Latest Stories from Jamie
What could a global tax on those with $5m wealth pay for?
Globally, there are 3.6 million people that have accumulated more than $5m in wealth – more than 2,600 of them being billionaires. If there were an annual tax on these individuals, here’s what it could pay for. How’s vaccinating the entire planet, for starters? Global wealth distribution is up there as one of the very tetchy-est subjects, so prepare to be triggered. Around the world, there are 3.6 million people today...
Hydrogen: the key to decarbonising the planet?
Hydrogen is a clean, versatile fuel that doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions and all it requires to release energy is oxygen. To date, our utilisation of it has been marginal at best, but here’s why it could transform the energy sector in the years to come. With the aim of preventing an impending climate crisis, could it be that the first element on the periodic table is a vital...
An extra $3.5 trillion a year is the price tag for a net zero transition
Grandiose ambitions of transitioning to net zero economies within the next decade are nothing without serious real-life investment. Now, thanks to a recent report from McKinsey & Company, we know roughly what that sum equates to. Unfortunately, decarbonising entire industries isn’t quite as simple as offering up renewable alternatives and flicking a switch. While us, the people, can make conscious decisions to limit our own impact on the planet, sadly we’re...
Space-based film studio officially in development for 2024
Space Entertainment Enterprise, co-producers of Tom Cruise’s forthcoming space-set film, has announced plans to build a fully-fledged production studio 250 miles above Earth. Remember back in 2020, when Tom Cruise teamed up with Elon Musk’s Space X to shoot the first ever feature film in space… no? That’s probably because it never happened. Plans to send Cruise and director Doug Liman into zero gravity stalled over issues with the $200m budget,...
Chemical pollution reportedly passes safe limit for humanity
A study on Earth’s cocktail of chemicals suggests pollution levels are threatening the stability of ecosystems on which life physically depends. Fear mongering really isn’t our thing, but we would be remiss not to bring you the unfiltered facts. Though it can’t be verified officially, researchers have reason to believe humanity has now likely breached planetary boundaries of chemical damage – the point at which natural ecosystems stop functioning as they...
Floating solar farms put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality
In Thailand’s north-eastern region of Ubon Ratchathani, a shimmering network of solar panels stretches across a large reservoir constantly generating green energy. This is the first of 15 planned floating solar farms that aim to put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality by 2050. With climate deadlines from COP26 fast approaching, nations are turning to some pretty radical solutions to achieve net zero. This definitely qualifies. In Thailand’s north-eastern region of...
Is Microsoft creating a monopoly after Activision Blizzard deal?
Microsoft is on the brink of acquiring Activision Blizzard for a record fee of $68.7bn. Having already landed the Bethesda deal last year, is the conglomerate potentially underway with a full-scale gaming monopoly? If the cringe, social media driven console wars are even still a thing, this is the equivalent of a nuke. Throughout the pandemic, general interest in game showcases has dwindled with schedules thrown off kilter and physical attendances...
Will nuclear fusion revolutionise clean energy for centuries?
With the potential of generating 10 million times the energy of burning coal, is nuclear fusion the answer to sustainably powering the world for centuries to come? Imagine a technology capable of replicating the chemistry of the stars, unleashing nearly unlimited clean energy, and safely powering the entire world for centuries to come. Sounds real plausible, right? Dubbed the ‘holy grail’ of energy production, nuclear fusion has been touted as the...
Commercial interest in biomaterials tipped to explode in 2022
In the synthetic age, profitability and sustainability have long butted heads. Biomaterials have been touted as the saving grace for green manufacturing for years, but only now are the building blocks coming into place for 2022. It goes without saying that the prospect of forming low-carbon economies is nigh-on impossible if the commercial giants feeding them fail to adapt. As it stands today, 62% of all fibres produced (of which polyester...
NGOs sue UK government for lax net-zero climate plans
The UK government is being sued by climate NGOs for failing to include policies needed to deliver COP26 emission cuts. They argue the current strategy relies too much on speculative technologies. Already in hot water over a number of parties that may or may not have happened, the UK government is now being sued over holes in its net zero climate strategy. Court papers were filed on Wednesday on the grounds...
