In this fifth and final episode of Voices from the South, we’ll explore a possible future: one in which renewable energy succeeds in fulfilling its promise to rival fossil fuels, to the point of neutralizing—or at least reducing—the effects of climate change.
To do this, we return to the Amazon to discover how scientists are producing increasingly efficient—and economically viable—fuels from sources as diverse as oil extracted from the acai berry. Or from cyanobacteria and microalgae found in Amazonian rivers and lakes, which are already being used as raw material for aviation fuel, replacing highly polluting aviation kerosene.
We also revisited the Australian coast, this time to learn about energy generated and naturally replenished by ocean waves. Studies conducted by the Marine Energy Research Australia (MERA) center at the University of Western Australia show that harnessing the kinetic energy provided by waves can generate hundreds of gigawatts per year, enough to light up entire cities.
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In five episodes, “Voices from the South” presents the results of dozens of interviews with academics and custodians of the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous peoples in both countries regarding the science behind combating forest fires, the impacts of mining, the warming of ocean waters, and the influence of agriculture and livestock on global warming. The podcast also highlights examples of innovation that Brazil and Australia—where the power of the sun, wind, rivers, and waves abound—are developing in the field of renewable energy.
This is the essence of the adventure that our team of journalists, led by Environment Editor Luciana Julião, undertook to produce “Voices from the South".
“Voices from the South” is a co-production of The Conversation Brasil with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), funded by the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR) and with strategic consulting from The Conversation Media Group.
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Voices from the South, Episode 5 “Future: Tomorrow’s Energy, Today”
Episode guests:
1 - Hilson Rabelo, artisan and owner of the company Fibras da Amazônia
2 - Luís Adriano Nascimento, professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Pará and deputy coordinator of the Amazon Oils Laboratory
3 - Gilberto Januzzi, professor of Energy Systems at the School of Mechanical Engineering at Unicamp and senior researcher at the Center for Energy Planning (NIPE)
4 - Hugh Wolgamot, senior researcher at the Marine Energy Research Australia (MERA) center at the University of Western Australia
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“Voices of the South” Team:
Editorial coordination and narration: Luciana Julião
Script: Luciana Julião, with assistance from Luciana Colodete
English narration: Melissa Garcia
English version script: Gustavo Almeida
Research: Fernando Vives (Australia), Luciana Colodete, Luciana Julião, and Mariana Moreira (Brazil)
Fact-checking: Fernando Vives and Luciana Colodete
Editing, soundtrack, and mixing: Bruno Cysne
Translations: Paulo Mussoi
Voice-overs: Eleven Labs
Social media: Carolina Aleixo
Audiovisual: Paulo Mussoi and Carolina Aleixo
Visual identity: Laura Garcia
Scientific consulting: Maria Ataide Malcher, Federal University of Pará (UFPA)
UFPA Team: Arlene Cantão Costa, Ana Teresa Lima Nascimento, Bismaike da Silva Santos, Victor Hugo Pinheiro dos Santos, Marcus Anderson Batista Leal, and Natália da Silva Maia de Almeida
Executive Production: Daniel Stycer and Paulo Mussoi
