Bula COP31!

Bula COP31 is a podcast for anyone wanting to understand what it means for Australia and the Türkiye to co-host COP31 in 2026 , and why this moment is influential in the UNFCCC process. Australia will be putting the Pacific Islands at the forefront of the climate negotiations to ensure adaptation and infrastructure investments flow to the region. Your hosts are Heidi Dumesich and Jack Whelan . Jack is a proud boomer who started his sustainability career long before it was considered ‘cool’. His experience spans the earliest COPs and reaches across business, industry, government, development agencies, NGOs, and the UN. He’s worked with the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development; and across Asia-Pacific with the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility, Asian Development Bank, and World Bank. Jack was nominated by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the des

Bula COP31! is a arts podcast hosted by Heidi Dumesich and Jack Whelan, with 21 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Heidi Dumesich and Jack Whelan hosts Bula COP31!, a arts show with 21 episodes published.

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  Bula COP31!

  Episode 'T' for Tonga: Plastics, Policy and the Pacific with WWF John Duncan

  Aug 20, 202637 min

  This episode, we're joined by John Duncan, Global Initiative Lead for WWF's No Plastics in Nature program, to unpack the Global Plastics Treaty — often called the most significant environmental agreement since Paris. John breaks down why voluntary corporate action hasn't moved the needle, how a 330+ company business coalition is pushing governments for binding rules, and why extended producer responsibility (EPR) could be the single biggest lever for change. We dig into the sticking points stalling negotiations, why the Pacific is ground zero for the plastic-climate-biodiversity connection, and what "circular economy" solutions actually look like beyond recycling. Plus: laser-printed fruit labels, compostable nappies in Vanuatu, and why refill-and-reuse systems might beat "eco" materials altogether. Links: John Duncan LinkedIn https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/business-coalition-for-a-global-plastics-treaty https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/13/new-un-plastic-treaty-going-backwards-experts https://www.linkedin.com/posts/did-you-see-the-latest-development-in-the-share-7495478417866391553-QuL4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABcNHiUBeH_j_Dyo4tHVOsvmulrogj21M6E Follow us on our socials for more content: Instagram & LinkedIn

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  Bula COP31!

  Episode 'S' for Solomon Islands: The Case for Electrification - Part 2 with Jon Jutsen

  Aug 9, 202618 min

  Jon Jutsen returns to Bula COP31 to unpack the messier middle of the energy transition: where biofuels and biogas still have a role in hard-to-abate sectors like mining, farming and remote transport, and whether Australia's electricity grid is actually ready for the wave of EVs and heat pumps about to hit it. Jutsen makes the case that biodiesel is a short-term bridge at best, that biogas is underused in agriculture and rural industry, and that our networks — built for a world of dozens of new connection applications a year, not thousands — are racing to catch up. The conversation turns to a bigger question: are big centralised transmission networks becoming redundant as we shift toward local, distributed grids? Jutsen thinks the answer is nuanced — networks aren't going away, but their role is changing fast. A must-listen ahead of COP31 for anyone tracking Australia and the Pacific's electrification journey. Follow us on our socials for more content: Instagram & LinkedIn

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  Episode #10

  Episode 'S' for Samoa - Electrification target of 35% - Realistic or Aspiration for Australia?

  Jul 26, 202637 minS2

  Can Australia hit net zero without a clear plan to get there? In this episode of Bula COP31 , we sit down with energy transition expert Jonathan Jutsen to unpack what it will really take to electrify Australia's economy by 2035. Jon has spent decades working at the intersection of energy policy and business, and he doesn't pull punches: Australia's energy transition remains deeply politicised, market forces (not policy) are currently driving renewables adoption, and without a detailed, bottom-up operational plan, the 35% electrification target risks becoming another missed milestone. We cover what's genuinely improved in renewable uptake, why bipartisanship has been so hard to find, sector-by-sector realities of electrification, lessons Australia could take from Norway, and the case for microgrids and local energy solutions as the grid strains to keep up. We also touch on the future of biofuels and renewable diesel for the hard-to-abate sectors electrification can't easily reach. This episode also pays tribute to Fiona Wain, remembered as a high-energy voice who was never short of an opinion — and whose impact on the sector's thinking runs through much of this conversation. Guest: Jonathan Jutsen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanjutsen/ Follow us on our socials for more content: Instagram & LinkedIn

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  Episode #9

  Episode 'R' for Rarotonga: COP31 Türkiye Brief Part 2

  Jun 30, 202618 minS2

  Heidi continues her conversation with Selen İnal, founder of the COP31 Türkiye Brief, picking up where they left off at the Zero Waste Forum. This episode dives into the climate issue hiding in plain sight — waste. Selen breaks down why methane from poorly managed organic waste is one of the most dangerous and underrated climate threats, and unpacks the circular economy challenge: which plastics can actually be recycled, why the EU's new digital product passport could change everything, and a confronting question raised at the Forum — why are developed nations still exporting their waste to developing countries? The conversation also turns to representation, with reflections on meeting Australia's COP31 Youth Climate Champion Sally Higgins, and why having a young woman from an agricultural background in that role matters far beyond symbolism. Heidi and Selen also touch on the Subsidiary Bodies meetings currently underway in Bonn — the dense, high-level negotiations that shape what actually gets discussed at COP. 🔗 Follow the COP31 Türkiye Brief: cop31tr.com | LinkedIn: COP31 Türkiye Brief Follow us on our socials for more content: Instagram & LinkedIn

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  Episode #8

  Episode 'Q' for Queensland & Queenstown: COP31 Türkiye Brief

  Jun 18, 202621 minS2

  Recorded right after Australia's surprise 2-0 World Cup win over Türkiye, Heidi sat down with Selen İnal — founder and editor of the COP31 Türkiye Brief (cop31tr.com) — for a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from waste and electrification to women in climate leadership and what makes Turkish coffee so special. Selen is a Turkish engineer, entrepreneur and climate communicator who has attended four COPs and built an independent, volunteer-run platform to bring technical expertise and diverse voices into the COP conversation. Her portal — free to publish in for anyone with 10+ years of experience in energy transition or climate change — is fast becoming one of the most rigorous sources of COP31 commentary outside the formal negotiating rooms. In this episode they cover: 🔋 Electrification — the 35% electrification target announced at SB62 in Bonn, why coupling electrification with phasing out fossil fuels is non-negotiable, and why the Socceroos' "just score more goals" strategy might be a metaphor for the energy transition ♻️ Zero Waste Forum in Istanbul — what happened when two thousand participants packed a plenary room under a ceiling of ocean projections, why methane from organic waste is one of the most underestimated climate problems, and why copy-pasting European circular economy solutions into developing countries doesn't work 🌍 Waste and the global south — the uncomfortable conversation at the forum about developed countries exporting their waste problems to less developed ones 👩 Women in climate leadership — why Sally Higgins as Australia's youth climate champion matters, why three of the five current UN Secretary-General candidates are women, and what having a woman in that role for the first time in history could mean 🤝 Turkey and Australia — two countries whose destinies are suddenly intertwined through a shared COP presidency, a World Cup match and a growing desire to actually fix this thing Plus: how to make the perfect Turkish coffee (the foam is everything). 🔗 Follow the COP31 Türkiye Brief: cop31tr.com | LinkedIn: COP31 Türkiye Brief Follow us on our socials for more content: Instagram & LinkedIn

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