The Inquiry

Latest Episodes:

Are we running out of microchips? Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

The world is becoming increasingly dependent on advanced microchips to power its high-end technology, However, they are made by just one company in Taiwan, TSMC, meaning the rest of the world is largely reliant on the country to produce its microchips. This is no accident and is in fact by Taiwanese design. Over three decades ago Taiwan decided to focus its resources on becoming the most advanced producer of microchips. Not only has this been of great profit for Taiwan’s economy its helped with security too – offering the country protection from its neighbour China by creating what’s been described as the ‘Silicon shield’, in other words, the US is largely dependent on Taiwan to sustain its high-end tech. Given both the USA’s and EU’s recent announcements that they are now heavily investing in and subsidising their own microchip industries, the question becomes is this still sustainable?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Christopher Blake and Ravi Naik Editor: Tara McDermott

Can microbes feed the world? Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

A campaign called “ReBoot Food” was launched at the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, to ask world governments to support a technology called precision fermentation.

They claim it’s possible to produce enough food to feed the whole world in an area the size of London. The process uses genetically-engineered microbes to make cheap, high quality fats and proteins, virtually identical to those produced by animal farming.

Its proponents say it will free up huge tracts of farmland and could even help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A technology research group is even projecting the collapse of dairy and cattle industries by 2030 with animal meat being replaced by food grown using precision fermentation.

But what is it, what are the potential pitfalls, and can the public stomach the idea of protein grown in an a bioreactor rather than on a farm?

On this week’s Inquiry, we ask: can microbes feed the world?

Presented by Tanya Beckett Produced by Ravi Naik Researcher John Cossee Editor Tara McDermott Technical producer Mitch Goodall Broadcast Coordinator Brenda Brown

(the world in a petri dish /Getty Images)

Should other countries adopt Canada's immigration model? Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Canada is just one of a number of countries with an ageing population and shrinking workforce. The second largest in the world in terms of land mass, and with a population of just 36 million, Canada has announced a plan to invite 1.5 million people to migrate there over the next three years. The ambitious target is not without challenge politically, the most prominent is the housing crisis currently being felt in the country.

Canada is not alone in needing more people of working age to bolster its economy, developed nations all around the globe are finding themselves in a similar situation and struggling to find answers. Despite this need, many countries remain reluctant to embrace the notion of inviting larger numbers of immigrants in for a whole host of reasons, from a lack of space to negative media portrayals of migrants. None-the-less, gaps in their skilled trades’ sectors demand resolution, and increased immigration can offer it.

Whilst increased migration can help a country like Canada overcome the challenges of a diminishing labour force, it also has the effect of denying a migrant’s home country of expertise. Not only can this have the effect of denying a country their brightest and best, it also comes with a financial cost too, with countries training more than they need in anticipation of losing a high percentage of those workers.

So this week on the Inquiry we're asking, should other countries adopt Canada's immigration model?

Who is the true Zulu King? Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Misuzulu ka Zwelithini was officially crowned King of the Zulu Nation in October after the death of his father. King Zwelithini died of Covid complications after ruling for fifty years.

It has set off a royal feud as members of the large Zulu royal family contest King Misuzulu’s right to the throne.

Succession to the Zulu throne has been beset by violence for over a century. This time, the battle is in the courtroom.

In this week’s Inquiry we ask, who is the true Zulu King?

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown

(Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini at his coronation ceremony in Durban, South Africa. Credit: Darren Stewart/Getty Images)

Will rising sea levels wipe countries off the map? Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Small island nations are facing an existential threat. It’s predicted that by 2100, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Maldives and many others will be underwater, because of rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather events.

At the recent COP27 conference in Egypt. The most polluting industrialised countries agreed in principle to set up a “loss and damage” fund, effectively recognising that low-lying islands are bearing the brunt of climate change.

But is their loss inevitable? Could traditional sea wall defences hold back the waters, or are there more effective solutions? Will entire communities need to be moved to higher ground, or even entire nations transplanted to safer locations?

This week on the Inquiry, we’re asking: will rising sea levels wipe countries off the map?

Presented by Charmaine Cozier Produced by Ravi Naik Researcher Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Editor Tara McDermott Technical producer Richard Hannaford Broadcast Coordinator Brenda Brown

(a woman in a lagoon in the threatened coral atoll nation of Tuvalu. Credit: Mario Tama /Getty Images)

Can digital currency replace the cash system? Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

We use digital currency every day whenever we use a credit card, bank online or shop for goods on the internet. We can use our phones as money and transfer cash to family and friends simply by using numbers.

It’s not exactly cash we are using, but a digital representation of that cash. Some digital currencies, such as cryptocurrency, even exist outside of the traditional banking system. Recently the cryptocurrency trading exchange FTX collapsed leaving creditors owed billions of dollars. There’s not much chance any of that money can be returned because it wasn’t actually linked to a cash system.

If so many of our transactions and speculations are now digital, can we ditch the cash altogether?

This week on The Inquiry we’re asking Can digital currency replace the cash system?

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham Researcher: John Cossee Editor: Tara McDermott Technical producer: Craig Boardman Production support: Jacqui Johnson

(Image: Representations of the Ripple, Bitcoin, Etherum and Litecoin virtual currencies: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Is it too late to avoid famine in Somalia? Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Somalia is in a state of drought following four failed rainy seasons, and a fifth predicted, with aid agencies declaring the country is in a state of famine. Despite this, the government has yet to declare a famine, insisting that certain thresholds have yet to be met. Instead, Somalia’s government believes that they would be more than able to deal with the current crisis, as well as prevent future episodes, had they been properly compensated by industrious nations for the damage caused by climate change.

All this whilst the country continues to fight a near fifteen-year war with the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab, a militant faction who wish to instil strict sharia law and impose heavy taxes on those who fall under their control. Only six months ago the hard-line Muslim faction were knocking on the door of the capital, Mogadishu. Since then, the different clans and Somalia's military, who all have their own demands and grievances, have put aside their differences and banded together to fight back, driving the terrorist group back. With support for the government currently high, some are fearful that announcing a famine could cause that support to drop away. How long the government can hold for, however, is up for debate as we ask is it too late to avoid a famine in Somalia?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Ravi Naik & Christopher Blake Editor: Tara McDermott

(Image: Somali woman affected by the worsening drought due to failed rain seasons, holds her child as her grandmother looks on: Feisal Omar/Reuters)

Can a country live on renewable energy alone? Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

The International Energy Agency says that the world is in the middle of the first global energy crisis. The price of natural gas has increased almost five-fold since the summer of 2020, and the main cause is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has cut supplies of gas to European countries that oppose the war, causing the wholesale price to shoot up everywhere.

Many countries have turned to coal to fuel their power stations, also causing prices to triple in the last year. But as well as being expensive, coal is also the most polluting fossil fuel. The situation has accelerated the push towards renewables, but can they provide the all the power needed by a country – as well as providing energy security? So this week on the Inquiry, we ask: can a country live on renewable energy alone?

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Ravi Naik Researcher: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Editor Tara McDermott Technical producer Richard Hannaford Broadcast Coordinator Jacqui Johnson

(Photo: Offshore wind turbine farm at sunset: Creit: Imaginima/Getty Images)

Will computers put managers out of work? Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

When we shop online, we don’t often think about what goes on behind the scenes. Clicking “pay now”, sets in motion a slick, computer-controlled chain of events, that ends with a parcel arriving at your home.

These online shopping logistics are run by Artificial Intelligence, and there are plans for these systems to move from the warehouse to the wider workplace.

“Digital Management” systems in development are able to autonomously hire people and oversee their work on a project from beginning to end. They also have the ability to manage much larger groups of workers than their human counterparts.

But can a software boss really understand its human employees? Are managers obsolete? And are some of these systems already here?

This week on the Inquiry, we ask: will computers put managers out of work?

Presented by David Baker Produced by Jim Frank Editor: Richard Vadon Technical producer: Neil Churchill Broadcast Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson

(Image: Artificial intelligence is showing the path: exdez/Getty)

Is China’s economy in trouble? Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Xi Jinping has begun an unprecedented third term as Chinese president, after securing his position at the Communist Party Congress.

But key economic data was delayed until after the congress ended. It was lower than government targets, causing Chinese markets to fall.

The Chinese economy is floundering; unemployment is skyrocketing, and the housing market is collapsing. There’s also no sign of an end to COVID lockdowns – which have hamstrung business and manufacturing since the start of the pandemic.

Since the start of this century, China’s economic growth was the envy of the world, but in 2022, it’ll be the first year since the 1990s that economic output will fall behind the rest of Asia.

President Xi says the economy is now his top priority, but his focus in his first two terms was to consolidate power and increase political control. Will his new term be any different?

This week on the Inquiry, we’re asking: Is China’s economy in crisis?

Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producers: Ravi Naik and Ben Cooper Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Kelly Young Broadcast Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson

(Image: Chinese yuan cash bills and Chinese flag: Javier Ghersi/Getty)

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