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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 'O' Oceania: The Future of COP with Fossil Versus Future
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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 Australia leading the negotiations, this episode brings together voices from across continents and generations. Jack and Heidi are joined by James Cameron and Daisy Nicholls (hosts of Fossil Versus Future) for a timely conversation on what we hope—and need—to see from this year’s conference.
Together, we unpack the key questions shaping COP31: What will make it onto the Action Agenda? Why is the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative gaining momentum? And if we could write it ourselves, what should the COP31 closing speech actually say?
Along the way, we explore the geopolitical and economic context underpinning the negotiations—from shifting energy systems to the role of emerging climate alliances—and reflect on what meaningful progress could look like in a critical decade for climate action.
Further listening & resources:
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Learn more about the Paris Agreement and Article 6
- International Energy Agency – Data and analysis on global energy trends
- International Institute for Sustainable Development – Follow negotiations through the Earth Negotiations Bulletin
Thanks for listening—and be sure to follow Bula COP31 to stay part of the conversation.
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