Anne Poelina

Anne Poelina, a professor and chair of Indigenous Knowledge at the University of Notre Dame Australia, discusses the pressing environmental crises stemming from an extractivist mindset. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing rivers as living entities and the role of Indigenous wisdom in fostering sustainable practices. Poelina highlights the need for a paradigm shift in governance, advocating for empathy and respect in our relationship with nature. Her insights offer a vision of collaborative stewardship that bridges Indigenous and Western perspectives for a healthier planet.

Sandro Demaio, medical doctor and WHO director working on health responses to climate threats. Anne Poelina, First Nations leader using Indigenous knowledge to track environmental change. Ofa Kaisamy, Pacific adviser with lived experience of sea-level impacts. They discuss how rising seas already harm health, cultural loss and food security, threats to hospitals and freshwater, and community-led resilience and measurement.