Small Islands Big Picture

• Smelly seaweed: could Sargassum fuel the future?

  In recent years, many Caribbean countries have experienced a staggering influx of sargassum, a type of nuisance seaweed emanating from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Beyond just its potent smell, sargassum seaweed is wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems, fisheries and tourism infrastructure. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask where it has come from, why it has become such a problem and what this means for climate change. They also discuss exciting new technologies from small island nations which, in a bid for a more sustainable future, could see sargassum recycled and redeployed across the globe. Featuring:Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director & Principal Research Fellow at ODI GlobalMatthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director & Senior Lecturer at the University of SheffieldOlivia Losbar | Journalist at Radio Caraïbe International (RCI) GuadeloupeEmma Tompkins | Professor of Environment, Geography and Development at the University of SouthamptonLegena Henry | Lecturer in Renewable Energy at the University of the West Indies and CEO of Rum and Sargassum Inc. Resources:Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)2nd EU-Caribbean Gateway Conference on SargassumHow sargassum causes chaos in the CaribbeanProfessor Emma TompkinsSustainable Sargassum ManagementRum and Sargassum Inc.Sargassum as an alternative transportation fuel Listen and subscribe to Small Islands Big Picture on: Acast, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Could a meaningful conversation on reparations support greater climate justice?

  Intellectuals and activists have long demanded reparations for the horrors of slavery and other colonial abuses. For Small Island Developing States, these demands appear particularly urgent as intensifying climate-related shocks compound existing injustices. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask whether questions of repair and recompense can no longer be avoided by powerful actors. If so, what could such a dialogue look like, how might it shape political and policy agendas, and can it be harnessed to support greater climate justice? We hear from Gabrielle Hemmings, a Jamaican reparations activist in “Island Voices”. We then move on to an extended panel discussion in “The Big Picture” with three eminent experts: Verene Shepherd, Professor Emerita at the University of the West Indies and erstwhile Director of its Centre for Reparation Research, outgoing Chair (and current Vice Chair) of the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission; Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and author of Reconsidering Reparations; and Emma Christopher, Associate Professor of History at the University of New South Wales, and author of Slave Ship Sailors and Their Cargoes and Many Middle Passages. Resources:Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)CHOGM Samoa 2024 Communiqué | Leaders' Statement and Declarations on 'One Resilient Common Future'CARICOM Reparations Commission | Ten Point PlanVerene’s UWI Profile listing many of her books | Verene A. ShepherdVerene and Gabrielle’s recent book | Introduction to Reparation for Secondary SchoolsVerene’s recent UNESCO piece | The Caribbean Calls for Restorative JusticeVerene’s 2019 Keynote Address | Capitalism and Slavery as a Handbook for ReparationsFemi’s website with links to his writing | Olúfẹ́mi O. TáíwòA virtual public lecture by Femi | Reconsidering ReparationsEmma’s UNSW profile with links to her writing | Emma ChristopherEmma’s Documentary | They Are We Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• How might the Bridgetown Initiative reshape the global financial architecture?

  In this episode, Emily and Matt try to find out why it has blazed such a successful trail, what reforms might ultimately result from it, and where SIDS fit into the process. Featuring:Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI GlobalMatthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of SheffieldAlicia Nicholls | Trade Policy Expert from BarbadosMichael Jacobs | Professor of Political Economy, University of Sheffield, and Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI GlobalPep Bardouille | Director of the Bridgetown Initiative and Special Adviser on Climate Resilience, Barbados Prime Minister's Office Resources:Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)Official website | The Bridgetown Initiative 3.0Michael’s recent ODI Piece | The New Development and Climate Finance AgendaMichael’s accompanying report|International development and climate finance: the new agendaOur forthcoming book | Sustaining Development in Small IslandsOur report on loss and damage | The price of a changing climate: extreme weather and economic loss and damage in SIDSOur report on poverty | Islands at the Edge: How climate shocks shape poverty in SIDSOur Conversation Piece | Extreme weather has already cost vulnerable island nations US$141 billion—or about US$2,000 per personRESI Brochure | Towards a New Knowledge Architecture for SIDSOur T20 policy brief | Financing Resilient Prosperity in SIDSAnother T20 policy brief by our friends in Barbados | An Inclusive Agenda for SIDS at the G20 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Uncharted waters: where do SIDS fit into the recent explosion in climate litigation?

  Since the Paris Agreement of 2015, legal action around climate change has grown. This takes many forms, from community groups and public bodies suing oil companies, to international litigation by states within multilateral courts. The most prominent initiative is the pursuit of an “Advisory Opinion” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the “Obligations of States in respect of climate change” pursued tenaciously by a very small state, Vanuatu. In this episode, Emily and Matt make sense of this phenomenon by asking who is leading these initiatives, why they are gathering steam, and which hold out the greatest promise of success. We hear from Rosie Macinnes, from the remote Scottish island of Raasay, in “Island Voices”. Anne-Sophie Vivier, a key figure in Vanuatu’s ICJ initiative, joins us for our “Explainer” to demystify the process. In “The Big Picture”, we hear from three legal experts – Zachary Phillips from the government of Antigua and Barbuda, Kate McKenzie of the Climate Change Legal Initiative (C2LI), and Francesco Sindico of the University of Strathclyde – who talk us through various dimensions of the climate litigation panorama. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask whether we can really attribute responsibility for climate change to individual countries or firms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• What happened at SIDS4 in Antigua and Barbuda?

  In May 2024, the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) took place in Antigua, where leaders agreed the next ten-year roadmap for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the “Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS: A Renewed Agenda for Resilient Prosperity (ABAS)”.In this episode, Emily and Matt review the conference, bringing to life the event’s atmosphere, discussing key highlights, and – crucially – asking “What now needs to happen for the ABAS to be successful over the next decade?”.In “Island Voices”, Naya Sena provides a civil society perspective on SIDS4. In the “Explainer”, Margot St John-Sebastian talks through the negotiating process that produced the ABAS. In “The Big Picture”, Sai Navoti, Rebecca Fabrizi and Tumasie Blair reflect separately on their conference highlights.Featuring:Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODIMatthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of SheffieldNaya Sena | Researcher, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of TokyoMargot St John-Sebastian | Lead Negotiator, AOSISSai Navoti | Chief of the SIDS Unit, UNDESARebecca Fabrizi | UK Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Envoy and Head of the Caribbean and SIDS Department at FCDOTumasie Blair | Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UNResourcesProgramme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)SIDS4 Communiqué | The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) – A Renewed Declaration for Resilient ProsperitySIDS4 Policy brief | A global bargain for resilient prosperity in SIDSFuture Forum Report | Shaping the Future of Small Island Developing StatesGlobal Voices piece | Why small islands need their own Marshall PlanRESI Debt Project | Breaking the Cycle of Debt in SIDSConversation piece | Debt-disaster-debt: hurricane-damaged islands are being saddled with loans they cannot affordGuardian piece | Caribbean leaders call for ‘Marshall plan’ to help rebuild after Hurricane Beryl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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