Environment Institute Newsletter - Feb 2023

Hello!

Welcome again. February has come and gone rather quickly (well it is the shortest month), and we have lots to share with you.

As you explore this issue check out Prof Sarah Wheeler's examination of the recent government announcement of strategic water buybacks along the Murray-Darling Basin. Or you can delve into the world of ancient DNA and human adaptation. 

Why not listen to our featured podcasts on your daily commute?

• Dr Dominic McAfee spoke to me earlier this month on the University of Adelaide’s Discovery Pod about using the ocean's orchestra under the sea to attract baby oysters.
• PhD candidate Hannah Thwaites looks into urban agriculture, including the humble backyard veggie patch, and its role in community resilience and climate change.  

I am thrilled to announce that the Environment Institute will support the 2023 SA Environment Awards 'Conservation Science' prize. This prize recognises the development of application-ready research or the successful application of science and research into real-world conservation outcomes. Have you thought about nominating someone or even yourself?

AgriFutures evokeAG conference was back on after a three-year hiatus, and welcomed for the first time to Adelaide. Across two days, we heard many remarkable developments, opinions and insights across agrifood innovations and technology - A vibrant and exciting community. It was fantastic to see many areas of the University of Adelaide come together and provide valuable information on our research and how to collaborate with us. 

The Environment Institute is a passionate advocate for youth engagement. Create4Adelaide is a new project from Adelaide Festival that invites young people to have a say on climate change and respond creatively to SA's most significant climate issues. The project's first stage invites Adelaide's youth to identify their top 3 priorities in the fight against climate change – got any ideas take the survey here.

Enough from me, I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter. I look forward to reporting back to you next month about our WOMAD experience at the Planet Talks, and maybe see you there! 

Prof. Andy Lowe
Interim, Environment Institute Director

Research Excellence

Upcoming Events

Floods of Fire - Citizen Science Orchestra 3 March 2023

We have an exciting music/science collaboration for this year’s Adelaide Festival with the ASO. Moved by Australia's devastating fires and floods of 2019-20, Floods of Fire was concieved by Artistic Director Airan Berg as a community centred project that turns our experiences of climate change into music.

We are lucky enough to have a performance forming part of Floods of Fire taking place as part of the opening night of the Adelaide Festival. The evening features the first performance of the Citizens Orchestra, a landmark community engagement project facilitated by the ASO under the artistic direction of Airan Berg, and the musical direction of Tim Steiner & Ricardo Baptista.

Come along to the opening night of the Adelaide Festival tonight to hear the Citizens' Orchestra and Floods of Fire.  It's a free public event in Elder Park from 7.30pm with the headline act Spinifex Gum and the ASO at 8:30pm.

ADELAIDE FESTIVAL: Let’s Eat: Political Ecology.  Lunch with Simon Holmes à Court - 10 March

Enjoy a tapas lunch and hear from Simon Holmes à Court, the founder of Climate 200, discuss how he perceives his place in the political ecology.

Date: Friday 10 March
Time: 12.00-2.30pm
Venue: Old Alumni House Lawns, Gate 13, Kintore Avenue
Cost: Tickets $161

WOMADelaide 'The Planet Talks' - 10-13 March

The count down is on for WOMADelaide's 'The Planet Talks'! Saturday is SOLD OUT! Tickets still available for Monday. Across the three days of 'The Planet Talks', prominent thinkers, activists, scientists, and leaders will participate in lively and thought-provoking debates about the challenges that affect our planet and possible solutions. 

Saturday 11 March

2pm - Natural rights - Panel includes Prof Peter Burdon
4pm - Can seaweed save the world? -  Panel includes Dr Alice Jones

Monday 13 March

2pm - Crimes against nature - Panel includes A/Prof Phil Cassey

Research Tuesday: Risk-ready or not? - 14 March

Natural disasters have always existed—but with the ever-advancing spectre that is climate change, their frequency, severity and cost are only increasing. Fires, floods, tsunamis, storms and heatwaves take tens of thousands of lives every year and effect devastating economic loss.

Join us as we unpack the complexities of risk management.

The presenters

• Dr Douglas Bardsley
• Dr Phillipa McCormack
• Prof Holger Maier

Date: Tuesday 14 March
Time: 5:30-6:30
Location: The Braggs Lecture Theatre, The Braggs Building
Cost: Free but RSVP Essential

The Environment Institute

G05 Benham Building, North Terrace
The University of Adelaide
ADELAIDE, SA 5005, AUSTRALIA

T: +618 8313 0543
E: environment@adelaide.edu.au