.png)
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!
Bula COP31!
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 sustainability reporting and carbon accounting software company, Afonso has helped Australian and global organisations meet climate-related disclosure requirements under AASB and CSRD, built the award-winning NetNada Academy that’s trained 150+ professionals, and delivered over 100 GHG-aligned carbon inventories. Afonso is also the co-founder of Pharmacycle, Australia’s only end-to-end recycling solution for the nation’s billion-sized blister pack problem, which has already achieved a 100% diversion rate, national coverage with 1,000+ drop-off points, and partnerships with major pharmacy chains.
But this conversation isn’t about software and recycling—it’s about people and movements. Afonso is the coordinator of Climate Crew, a fast-growing community of 1,000+ members driving connection and action across Australia’s climate space. With COP31 set to take place in Adelaide, we discuss Climate Crew’s role as the “Unofficial Social Hub” of the conference: from breakfast clubs and evening meetups, to thematic gatherings on nature tech and climate finance, and a special focus on amplifying Pacific voices.
We talk about the motivation behind Climate Crew, how it differs from other climate groups, and what legacy it hopes to leave at COP31—whether as advocates, connectors, or facilitators of the climate movement.
If you want to understand the future of sustainability—from corporate disclosure to community-led climate action—this episode is for you.
Links:
https://www.altercop.com/australia
https://www.pharmacycle.com.au/about
https://www.linkedin.com/company/myclimatecrew/posts/?feedView=all
https://www.instagram.com/bula_cop31/