China lashed out at the United States on Tuesday, with the foreign minister accusing Washington of stoking tensions between the two powers and warning of “conflict and confrontation”. These geopolitical and economic superpowers have clashed in recent years over trade, human rights and other issues, but relations soured even further last month when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon it said was being used for surveillance — a claim strenuously denied by Beijing. For more on the heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, FRANCE 24 is joined by Dr. Yujen Kuo, Director Professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, National Sun Yat-sen University.
U.S.-China relations are at a new low as China’s foreign minister delivered a warning to Washington to change course on its policies toward Beijing or risk conflict after a spate of hot-button issues flared up.
For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas – representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been hampered by a confusing patchwork of laws. An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement had repeatedly stalled. Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. But only about one percent of the high seas are currently protected. For more on this historic accord, FRANCE 24 is joined by Gianni Valenti, President and Founder of Gaia First.
A British draft law unveiled Tuesday aimed at stopping migrants entering illegally on small boats will amount to an asylum ban, the UN warned, calling for “more humane” solutions instead.
All of that is meant to curb the influence of the biggest companies. This week, the White House put the agricultural seed sector on notice by forming a working group to look at market concentration in the industry.
‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.’
The quote is most likely due to writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its original form it read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Santayana was known for aphorisms, and for being a professor in philosophy at Harvard which he abandoned. Prior to that, Santayana attended Boston Latin School and Harvard College, where he studied under the philosophers William James and Josiah Royce.
According to Santayana’s philosophy, history repeats. The phrasing itself certainly is catchy. It’s a big one, not only because it is so common, but also because if it is true and if history, driven by human nature, is ugly (hint: it is), then this saying ought to guide our public and private policy.
It may seem that in some countries surveillance cameras are everywhere – recording almost our every move. We are using fingerprints and facial recognition to get access to our banking, work emails and even our healthcare systems. Alongside this rise in use comes a rapid increase in biometric data gathering, spurred on by contact tracing apps during COVID19. But where is this very personal data going, who is using it and how.
We bring together a panel of experts to discuss what’s happening now and what’s next for our biometric data – shouldn’t we be the ones in control of our own digital identity? Dr Stephanie Hare, author of Technology is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics, Alice Thwaite, founder of the Hattusia consultancy and The Echo Chamber Club a philosophical research institute, and BBC China Editor Howard Zhang are all on the show.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington.
Studio Manager: Andrew Garratt
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Illustration: A fingerprint scanner is integrated into a printed circuit. Credit: Surasak Suwanmake/Getty Images)
Three years after the official declaration of a pandemic, 65 million people – one in 10 who had Covid-19 – still have symptoms. Some are so ill they are yet to return to work.
The Economist’s health editor, Natasha Loder, examines the science behind long Covid and hears about the challenges as researchers try to unravel the cause behind a condition associated with around 200 symptoms.
Natasha gains insights about the disease from Dr Walter Koroshetz, co-director of the long Covid Recover study in the United States, pulmonologist Dr Lancelot Pinto in Mumbai, India, and long Covid expert Dr Waasila Jassat in Johannesburg, South Africa.
She also meets Dr Emma Wall at London’s Francis Crick Institute to hear about the UK’s long Covid drug trial and Dr Maria Teresa Ferretti, from the Women’s Brain Project, discusses why women are twice as likely to get long Covid than men.
(Photo: Ghenya Grondin, who first was sick with Covid-19 in March 2020 and has had long Covid ever since. Crredit: Brian Snyder/Reuters)
Nations have reached an historic agreement to protect the world’s oceans following ten years of negotiations. The High Seas Treaty places 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, aiming to safeguard and recuperate nature. We hear from Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, and Dr. Robert Blasiak, a researcher at Stockholm University.
It’s at the heart of Antarctica and on the verge of collapse.
Man-made climate change is warming the planet’s atmosphere and oceans, and the effects are being felt the most at the poles. In Antarctica, home to the largest chunk of ice on earth, ice shelves and glaciers are beginning to collapse, and one in particular could spell disaster. The Thwaites Glacier, in West Antarctica, has retreated more than 14 kilometers in the last two decades as warm ocean water undermines it.
The glacier is situated on a downward slope that falls deep into the center of Antarctica. It’s why scientists are racing to find out how close it is to total collapse – and what that would mean for future sea levels.
Vox Atlas demonstrates where conflicts occur on a map and the ways in which foreign policy shapes a region. Watch all the episodes here: http://bit.ly/2SThVsf Make sure you never miss behind-the-scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter.
Sign up here:
Make sure you never miss behind-the-scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter. Sign up here: http://vox.com/video-newsletter Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
Calendar – Click on Date for links entered on that Day
Transition Studies 
