In 2024, we celebrate #Camelids - with Ilse Köhler-Rollefson

Diamonds in the Delta- Philippines: Infrastructure for whom?

00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=0s] What are deltas and why are they sinking? 05:17 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=317s] New Manila International Airport (NMIA) 07:55 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=475s] Dredging, reclamation make floods worse 11:26 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=686s] Human rights abused, environmental laws broken, forced disappearances of activists 16:33 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=993s] And who welcomes the airport? 19:59 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1199s] Why is the government championing the project? 21:49 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1309s] Fisher communities seek university's help 24:08 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1448s] Why don't fishers just move? 27:27 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1647s] The role of Boskalis 29:11 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1751s] Dutch government is complicit 30:48 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1848s] How 'Dutch Delta Approach' can harm environment, human rights 33:17 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=1997s] What next for Manila Bay fishers? 35:01 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVEOsnKL-A&t=2101s] Diamonds in the Delta The controversial New Manila International Airport project is being built on 'reclaimed land', created artificially by dredging sand from the bottom of the sea elsewhere in Manila Bay, and depositing it at the project site. This has increased the frequency and severity of floods in coastal communities, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of fisher families. The project has also involved flouting of environmental laws, and hundreds of families being evicted forcefully. Many of those evicted have been made to disappear. In this podcast episode, Baleng Lagos from University of the Philippines talks about how the coastal communities approached her institution to support their fightback through research and a 'counter- Environmental Impact Assessment.' Along with Janwillem Liebrand from Utrecht University, she also talks about the role of the Dutch government, which has insured Boskalis-- the Dutch corporation carrying out the land reclamation-- against the risk of non-payment.

Diamonds in the Delta- Indonesia: Cities flood, land sinks under coastal infrastructure

Semarang city in Indonesia's Java island continues to grow as a transport and economic hub. And its soft, shifty land-- made of sediments deposited by rivers as they empty into the Java sea-- continues to sink under the weight of its ever-expanding infrastructure. Consequently, communities are getting flooded, with the poorest getting hit the hardest. Even in adjacent rural areas, entire villages are drowning under tidal floods likely caused by expansion of the city's port. In this podcast, Rijanta Bapak and Erlis Saputra from Gadjah Mada University tell this story based on their research in the area. They reflect upon what's lacking in our view of how 'Development' should be brought about in fragile ecosystems like coastal deltas. This podcast has been produced by the Diamonds in the Delta, an international network of scholars, water professionals and activists, who are concerned about how Climate Change compounds problems of flooding and subsidence in delta cities across the worlds. It has been made possible by support from the Water, Climate and Future Deltas Community hosted by Utrecht University, The Netherlands. More information: https://tinyurl.com/yckekdte [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWtiWjBlTGtmbFJlNW55VDkwaFZPT0YwR29uUXxBQ3Jtc0tuQV9xbENQemJ2OE5NdmU0X1FZdXdEX1JyeUN2UnQ1U0VTWDhucDZUcVhGWmlJYWhxVzFQRlhubkYzTkVSak15ODZ6R3JvSVZ6VlQ0NHVfTmJZUkZ5UEpQQXotcUNTU2RaNWNGelBpLV9ScU1JVEdGYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fyckekdte&v=Xw4LHfGRphw]

In 2024, we celebrate #Camelids - with Ilse Köhler-Rollefson

United Nations has declared 2024 as the #YearOfCamelids -- in recognition of the crucial role played by camels and their relatives-- llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos-- in sustaining communities that live in arid deserts and harsh mountainous terrains. They provide food, fibre and fertilizer in these remote areas where resources are scarce. The frugal resilience of these magnificent creatures might hold clues as to how to respond to climate challenges. Who better to talk to about this than Dr. Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, who has spent the past 30 years working with camel herders in India's western Rajasthan state?

Netherlands' path to The World Cup- with Saqib Zulfiqar

Leg-spinning allrounder Saqib Zulfiqar was in the thick of action when The Netherlands beat Scotland at the Cricket World Cup qualifiers in July 2023 to qualify for the marquee event. He will likely be part of the squad that travels to India in October to compete at the tournament. In this podcast, he talks about the the his and the team's experience at the qualifiers and their preparations for India.

Human bodies are losing microbes and getting less resilient

A variety of microbes (bacteria/viruses/fungi) help human bodies function and develop resilience to diseases. We receive these microbes from our environment. With globalisation and convergance of lifestyles across the world, the variety in human microbial profiles is endangered, making us less healthy and less resilient to diseases. The Human Microbiota Vault project is trying to map and conserve the human microbial variety before it is too late. (https://www.microbiotavault.org/ [https://www.microbiotavault.org/]) I speak to the project's President, Professor Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello. The following music was used for this media project: Music: Perspectives by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4207-perspectives License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license