What becomes possible when we learn to tell different stories about the world and our place within it? Join us in celebrating Professor Thom van Dooren - a pioneer of “field philosophy” and recipient of the BBVA Foundation’s prestigious Biophilia Award: www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-envir...
SEI's 2025 Annual Report reflects on the exceptional work of our members. Through enduring partnerships with communities, governments, and industry, SEI's work demonstrates how multidisciplinary research can advance the common good. 🔗 2025 Annual Report: www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-envir...
Dr Rebecca McNaught has delivered the prestigious Iain McCalman Lecture. Drawing on years of embedded research in the Northern Rivers of NSW, Dr McNaught challenges how Australia thinks about #disasters, #resilience and #recovery.
🔗 Now available, podcast or essay: www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-envir...
When competition for land is tight, how might informal green spaces support urban #ecologies? As Catherine Gunawan writes, with careful management these overlooked spaces could unlock new opportunities to support urban biodiversity in cities like Sydney: www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-envir...
🌊 Ocean systems underpin national prosperity, resilience, and cultural identity. As a new report from Ocean Decade Australia reveals, the "blue economy" is rapidly emerging as a strategic consideration in Australian boardrooms: www.oceandecadeaustralia.org/news-item/22...
Followed by response from Beck Dawson, resilience expert. Beck has championed the use of robust community and technical research in her roles at the NSW Reconstruction Authority, Resilient Sydney, Resilient Cities Network Cities, and the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce.
2026 Iain McCalman lecture: Dr. Rebecca McNaught will share stories of grassroots collaboration, creativity, and hope from the Northern Rivers - region at the epicentre of compounding disasters [2 March 2026, 6-8PM] 👉 Register: www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-envir...
SEI Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Lian Sinclair spoke to ABC PM Radio about how #Greenland's #rare #earth deposits are not unique, and aggression towards Greenland serves no benefit for #renewable #energy production.
Listen now: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
SEI researcher Associate Professor Chris Pepin-Neff @pepinneff.bsky.social warns Sydney-siders to stay out of the water after heavy rain, responding to recent cluster of shark bites: www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...
Critical #minerals are vital for the #energy #transition, but supply chains remain vulnerable. Experts at SEI’s roundtable explored #geopolitics, #sustainability and #Australia’s role. Listen to the #podcast for more insights.
This expert panel unpacks the limitations of green #capitalism and #growth driven economics. It explores initiatives that reimagine alternative economies built around #wellbeing, #climate #justice, and living within #planetary boundaries.
🎧 Sydney Environment Institute's latest panel discussion, 'Rethinking growth: Post-Growth, De-Growth, Donuts and Well-Being' is now available on our #podcast series: shows.acast.com/the-sei-podc...
Whether post-disaster #trauma or growing climate #anxiety, the impacts of climate change on our #collective #wellbeing are only expected to rise. On Fri 17 Oct,
@blancheverlie.bsky.social will join a panel discussion about the #mental #health impacts of #climate #change and what we can do about it.
The committee credited @thomvandooren.bsky.social for his “central role” in understanding and responding to the #biodiversity crisis. Through what he calls "field philosophy", Thom has drawn attention to the #social, #political and #ecological entanglements involved in every #extinction process.
Congratulations to Thom van Dooren who was awarded the prestigious 'Biophilia Award in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences'. The BBVA Foundation recognises the #philosopher's contributions to understanding species #extinction from the perspective of the #environmental #humanities.
🌱 Test, measure + scale nature-based solutions in Sydney
🌱 Establish governance and funding models to recognise nature as an asset class
🌱 Re-cast nature as a financial asset that delivers economic and wider benefits
🌱 Streamline planning approvals for complex nature-based solutions
The report outlines key policy recommendations, including:
🌱 Embed nature-based solutions into all urban development and hazard planning
🌱 Integrate Indigenous + place-based knowledge into adaptation plans
🌱 Refine valuation frameworks to capture the full economic, social + ecological benefits
As Sydney’s flood risk grows and changes, traditional grey #infrastructure alone cannot keep pace. Sydney Environment Institute has partnered with AECOM and Committee for Sydney on a new report on the #resilience #dividend of #nature-based solutions:
🔗 Read here: sydney.org.au/wp-content/u...
The discussion brought together leading thinkers and practitioners in #environmental protection, #ecological regeneration and #community climate #resilience, including @seisydney.bsky.social members Jo Gillespie, Dan Penny and Genevieve Wright. Read more about the event below ⬇️
Last week, the Henry Halloran Urban & Regional Research Initiative hosted a panel discussion on #urban #rewilding, exploring the different ways #nature-based solutions can be applied in urban environments to enhance #resilience and #regeneration.
We're thrilled to see the interest in our upcoming panel discussion on #DeGrowth, #PostGrowth and #WellbeingEconomies - tickets have sold out! If you'd still like to hear leading thinkers unpack the #growth paradigm and explore #alternative #regenerative economic models, join the waitlist ⬇️
Cana Nongkhlaw, recipient of the 2025 Iain McCalman Honours Research Award, writes on Khasi #land-based practices and #biodiversity #conservation: "Place-based ontologies are not static or romantic. They are adaptive, situated, and often forged in the crucible of loss and resistance."
The research team recently hosted community #co-design workshops. Participants gathered to connect, learn and share #local-knowledges and #lived-experiences of #ExtremeHeat, #Storms and #Pandemic. These stories will inform a localised version of The Adaptation Game (TAG) to support disaster planning
Sydney Environment Institute and Sydney Policy Lab are leading a collaborative research initiative on #universities' role in #community #disaster #resilience. The project brings together students, staff, academics, community representatives and local gov to explore local disaster resilience needs.
An emerging research initiative at Sydney Environment Institute is exploring alternatives to #growth-based #economic paradigms. SEI members met with researchers from across the University of Sydney to explore emerging research and ideas on #post-growth, #de-growth & #wellbeing-economy approaches
Sydney Environment Institute member Vivienne Reiner led the initiative, calculating the University's scope 3 #emissions using input-output (IO) analysis to identify hotspots. The sector-first report sets a new national benchmark for #emissions transparency, #risk governance and #HigherEd leadership.
The University of Sydney is the first university in Australia to release a formal climate-related financial disclosure, aligned with NSW Treasury’s #climate #reporting framework: www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Sydney Environment Institute has released a statement on the ICJ Advisory Opinion. Authors @dschlosberg.bsky.social, @danycelermajer.bsky.social, @proftimstephens.bsky.social, Susan Park, and Ying Zhang reflect on the significance of the ruling for climate change policies.
Sydney Environment Institute celebrates the International Court of Justice's historic ruling on states’ climate obligations. The ICJ's much-anticipated Advisory Opinion on climate change is the clearest legal affirmation to date that states have a legally binding obligation to address climate change
🔔 Job opportunity – Sydney Environment Institute is #hiring a #Postdoctoral Research Fellow - #Justice and #Electricity Transmission to develop research on climate justice and electricity transmission with @amandatattersall.bsky.social and @dschlosberg.bsky.social. Applications close 11 Aug, 11:59PM