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Future Tense

ABC listen•www.abc.net.au
Society & Culture
News
Tech news
A critical look at new technologies, new approaches and new ways of thinking, from politics to media to environmental sustainability.
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Episodes

The population conundrum

Concerns that we'll soon have too many people on the Earth sit alongside apprehension that we are facing a looming demographic crisis. So how do we address both issues without further damaging the planet?

May 22, 2022•29 min

The population conundrum

Concerns that we'll soon have too many people on the Earth sit alongside apprehension that we are facing a looming demographic crisis. So how do we address both issues without further damaging the planet?

May 22, 2022•29 min

Big data and farming – the promise and the fear

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.

May 01, 2022•29 min

Big data and farming – the promise and the fear

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.

May 01, 2022•29 min

A slow move towards a plastic free future

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.

Apr 24, 2022•29 min

A slow move towards a plastic free future

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.

Apr 24, 2022•29 min

Space-based Solar: energy above the clouds

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?

Apr 10, 2022•29 min

Space-based Solar: energy above the clouds

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?

Apr 10, 2022•29 min

Forgetting, not memory, moves us forward

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.

Mar 27, 2022•29 min

Forgetting, not memory, moves us forward

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.

Mar 27, 2022•29 min

The fall of cash & the rise of central bank digital currencies

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.

Mar 13, 2022•29 min

The fall of cash & the rise of central bank digital currencies

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.

Mar 13, 2022•29 min

Drones, witnessing and the view from above

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.

Mar 06, 2022•29 min

Drones, witnessing and the view from above

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.

Mar 06, 2022•29 min

Banning books and floating suburbs

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?

Feb 27, 2022•29 min

Banning books and floating suburbs

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?

Feb 27, 2022•29 min

Fashion’s fast future

Fashion is getting even faster, but there are also efforts underway to rein-in the waste and make fabrics from more environmentally-friendly materials.

Feb 20, 2022•29 min

Fashion’s fast future

Fashion is getting even faster, but there are also efforts underway to rein-in the waste and make fabrics from more environmentally-friendly materials.

Feb 20, 2022•29 min

Space pollution, stunted high-rise and the joy of missing out

As Earth’s upper atmosphere becomes more congested, it’s also becoming more polluted, and the impact could be dire. Also, why doing without could make for a fuller future; and what’s behind China’s ban on really tall buildings?

Feb 13, 2022•29 min

Space pollution, stunted high-rise and the joy of missing out

As Earth’s upper atmosphere becomes more congested, it’s also becoming more polluted, and the impact could be dire. Also, why doing without could make for a fuller future; and what’s behind China’s ban on really tall buildings?

Feb 13, 2022•29 min