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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!
Bula COP31!
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’day COP31 was invited to the two-day event to uncover where the investment community sees capital flowing in climate-related opportunities — and how policy and COP31 can act as catalysts for scaling up climate investment.
The IGCC Summit is where Australia’s leading investors, policymakers, and sustainability experts come together to unpack a wave of climate-related announcements shaping risk, returns, and fiduciary responsibility. With Australia facing one of the fastest-evolving climate policy environments in the world — and trillions in retirement savings at stake — the summit focuses on turning today’s climate challenges into tomorrow’s investment opportunities.
In this episode, you’ll hear exclusive recordings from keynote and panel sessions featuring:
- Al Gore, Founding Partner and Chairman, Generation Investment Management
- Deidre Willmott, Strategic Advisor, Global Sustainability and External Affairs, Fortescue
- Michael Bartlett, Acting Branch Head, DCCEEW
- Kate Donnelly, Impact and Unlisted Investment Manager, Future Group
- Richie Merzian, CEO Clean Energy Investor Group
- And finally, we wrap up with closing insights from Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO of IGCC.
Time Stamps:
0:00 - Introduction and Jack's feelings
3:17 - Introduction to IGCC and the importance of it
7:37 - Al Gore
10:49 - Deidre Willmot and Michael Bartlett
13:40 - Kate Donnelly
15:08 - Richie Merzian
17:44 - Rebecca Mikula-Wright
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