Deanna D’Alessandro is the director of the University of Sydney’s Net Zero Institute... So why does she want it dissolved?  

“In 2051, my goodness, I hope we do not need the Net Zero Institute,” she says. “We should have solved this problem by then.” 

So what needs to happen in the meantime? Deanna shares the personal connection to the planet that sparked her passion for climate science, and explains how and why the Net Zero Institute pulls together the work of physicists, chemists, lawyers, business experts and policy makers in the fight to save the planet.  

You’ll also visit one of Deanna’s colleagues, Associate Professor Alejandro Montoya, who's invented a novel way of recycling minerals from electronic waste.  

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot and field sound recording by Gia Moylan. Executive producer is Madeleine Hawcroft. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman. Thanks to the technical staff at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.