Future Tense ABC Radio

We used to think our oceans were largely silent but sound is one of the most important senses for marine life. It helps animals feed, breed, communicate and navigate. But human made underwater noise is getting in the way and is now a major global pollutant.

It's a common refrain: we all have a responsibility to deal with climate change. But does putting the onus on individuals risk allowing governments and businesses to avoid responsibility? What is the right balance between an individual and a systemic approach to climate action — and how much do the two intertwine? And how do we get beyond ideology in our communications around climate action?

Do corporations have a role in promoting the common good? Legal expert William Magnuson says they once did and now need to rediscover their true social purpose. He mounts a counterintuitive argument for why big business should think less about money and more about society. Also, new research on the effectiveness of Carbon, Capture and Storage.

Surveillance has become mainstream in the 21st century. It’s now so ubiquitous that many of us no longer notice its intrusion in our personal lives. But not all forms of monitoring are designed to exploit and/or contain. In this episode we look at several interesting monitoring technologies designed to assist and heal.

Have technologists lost the art of keeping it simple? Do the devices they design actually make our lives more complicated, not less? Striving for simplicity could positively impact many aspects of modern life. But oversimplification risks stereotyping individuals and confusing our sense of historical perspective.

When the consumers of power also become its generators a whole new level of complexity opens up. The transition from fossil fuels means completely rethinking our traditional systems of energy storage and distribution. Also, the new Australian battery that could put an end to our dependence on lithium.