When is Enough, Enough? Squirrel Wheel Economics and the need for Countervailing Power
Despite decades of efforts to reduce humanity’s material footprint, we are using the planet’s natural resources at an accelerating rate. Capitalism and the metrics by which we measure ‘growth’ demand an ever-increasing consumption, directly at odds with our own planetary survival. We refuse to entertain the idea that we are on a squirrel wheel of consumption that we can’t get off. Can we reimagine ‘growth’ and find a way to have a society-wide discussion on ‘When is enough, enough?’
Vishnu Prahalad
Combatting Sepsis, the Biggest Killer in Intensive Care Units
Every year, 50 million people are affected by sepsis – 1 in 5 won’t survive. With an ageing population and increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, the incidence of sepsis continues to rise – with much of the burden falling of low- and middle-income countries. Yet a new Australian treatment might be able to treat the worst outcomes of the disease, potentially saving huge amounts of lives, and quality of life, for those affected. Against one of the world’s biggest killers, we have a real opportunity to make an impact.
Yugeesh Lankadeva, Haydn Wright and Mark Plummer
Read-Write-Own-Tax
The nature of the internet is changing. We have seen web technology shift from its beginning of ‘read’ only (web1), to ‘read-write’ (web2). With the development of blockchain technology, this has further transitioned the internet to web3 – “read-write-own”. The new cryptoeconomy is enabling new types of property rights and ownership – but what about the challenges for Australia’s tax system? Not only do we need to consider what we tax in a digital economy, but how we tax while ensuring taxpayers rights, equity, and fairness in an era of Read-Write-Own-Tax.
Elizabeth Morton
Beyond the Battlefield: Rethinking the Balance of Power in the 21st Century
For thousands of years, military capability has been equated with the power of a country amongst its neighbours. As a result, nations have dedicated substantial budgets to their military and defence industries. Yet the rise of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI), has begun to challenge this definition of power. Threats to a nation’s stability can no longer be held off by military power alone – they are digital, informational, social. Yet our defence spending hardly reflects this changing threat landscape.
Giorgia Franciamore
Watt Equity? Australians Deserve a Basic Energy Right - Read it for free
Within the energy industry there is a popular, feel-good refrain that the energy transition will deliver a system that is ‘democratised’, in addition to being ‘decarbonised’, ‘digitised’, and ‘decentralised’. Here democratised is used as an umbrella term for a broad suite of desirable values: fair, just, equitable. Yet the way in which democratisation is envisioned to occur is, in contrast, blinkered – households are seen to gain political power as a consequence of their generating and controlling electrical power from rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles – but what about those without?
Bjorn Sturmberg
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