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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 design team that established the IRIS initiative, supporting climate- and disaster-resilient infrastructure in Small Island Developing States — work that sits at the heart of Pacific climate priorities.
Heidi Dumesich is a millennial environmental scientist focused on implementing practical solutions. She’s the seasoned podcaster behind Life on Planet A, and currently a Sustainability Manager at Ventia, leading an Infrastructure Sustainability Council rating for a major road project. Heidi brings a fresh, grounded perspective on climate action and how sustainability plays out across communities and sectors.
Bula COP31 explores what really happens behind the scenes of a COP — with a special focus on how Pacific leadership, values, and voices shape the global climate agenda. Through candid conversations with stakeholders across Pacific governments, Australian agencies, industry, civil society, youth, and community groups, we unpack how climate diplomacy in our region is driven by relationships, resilience, and shared responsibility.
Whether you're a policymaker, business leader, activist, Pacific climate champion, or simply COP-curious, this podcast is your guide to getting the most out of COP31 — and understanding how it can deliver for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Tune in, get engaged, and say Bula COP31!
Episodes
15 episodes
Episode 'O' Oceania: The Future of COP with Fossil Versus Future
This episode is part two of our collaboration with Fossil vs Future—we recommend listening to part one first.As the world looks ahead to COP31 this November, hosted by Türkiye with
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Episode 'N' for Nauru: COP31 with Fossil Versus Future
Episode intro / context:COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026 — but the Pacific is at the centre of it all. While Türkiye handles the logistics and operations of the conference, Australia will lead the...
Episode 'M' for Marshall Islands: Inside Climate Action Week
Most of us feel powerless in the face of climate change—and yet, change is happening right now, driven by everyday citizens and global leaders alike. What if your voice could shape international negotiations? And how is Australia’s ...
Episode 'L' for Luganville: Youth Voices from the Pacific - Part 2
This is part 2 of our episode with Kenta Sayama, the Climate and Environment specialist in UNICEF Vanuatu.In Part 2, we shift the conversation to how young people can turn passion into action through UNICEF. We explore the pathway...
Episode 'K' for Kenta: Youth Voices from the Pacific
In this episode, Bula COP31 has a special guest all the way from Vanuatu, Kenta Sayama, the Climate and Environment specialist in UNICEF Vanuatu.Kenta shares his inspiring personal journey from Japan to the Pacific, revealing how interna...
Episode 'J' for Jervis Bay: Bula COP31 - Pacific in the Spotlight
In this episode, Heidi and Jack discuss the outcomes of COP30 and of the COP31 hosting bib negotiations, reflecting on Australia's role in the negotiations and the implications for the Pacific Islands. They delve into the contentious issue of f...
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Episode ‘I’ for Ipswich: COP31 on the brink with Mara Bún
In this episode ‘I’ for Ipswich, on G’day COP31! (or will it be renamed ‘I’ for Istanbul?) we are joined by Mara Bún from the Australia-Brazil Chamber of Commerce, refreshed after a rest day at the start of the second week of COP30 in Belém, Br...
Episode 'H' for Hobart: Tegan Clark Empowering Youth at COP
In this episode, we chat with Tegan Clark, a PhD candidate at ANU and research assistant at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, about her journey from growing up in Cairns to becoming a leading youth voice in climate action.Tega...
Episode 'G' for Gold Coast: Inside the Investor Group on Climate Change Summit 2025
Join Jack and Heidi as they take you behind the scenes at the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) Summit 2025 in Sydney. G...
Episode 'F' for Fremantle: The Future of Climate Negotiations
KeywordsCOP31, climate change, Turkey, Australia, carbon trading, climate finance, Pacific Islands, virtual engagement, adaptation, negotiationsSummaryIn this episode of G'day COP31, hosts Heidi Dumesich and Jack W...
Episode 'E' for Esperance: Afonso from Climate Crew
G'day everybody! In this episode, we sit down with Afonso, a sustainability innovator, entrepreneur, and community builder who’s shaping how organisations and people respond to the climate challenge.As the founder of NetNada, a su...
Episode 'D' for Darwin: Youth Voices in Climate Policy with Diksha Duggal
In this episode, Diksha Duggal reflects on her path into the YOUNGO constituency and explores the critical role of youth in climate negotiations. She discusses the push for greater inclusivity, YOUNGO’s preparations for COP 30 and COP 31,...
Episode 'C' for Canberra: Reforming the COP: The Path to Efficiency
In this Episode ‘C for Canberra’ of G'day COP31!, Heidi and Jack explore recent calls by various civil society groups for reforms in the UNFCCC process - to address concerns about inclusivity, observer engagement, representation and participati...
