Future Tense

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Big data and farming – the promise and the fear May 01, 2022

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Boosting your productivity by up to 25% - what industry wouldn't want to do that? That’s the future big tech promises for agriculture – one where extensive data is gathered on every aspect of the supply chain. But farmers are worried about privacy. And there are also questions about environmental impacts of big ag getting into big data.

A slow move towards a plastic free future Apr 24, 2022

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Over the past two decades we’ve become increasingly sensitive to the overuse of plastic and more concerned about its environmental impact – but to what effect? Feel-good campaigns aside, the signs for the future are far from promising.

Are Sovereign Wealth Funds the best way of safeguarding the future? Apr 17, 2022

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There are currently around 150 of these funds in the world worth in excess of $USD 9 trillion.

Space-based Solar – energy above the clouds Apr 10, 2022

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Scientists are busy testing ways to build a giant solar farm in space. Also, what to do about the increasing levels of space junk finding its way into our oceans?

The future of satire is no laughing matter Apr 03, 2022

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Satire has been around for thousands of years, but is its power dwindling?

Forgetting, not memory, moves us forward Mar 27, 2022

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Forgetting is the only safe response to the world's problems, from a geopolitical perspective, according to author and journalist David Rieff. And forgetting is also a good thing in your personal life, say scientists. It moves us forward.

When development aid goes wrong - propping up bad regimes Mar 20, 2022

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For many people, the provision of overseas aid is a democratic imperative and a universal good. But what if the situation is more complicated than that?

The fall of cash & the rise of central bank digital currencies Mar 13, 2022

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Physical cash still plays an important role in the financial system, but could it be replaced by a digital alternative? Governments around the world are looking to Central Bank Digital Currencies, but there are concerns around privacy and loss of financial freedom.

Drones, witnessing and the view from above Mar 06, 2022

Show notes

Advocates claim drones make war safer for civilians and soldiers by making it more technical and precise. But drones are also being used as a “witness” of conflict by activists keen to tell different stories about warfare and the heavy price often paid by civilians.

Banning books and floating suburbs Feb 27, 2022

Show notes

Banning books belongs in the dark ages and is anathema to modern liberal democracy, but in the United States there’s a widespread campaign underway to censor what students can read. Also, why is the UN involved in a project to build a floating neighbourhood on the South Korean coast?

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