FAME Sustainability

wind turbine farm

The FAME (Foci and Magnets for Excellence) Sustainability Strategy is dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions that foster sustainability, equity, and prosperity for both people and the planet, driven by cutting-edge research. Through FAME, leading researchers and partners are achieving transformative outcomes for industries, governments, and communities across the State and Nation.

Under the guidance of Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray, the FAME Sustainability Program celebrated a successful 2024, marked by the launch of the "Steering Sustainability" podcast series and support for a diverse range of impactful initiatives.

  • RM1: Resilient, Healthy, and Equitable Communities – Professor Peng Bi

  • RM2: Responsible Resource Production and Consumption – Professor Rachel Burton

  • RM3: Planetary Health and Biodiversity Restoration – Professor Andrew Lowe

  • RM4: Accelerated Access to Clean and Green Technologies – Professor Graham (Gus) Nathan

  • RM5: Effective Sustainability Governance and Decision-Making – Professor Andrew Skuse

As a signatory of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2016, the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide is committed to advancing transformative solutions for a sustainable future. The FAME Strategy serves as a platform to attract leading researchers and partners, enabling significant positive impacts for our State and Nation through research excellence and its practical application.

The launch of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s "Sustainability Strategy 2030 – Here for Good" reflects our proactive response to accelerating global environmental, social, economic, and technological changes. This strategy emphasizes building a more sustainable and equitable future. A key element of this transition is ensuring social justice and recognizing the critical importance of preserving biodiversity alongside societal wellbeing. As ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Indigenous peoples remind us, healthy country means healthy people.

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Steering Sustainability Podcast

Ever wondered just how renewable renewables really are? How we can feed a growing population of 8 billion? Why the number 30% matters so much in protected area management? Or how we can respond to today’s global challenges in sustainable, resilient ways?

Join Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray and Dr Ariane Gienger in their podcast, Steering Sustainability, produced by Solstice Podcasting. Each episode features insightful conversations with leading experts who offer both sobering and hopeful perspectives on what it takes, individually and collectively, to build a sustainable future.

  • Episode 1: How do we engage the disengaged? With Dr Scott Hansen-Easey

    While climate action is widely acknowledged as crucial, many struggle to live fully sustainable lives. As individuals, does it matter how engaged we are with climate action? Who is ultimately responsible forÌýaddressing global challenges like climate change?

    In this episode, the hosts are joined by Dr Scott Hanson-Easey from the School of Public Health at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide, to explore the often-discussed gap between knowledge and action in addressing climate change. Drawing on his background inÌýhealth promotion, science communication, psychology, and social policy,ÌýScott shares fascinating reflections on why people’s behaviours often fall short of their ideals and discusses the kinds of contextual transformations that could help individuals better align the two, paving the way for more meaningful and sustained climate action.

    Learn More:

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    Scott’s recommendations
    Naomi Klein: “â€

    Dr Scott Hansen-Easey
  • Episode 2: How to feed 8 billion people? With Assoc. Prof. Douglas Bardsley

    Feeding eight billion people can feel like an overwhelming challenge. In our globalised food system, decisions made in one part of the world can ripple across borders and impact lives elsewhere. So, what can we do collectively to ensure everyone has access to fresh, healthy food?

    In this episode, ProfessorÌýÌýand DrÌý, as they speakÌýspeak with , a fellow human geographer from the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide. Drawing on his extensive research into environmental and agricultural risk management, Doug shares insights into food insecurity across different contexts, the threats climate change poses to both human and ecological stability, and why recognising food as a human right is more important than ever.

    Doug’s recommendations:

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    • Vandana Shiva: “â€
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    • Douglas Bardsley: “â€
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    • Douglass Bardsley & Andrea Knierim: “â€
    Assoc. Prof. Douglas Bardsley
  • Episode 3: How renewable are renewables? Dr Rachelle Kernen

    While there's no doubt that moving away from fossil fuels is essential for the planet’s future, it’s equally important to ask: what exactly are we transitioning towards? Wind and solar energy may be renewable and abundant, but can we say the same for the materials used to build wind turbines and solar panels?

    In this episode, Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray and Dr Ariane Gienger are joined by Dr Rachelle Kernen from the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide’s School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences. As a geoscientist specialising in hydrogen and critical mineral deposits, Rachelle brings a unique perspective on every stage of renewable energy production. She explores the challenges, innovations, and policy shifts needed to make clean energy truly sustainable.

    Learn More



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    Dr Rachelle Kernen
  • Episode 4: How to Avoid Green Colonialism? With Assoc. Prof. Kristina Sehlin Macneil

    Failing to act on climate change and biodiversity loss is a profound injustice, as those least responsible often suffer the most. Yet even well-intentioned climate action can be unjust if it inadvertently reinforces the very inequalities we seek to dismantle. So how do we navigate this complexity on the path to a truly sustainable future?

    In this episode, Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray and Dr Ariane Gienger speak with Associate Professor Kristina Sehlin Macneil, Deputy Director of the Várdduo Center for Sámi Research at UmeÃ¥ ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ in Sweden. Drawing on her extensive research into Indigenous experiences with energy production, Kristina sheds light on how the green transition is affecting Sámi reindeer herders and shares their vision for more meaningful inclusion in the projects that shape their lands and lives.

  • Episode 5: How Useful is Protecting 30 Percent of the Planet?

    We are witnessing biodiversity loss at an unprecedented rate, with species vanishing faster than at any time in millions of years. This crisis poses serious risks to both people and the planet. In response, the global community has committed to protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030. But will this be enough and how realistic is it that we’ll reach this goal?

    In Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray and Dr Ariane Gienger's final episode, they turn the conversation inward. Drawing on their research into community-based conservation across ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥, they discuss why biodiversity is essential for all life on Earth, explore the strengths and shortcomings of protected areas as conservation tools, and consider the role of global agreements like the Global Biodiversity Framework.

    They also reflect on the conversations they've had throughout the series, and what they’ve revealed about the progress made—and the work still to be done—on the path to a more sustainable future.


    Melissa’s and Ariane’s recommendations:

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    Melissa and Ariane