Horacio Corti is an Argentinian physical chemist, a full professor at the University of Buenos Aires, and a researcher and long-time member of Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission.  Corti has researched a wide range of condensed matter and material physics phenomena over his long and productive career, from membranes and nanoscale microscopy, to applications of density functional theory and energy storage systems.  Much of his recent research has been focused on Lithium, both its extraction and isotopic separation, as well as its applications beyond batteries, especially within nuclear technologies.  Our interdialogue spanned a range of topics, though focused a good amount on the complex environmental, economic and geopolitical landscape around the lithium supply chain, and how lithium has tremendous added value within present and future nuclear technologies. 00:00 Argentina’s Nuclear Energy and Technology Development 02:00 The Status of Nuclear Power Reactors in Argentina 06:10 The Development of Small Modular Reactors in Argentina 09:24 Preserving Argentina’s Lithium Reserves for Nuclear Technologies 45:43 Beyond Batteries: Lithium-6 and Lithium-7 in Nuclear Technologies 47:05 Separation and Enrichment Methods for Producing Lithium-6 and Lithium-7 01:16:10 Geopolitics and Policy Decisions in Lithium Research

Carlos Nobre is a prominent Brazilian Earth systems scientist and a professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo. He has been calling attention to the global importance of, and threats to, the Amazon rainforest for decades, emphasizing the role of deforestation in climate change and the risk of reaching tipping points in the Amazon, where megadiverse forest will inevitably retreat into savannah. He spearheads the Amazonia 4.0 initiative, while also serving as co-chair of the interdisciplinary and transboundary Science Panel for the Amazon. We had an enlightening InterDialogue in late 2022 focused on his vision for establishing an Amazonia Institute of Technology, and how he believes the Amazon can be sustainably developed into a standing-forest flowing-river bioeconomy. We spoke about the importance of weaving together traditional Indigenous knowledge with technology and modern science, the Science Panel for the Amazon, and the role of decentralized energy in the Amazon, and also about the urgency of fostering evidence-based policy and better science communication. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – The Vision for a Standing Forest Bioeconomy for the Amazon 03:20 – The Importance of Biodiversity 05:16 – Sustainable Infrastructure and the Urban Amazon 09:41 – Merging Traditional Knowledge with Modern Science 25:05 – Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development 35:23 – The Future of Mega Dams in the Amazon 47:45 – The Science Panel for the Amazon

Ricardo Galvão is a Brazilian plasma physicist who has spent the last several years in prominent positions within the science-policy interface. I spoke to Galvão in the lead-up to the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, at a time when he had just completed an unsuccessful campaign for federal representative. Galvão has long been a respected research professor at the University of São Paulo, but gained both national and international notoriety in 2019 when he firmly stood up to the anti-scientific rhetoric of the then-administration against robust deforestation data published by Brazil’s Space Agency, INPE, of which Galvão was director at the time. He was summarily fired for taking this stand and exposing skyrocketing deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon. In our InterDialogue, an impassioned Galvão spoke about his experience and the setbacks faced by INPE, as well as the risks to Brazilian science in general. We also spoke about how to get the public to respect science, the troubling isolation of researchers from public anti-scientific trends fueled by misinformation, and his shock at the sound rejection of him and other scientists who were running for public office in 2022. As a positive addendum to our conversation, after the 2022 election, in early 2023 Galvão was appointed as president of Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), which is an important government institution tasked with promoting scientific research and advancement throughout the country. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction to the Conversation 01:52 – Monitoring Deforestation in the Amazon 03:22 – Government Response to Deforestation 07:53 – Controversy Surrounding Data Accuracy 11:28 – Impact of Anti-Scientific Rhetoric 27:04 –Challenges Faced by Scientists in Politics 35:42 – Challenges Faced by INPE under the Bolsonaro Government 39:09 – Impact of Controversy on Deforestation Data 41:03 – Changes and Funding Cuts at INPE 49:45 –...