This BZE Radio episode was broadcast on Monday 11th September 2017

Guests:

• Dr Alecia Bellgrove – Deakin University
• Jane Hammond -Film Maker “A crude injustice”
• Nathaniel Pelle- Greenpeace Ocean Campaigner

How can seaweed help us draw down the millions of tonnes of CO2 we emit daily?

How can seaweed farmers, ruined by the Montara Oil Spill, find justice?

When will the climate changing oil industry forget the Great Australian Bight?

We start with the potential of seaweed, which Dr Tim Flannery brought to a wide audience on Catalyst and ask “What could possibly go wrong?”

Dr Alecia Bellgrove appeared in that film and explains to us why she sounded a note of caution.

Journalist Jane Hammond found that West Timorese seaweed farmers had been encouraged by Ausaid. Yet when their green gold turned to porridge at the same time as the oil spill reached Indonesian waters, it was denial all round. Her film is timely because their class action is still before the Australian Federal Court.

Nathaniel Pelle is campaigning with Greenpeace to prevent oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight. He describes the great kelp forests and the wealth of biodiversity there which would be ruined by an oil spill. Even the sonic exploration is disturbing deep living creatures.