America’s $2trn green boost, explained

2023-01-26

Dark matter and dark energy dominate our universe. They’re both highly mysterious, invisible and difficult to detect. So what are they, and how do we know they even exist?

00:00 – What is the universe made of?
01:53 – What is dark matter?
05:32 – What is dark energy?
08:54 – The future of the universe

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How astronomers know “dark matter” exists: https://econ.st/3Za8Pu3

Listen to an episode of our science podcast about the Large Hadron Collider: https://econ.st/3ClwH3T

The best of our science podcast, “Babbage”, from 2022: https://econ.st/3WFM1QZ

Find all episodes of “Babbage”: https://econ.st/3GCzI2m

Did dark matter do in the dinosaurs?

2022-12-22

Gone are the days of hiding in the shadows of seedy shops in the red-light district. Today, sex toys have gone mainstream. How has this long-stigmatised industry become normalised?

00:00 – Why is the sex-toy industry booming?
00:28 – The origins of sex toys
02:05 – How did the sex-toy industry emerge?
03:05 – Developing the female sex-toy market
04:40 – How the internet helped the sex-toy market
05:35 – How are women shaping the industry?
07:00 – From sex toys to sexual wellness
09:20 – Challenges to the growth of the industry

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Read more about the growth of the sexual wellness industry: https://econ.st/3PlUFkX

Learn more about what 2023 may have in store for the sexual wellness industry:

2022-12-15

Imagine brain implants that let you control devices by thought alone—or let computers read your
mind. It’s early days, but research into this technology is well under way.

Film supported by @mishcondereya

00:00 – Are brain implants the future of computing?
00:58 – Headsets are changing how brains interact with the virtual world
02:24 – What is a brain computer interface?
03:24 – What’s holding this technology back?
04:00 – How wearable BCIs can read your mind
06:27 – How BCIs physically alter the brain
07:17 – Invasive brain implants
09:14 – The first human cyborg
09:51 – What’s next?

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Read our Technology Quarterly on fixing the brain: https://econ.st/3rTay7o

What does a brain-computer interface feel

2022-11-20

COP27, the United Nations climate conference, has drawn to a close in Egypt. The Economist’s environment editor, Catherine Brahic, shares her assessment on the talks’ breakthroughs, the frantic conclusion of the summit and the limitations of the agreement that emerged.

00:00 – COP27 has drawn to a close
00:17 – The final 24 hours
01:04 – Successes: loss and damage and finance
02:10 – Where COP27 fell short
03:22 – Challenges for COP28

A new UN fund for “loss and damage” emerges from COP27: https://econ.st/3TSD30w

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Climate diplomacy will continue to be a challenge in 2023:

2022-11-01

Rampant deforestation has driven economic growth, but accelerates climate change. How do you put a price on trees, to make them worth more alive than dead?

Film supported by Bain and Company

00:00 – Can money grow on trees?
00:55 – What Costa Rica can teach us
01:52 – Down with the trees: rapid deforestation around the world
03:15 – Why tree-planting schemes aren’t always the answer
04:24 – Paying for existing trees: carbon credits
06:38 – How to finance the restoration of forests
08:10 – What are Payments for Environmental Services?
09:31 – Swapping to sustainable returns
10:40 – Is focusing on economic growth the problem?
11.50 – Why world leaders need to decarbonise the economy

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Why tree planting alone is

2022-10-15

President Jair Bolsonaro, the Trump of the Tropics, has undermined democracy, drummed up division and inspired cult-like devotion from his followers. Whether he is re-elected or not, the right-wing populist movement he has unleashed is unlikely to go away.

00:00 – The appeal of Bolsonaro
01:02 – Bolsonaro’s power in Congress
03:20 – Bolsonaro and the gun lobby
05:39 – Bolsonaro’s impact on the environment
07:42 – Bolsonaro’s appeal to evangelical christians
09:19 – How Bolsonaro has weakened democracy
11:10 – What will happen if Bolsonaro loses?

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Win or lose, Jair Bolsonaro poses a threat to Brazilian democracy: https://econ.st/3fNiCDU

Read all our Brazil election coverage: https://econ.st/3emA2qF

Check out our

2022-10-06

Mexican cartels and criminals are the leading producers of illegal synthetic drugs. This shift is fuelling the latest phase in America’s opioid crisis.

00:00 – The growing market of illicit synthetic drugs
01:05 – Mexico’s booming production of illegal fentanyl
02:22 – The third wave of America’s opioid crisis
03:56 – What are the costs of illicit fentanyl production?
04:53 – How is illegal fentanyl manufactured?
05:33 – What is China’s role?
06:51 – How dangerous is producing fentanyl?
07:53 – Why have cartels turned to fentanyl?
09:33 – Why are fentanyl pills so popular?
11:39 – The gig economy and illicit drug production
12:51 – How is fentanyl production democratising Mexico’s drug market?

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Why have

2022-09-23

On September 21st Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of 300,000 Russian reservists to strengthen his forces in Ukraine and warned he would use all weapons at his disposal—chillingly warning, “this is not a bluff”. Our experts discuss how far he’s willing to go.