Green Party, Gareth held key roles including Party Whip, strategist, and Chair of the Social Services and Community Select Committee. Before his time in politics, Gareth led climate campaigns with Greenpeace, helping to drive awareness and action on critical environmental issues.

Gareth now serves as Director of WEAll Aotearoa Wellbeing Economy Alliance, a Te Tiriti-led, non-partisan ‘think and do’ tank focused on reimagining Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy to prioritise the wellbeing of people and te taiao (the natural world). Through research, advocacy, and coalition-building, the WEAll Aotearoa team are helping to shape a future where thriving communities and ecosystems are at the heart of economic decision-making.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Gareth’s journey from climate activism to Parliament to economic systems change
• How his personal and political experiences shaped a deep commitment to systemic economic change
• Why the current economic model is failing—and why change is urgent
• What a well-being economy really means (and what it’s not)
• Challenging common myths about economic growth and prosperity
• Why Aotearoa needs an economy that works for everyone, within planetary boundaries
• The mission and work of WEAll Aotearoa—empowering communities, policymakers, and businesses to co-create change
• The Wellbeing Economy Alliance—a global movement, now in 19 countries
• Tools and frameworks for action, including the Wellbeing Economy Policy Design Guide
• Business as a force for good
• Gareth’s nationwide listening tour—hearing how everyday New Zealanders want the economy to work
• Barriers to shifting the system, and how we can overcome them
• What success could look like, and Gareth’s message of hope and action
• How you can support WEAll Aotearoa and get involved in the movement

Gareth offers a hopeful, grounded, and inspiring conversation about how we can reimagine the economy to truly serve both people and the planet.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Dr Catherine Knight is an award-winning author, environmental historian, and policy expert with extensive experience in both strategic and operational environmental governance. Currently working in strategic policy in the government sector, Catherine is also an Honorary Research Associate at Massey University’s School of People, Environment and Planning. Her writing on wellbeing, post-growth economics, and environmental policy frequently appears on platforms such as Newsroom, The Spinoff, and Substack.

Catherine has authored several acclaimed books exploring the relationships between people, nature, and politics, including Nature and Wellbeing in Aotearoa, which we explored with her in a previous podcast episode. Her latest work, An Uncommon Land, is her most personal to date, tracing Aotearoa’s environmental and social history through the lens of her own ancestors. It explores powerful themes like enclosure, colonisation, and the gradual denaturing of landscapes.

In this episode:

• Her background in policy and current work beyond authorship
• Auckland’s lost tram network and the role of holistic city design
• Rethinking the economy to serve both people and planet
• What inspired Catherine to write An Uncommon Land
• The personal journey of understanding her ancestors to shape present-day insights
• The vulnerability of writing a deeply personal book
• The concept of The Commons—its historical significance and near-erasure in modern Aotearoa
• Debunking the myth of the "tragedy of the commons"
• How the shift to enclosure and private property continues to shape society today
• The enduring systems of war, colonisation, and environmental degradation—and their modern parallels
• Our complicity in an economy driven by exploitation and consumption
• How New Zealand’s celebrated progress has often depended on the extraction of resources and environmental destruction
• Envisioning alternative futures: post-growth models, food security, and land as a shared inheritance
• Why we must redirect public investment toward collective wellbeing
• What Catherine and her daughter learned from travelling together in the process of researching this book.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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We are joined by Sheena Chhabra, campaigner for the Plant Based Treaty—a groundbreaking global initiative tackling the climate and ecological crises by putting food systems at the heart of the solution.

The Plant Based Treaty is calling for a shift toward a just, plant-based food system that respects planetary boundaries, protects biodiversity, reforests the Earth, and creates a more resilient and equitable future. Recently, Sheena and the Plant Based Treaty team celebrated a major milestone: helping Darebin City Council become the first local government in Australia to endorse the Treaty, joining the ranks of progressive cities like Los Angeles and Amsterdam.

With a vision to see a global Plant Based Treaty adopted alongside the Paris Agreement, the organisation is driving policy change, strengthening networks, and supporting communities to transition to healthier, climate-friendly food systems.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Sheena’s journey into plant-based advocacy and environmental campaigning
• How the Plant Based Treaty came to be and what it aims to achieve
• The critical connection between food systems, climate change, and biodiversity loss
• Why reducing reliance on animal agriculture is key to cutting methane emissions
• How and why Australia is one of the world’s worst hotspots for land clearing and species extinction
• The vulnerabilities in our current food systems and how to build resilience with a plant-based shift
• The links between animal agriculture, antibiotic resistance, and zoonotic disease risks
• An introduction to The Safe and Trust report: The Plant Based Treaty’s Vegan Donut Economics Approach to the Food System
• The Treaty’s five core programs and what they’re doing to drive real change
• How individuals and institutions can support the movement
• What’s ahead for the Plant Based Treaty in 2025 and beyond

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop is a former Principal Scientist with the Queensland Government Natural Resources, where he spent three decades using satellite data to monitor vegetation cover and deforestation. Since leaving that position, he has co-authored the Beyond Zero Emissions’ Land Use Plan, worked with the NGO World Preservation Foundation, and serves as Director of Replant Byron. We had the privilege of closing out our last season with a chat with this incredible human, and we’re thrilled to welcome Gerard back for an update on his latest groundbreaking research!

In this episode, we explore Gerard’s latest paper, Increased Transparency in Accounting Conventions Could Benefit Climate Policy. He breaks down three major shifts in climate science and emissions accounting that challenge conventional thinking about what drives climate change—revealing that agriculture, particularly animal agriculture, is the leading cause of present-day warming.

This is a paradigm-shifting conversation, so grab your pen and notepaper (you’ll want to take notes, trust us!), and check out Gerard’s brief explainer video here.

In this episode, we discuss:

• A recap of Gerard’s previous research on the need for consistent carbon accounting
• Contentious gases and how we measure them – Global Warming Potential vs Effective Radiative Forcing
• The impact of cooling aerosols from fossil fuel emissions and why they complicate climate calculations.
• How we have undervalued the impact of deforestation, underestimated methane’s impact, and failed to account for cooling emissions.
• A game-changing revelation: updated metrics show agriculture is responsible for 60% of today’s global warming—with animal agriculture alone accounting for 53%.
• The overlooked power of natural drawdown—how nature has looked after us right from the start
• Why these improved methodologies haven’t been widely applied before, and what’s been standing in the way
• The expected response from the animal agriculture industry and how to navigate the greenwashing.
• The bigger picture: what role does animal agriculture play in humanity’s future?

Join us as we unpack the science, the solutions, and why a major shift in climate policy is needed—now more than ever!

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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Nina Trinquet is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and PhD candidate based in Melbourne. Take a listen as Nina shares her wisdom on how a whole food plant-based diet can prevent and manage chronic disease. Nina works with individuals aiming to improve their health through diet, with a particular focus on cardiovascular health.

She is also an avid endurance runner with a passion for sports nutrition, making this a must-listen episode for athletes and health-conscious individuals alike.

Nina packs this episode full of evidence-based insights, practical nutrition tips, and inspiring discussions on creating a healthier, more sustainable future through food.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Nina’s background in prosthetics and orthotics, and how this led to plant-based dietetics
• Her love for endurance running and marathon goals for 2025
• The importance of strength training & nutrition in running performance
• Nina’s crucial work in transforming food systems in youth justice
• Why young men are obsessed with protein & what they’re missing
• Whole food plant-based vs. standard vegan diets—what’s the difference?
• How diet can prevent, manage & even reverse chronic disease
• Maximising iron & protein intake on a plant-based diet
• The importance of calorie density for plant-based athletes
• Common myths & misconceptions about plant-based eating
• Carbohydrates, saturated fat and insulin resistance in Type 2 Diabetes
• Nina’s PhD research at Monash University and how you can volunteer to support her work
• Her personal goals for 2025 & beyond

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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