Adapt or collapse — can we meet the moment of environmental peril

Do humans really have what it takes to change our lives – our world – to arrest climate collapse?It might be the defining question we face as a society, and the panellists from this WOMADelaide Festival discussion are throwing everything they’ve got at this intractable issue, drawing on knowledge from the oldest continuing culture in the world and the fields of architecture, urban planning and of course, community organising to avoid collapse. This episode was recorded live at the annual 2025 WOMADelaide festival , produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Kuarna people. Speakers Bhiamie Williamson Leader of the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience research program and a senior lecturer at Monash University Elizabeth Mossop Dean of the UTS School of Design, Architecture and Building Emma Bacon Founder and Executive Director of Sweltering Cities Julia Lester Former ABC journalist and broadcaster (host)