The Substance of Sustainability podcast publishes narrated articles. These are based on the articles and e-books published on this site and on Substack. In the near future, we will also start publishing interviews and discussions on subjects related to the articles.
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms.
Episodes
EP1: Beyond Optimists and Pessimists
Looking for Better Stories on Sustainability
Published May 2024 on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
This is the first episode in a series, in which I look for better stories on sustainability. In this introduction, I talk about stories as models of the world. The current stories we tell ourselves and each other about sustainability are usually oversimplified. Most tend to revolve around either technical solutions, or around a kind of modern romanticism. Yet others focus on a fatalistic or urgent sense of impending doom. I think that we can do better than having to choose between technological optimism or environmental pessimism.
For notes, references and further reading, see the full article on Substack or this site.
EP2: Entwined
Matters of Complexity
Published June 2024 on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In this second episode we examine the subject of complex systems, and what complexity means for scientific understanding, predictability and the possibilities of control. Since the 17th century, our thinking has been increasingly influenced by the concept of “the machine”. Machines are built to be optimised and controlled. But it turns out that most of our world is very unlike a machine.
For notes, references and further reading, see the full article on Substack or this site.
EP3: Hairballs & Loops
Why understanding the real world is important (but not easy)
Published October 2024 on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In this third episode we continue on the subject of complexity. We look at how we understand the world in terms of cause-and-effect stories. Causal loops or “feedbacks” can make complex systems harder to understand, but also more robust and more effective. The problem is that we easily get lost in the details of complex systems, while not all details matter.
For images, notes, references and further reading, see the full article on Substack or this site.