In this episode, we discuss:

• The role of (North African) youth in climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Intersections of climate change, health and mental health
• Building resilience from the grassroots level to the global level; planetary resilience
• Introducing vulnerability and care in climate change discussions

Guest | Dr. Saad Uakkas

Dr Saad Uakkas is an expert in youth and organisational empowerment and engagement in climate and health. He holds a Master’s degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), with a Chevening scholarship. With over 9 years of experience in leadership positions across global youth NGOs and networks, such as the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, the World Healthcare Students’ Alliance, and the African Youth Initiative for Climate Change (AYICC), he is an expert in events organisation, project management, organisational development, partnerships and fundraising, advocacy, and youth leadership. He is also a TEDx speaker, a Diana awardee, a One Young World Ambassador, a Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, and a Global Shaper. He has organised 10 global campaigns, and led over 30 global events and conferences, including the COP27 and COP28 Children and Youth Pavilions. He is currently the AYICC Executive Chair, leading youth climate engagement across Africa.

Interviewer | Dr. Rosa Rantanen

Dr Rosa Rantanen is the founder of the Safer Climate network (Initiative for a Safer Climate), that brings together research, civil society and the arts. She currently works as a Research Coordinator at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She wrote her Doctoral thesis on the ethical desirability of human life extension, at the University of Turku, in Finland as well. Rantanen has also worked on various interdisciplinary projects across several civil society organizations, including the Finnish Red Cross. Currently, she specialises in working not only on civil society engagement, but also themes such as climate security, climate and death, and war and its effects on climate and the environment. Her work is part of the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC) program.

Episode notes and references:

• COP28 UAE Declaration on climate and health
• Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change
• Does Africa have a voice on climate?

Music by: Ritesh Prasanna

Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com

Transcript: https://atmospherictales.medium.com/watering-our-community-youth-health-and-climate-resilience-f6b64d100c14

In this episode, we discuss:

• Interconnectedness of Air Pollution and Climate Change
• Health and Environmental Impacts
• African Integrated Assessment
• Role of African Scientists
• Future of Atmospheric Sciences in Africa

Guest | Prof. Rebecca Garland

Our guest, Prof. Rebecca Garland, is a seasoned expert in atmospheric sciences, specialising in air quality and climate change, with a strong focus on science-policy linkages. Her research endeavours are dedicated to improving the understanding of air quality and atmospheric science in southern Africa, through the integration of multiple data streams; this includes developing emissions inventories, conducting air quality modelling, utilising ground-based and remote sensing measurements, formulating evidence-based air quality management strategies, and exploring the connections between air quality and climate change at regional and urban scales. Dr Garland has held a significant role as a Principal Researcher at the Climate and Air Quality Modeling Group within the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa. She obtained her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder, concentrating on atmospheric science with a specific focus on aerosol particles. Additionally, she served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, and as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Interviewer | Cynthia Sitati

Our interviewer, Cynthia Sitati is a Research Associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Africa Centre. She holds an MSc in Climate Change Adaptation from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing a PhD at the same institution, where she wants to explore the intricate relationship between air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging advanced technologies and synthesising data from diverse sources. At the Stockholm Environment Institute, Cynthia works under the Sustainable Urbanization Programme, supporting projects on air pollution, climate change, and urban development. Her goal is to use research to inform policy, help humanity fight Air Pollution and climate change in her capacity as a researcher, and make a significant contribution towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Episode notes and references:

• Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa
• Opinion: Strengthening research in the Global South – atmospheric science opportunities in South America and Africa

Music by: Ritesh Prasanna

Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com

Transcript: https://atmospherictales.medium.com/exploring-the-nexus-of-air-pollution-and-climate-change-in-africa-af6e390ef5eb

In this episode, we discuss:

• Critique of mainstream climate discourse
• Role of Indigenous knowledges
• Reimagining climate governance
• Positionality and ethical research

Guest | Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty

Our guest, Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty, is a political ecologist and interdisciplinary social scientist who collaborates with indigenous and agrarian communities to explore pathways of environmental and social justice. For the past 15 years, he has worked with various universities, think-tanks, public and civil society institutions in United States, India, Bhutan, China and Aotearoa/New Zealand on issues of plural knowledges, environmental and social justice, rural transformation, youth subjectivities, climate change and agriculture.

Interviewer | Uma Pal

Our interviewer, Uma Pal, is a Senior Analyst at the Climate Policy Initiative, India. Her work focuses on adaptation, resilience and sustainable finance. With over 8 years of experience in the climate and development space, her expertise lies in climate change policy and institutional analysis, physical climate risk assessments and mainstreaming climate risk in plans, policies, and actions of governments and the private sector. Uma holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, and a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Episode notes and references:

• Climate adaptation projects sometimes exacerbate the problems they try to solve — a new tool hopes to correct that
• Mountains of inequality: encountering the politics of climate adaptation across the Himalaya
• From climate adaptation to climate justice: Critical reflections on the IPCC and Himalayan climate knowledges

Music by: Ritesh Prasanna

Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com

Transcript: https://atmospherictales.medium.com/decolonizing-climate-discourse-embracing-plurality-in-knowledges-676e6e6b681a