Planting the Seeds of the Symbiocene

Planting the Seeds of the Symbiocene | Panel Discussion
A conversation for a better future

with
Professor Glenn Albrecht | retired Professor of Sustainability, Murdoch University, architect of the Symbiocene
Associate Professor Danielle Clode | Flinders University, author of The Wasp and the Orchid
Professor Susan Stone | Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, Adelaide University
Professor Jennifer McKay | Professor of Business Law, Adelaide University

& moderated by
Dr Susan Close | Former Deputy Premier of SA, CEO McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership

Presented in partnership with the Nature Festival SA, the Bowerbird Collective and the Art Gallery of South Australia

This essential, unmissable panel discussion at the Art Gallery of South Australia's Radford Auditorium, held as part of the Nature Festival SA, features some of South Australia's most distinguished thinkers, joined by environmental philosopher Professor Glenn Albrecht, to explore how we might transition from the Anthropocene to the Symbiocene.

The Anthropocene - the current era in which human activity has become the dominant influence on Earth's climate, environment, and ecosystems, to the detriment of all.

The Symbiocene -  the next geological and societal era where human actions, culture, and technology work symbiotically with interconnected life on Earth.

Crossing academic disciplines - from the humanities and evolutionary biology to economics, environmental law, and political leadership - this visionary conversation moves beyond mere critique of our current omnicrisis to offer a scientifically based, philosophical and technological pathway to a viable future.

Together, these leading minds will examine how discoveries of the complex symbiotic interconnectedness at the core of all life, can be translated into our legal frameworks, economic models, and cultural narratives to actively cultivate a mutually beneficial future for all life on Earth.

Important Information

• Audience members must be seated by 1:20pm. Late-comers will disrupt the discussion.

• The panel will be followed by 'Earth Emotions' at 3:30pm, a concert by the Bowerbird Collective with Professor Glenn Albrecht. For concert details and tickets visit:
  https://www.naturefestival.org.au/event/earth-emotions-adelaide

Panel Biographies

Professor Glenn A. Albrecht is an internationally renowned environmental philosopher. Via numerous publications and public talks over the last two decades, Prof Albrecht has developed the theme of the psychoterratic (psyche-earth), or negative and positive emotional states connected to the state of the Earth. New concepts developed by him are now becoming well established in the international scholarly literature, new research theses and as inspiration for many creative people in the arts. Glenn has appeared at TED talks, major conferences and nature forums throughout the world. His first book, Earth Emotions, was published with Cornell University Press in 2019, followed by best-selling French and Spanish editions in 2020. A West Australian native, Glenn is an Honorary Associate in the School of Geo-sciences, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He retired as Professor of Sustainability, Murdoch University, in mid-2014. He continues to work as an environmental philosopher from his home in the Blue Mountains, NSW.

Dr Susan Stone is the Credit Union SA Chair of Economics at Adelaide University, where she provides expert analysis and new thinking about South Australia’s economic position and how global economic factors impact the local economy. Prior to joining UniSA, Ms Stone was a division head at the OECD, a Director for the UNESCAP, a Senior Research Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, and a Research Manager at the Productivity Commission in Melbourne. Ms Stone is a frequent guest on radio and television and her opinion pieces have been published in InDaily, The Australian Financial Review and The Australian. A dual United-States/Australian citizen, Ms. Stone received a PhD in International Economics and a Master’s Degree in Business and Finance, from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Professor Jennifer McKay AM is a leading Australian socio‑legal researcher and academic specialising in water law, environmental governance, and sustainable development law . She currently serves as Professor of Business Law at Adelaide University, bringing more than four decades of interdisciplinary expertise across law, policy, and environmental regulation. Professor McKay is internationally recognised for her extensive research on water law and governance, providing evidence‑based insights that have influenced policymakers, supported legal reform, and helped build trust within the water sector. Across her career, Professor McKay has been a trusted advisor to governments, contributed to law reform proposals, appeared as an expert witness before Parliamentary committees and Royal Commissions, and championed the inclusion of the human right to a clean, healthy environment in future South Australian human rights legislation. She remains committed to fostering excellence in legal education, mentoring future practitioners, and promoting interdisciplinary approaches to environmental governance and public policy.

Danielle Clode is an associate professor in creative writing and the author of several literary non-fiction books. She studied psychology and politics at Adelaide University, before completing a doctorate in zoology at Oxford. Since then she has worked as a freelance author, researcher and editor across a wide variety of science and humanities disciplines, publishing in fields as diverse as aged care, portraiture, genetics, drug addiction, history and creative writing. She has taught writing at Melbourne University and creative non-fiction at the Victorian Writers Centre before moving to Flinders in 2011. Her books include Voyages to the South Seas, A Future in Flames, The Wasp and the Orchid, and From Dinosaurs to Diprotodons. Her latest book is The Enigmatic Echidna published by Black Inc.

Dr Susan Close is the Chief Executive Officer and Professor of Practice at McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership, Monash University, a Board Member of CSIRO and Professorial Fellow with the Jeff Bleich Centre for Democracy at Flinders University.  When Deputy Premier of South Australia she was also Minister for Climate, Environment and Water.  She counts the SA Biodiversity Act 2025 as one of her lasting achievements in politics.