Genome in crystal and predator hunting in Europe
Outriders Magazine #332
How Western Needs Are Impacting Poorer Countries
The demand for frankincense in the wellness industry has led to the destruction of trees in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Large corporations profit while the people collecting the resin do not. The supply chains are marked by exploitation and violence, and there is evidence that the popularity of frankincense may lead to the extinction of wild frankincense trees.
Banana farming in Costa Rica comes with a hidden cost. Farmers use pesticides banned in the EU to meet Western demand, harming workers and local ecosystems. The skies over Matina on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast are regularly sprayed with agrochemicals from aeroplanes.
In Papua New Guinea’s Porgera Valley, conflict has erupted between illegal miners, settlers, and local communities. Dozens of people have died in fights over land and resources, and production at the Porgera gold mine, one of the world’s largest, has come to a halt. These tribal conflicts are a growing security problem across Papua New Guinea, and they coincide with a landslide that killed over 2,000 people in May.
The Electrification of Africa and the Development of Green Energy
The Mission 300 project aims to provide electricity to 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. If successful, the plan would provide electricity to half of the 600 million Africans without access to electricity. Africa accounts for three-quarters of the world's population without electricity, while South Sudan, Burundi, and Chad have less than 12% of the population.
Zimbabwean mining companies plan to invest nearly $200 million in a 200-megawatt solar power plant. The country is struggling with energy shortages, which are causing periodic power outages. The worst drought in four decades is exacerbating the crisis. Zimbabwe also boasts the world's second-largest platinum deposit and high-grade chrome ore. Mining contributes about 12% of the country's GDP and accounts for nearly 80% of its exports.
Zambia is also struggling with an energy crisis, which is why the owners of the copper mines there are turning to an unexpected source of energy – the weather phenomenon La Niña. According to the forecasts of the World Meteorological Organization, it will start at the end of the year, increasing the chances of rainfall and electricity production by Zambian hydropower plants. For example, the water in the Kariba reservoir – the world's largest anthropogenic lake – has almost been exhausted. The current historic drought has caused the shutdown of hydro turbines on which about 85% of Zambia's electricity supply depends. Households have electricity for 3 hours a day.
Advancements in Medical Innovations and the Human Genome
The Optoelectronic Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton has successfully stored the entire human genome on a 5D memory crystal. This breakthrough allows humans to potentially revive in the event of a species-threatening extinction. The 5D memory crystals can store up to 360 terabytes of data and endure extreme temperatures, making them ideal for recording the genomes of endangered plant and animal species.
Recent positive developments in the medical industry include advancements in self-testing for cervical cancer screening, a blood test for colon cancer as an alternative to colonoscopy, needle-free administration of epinephrine for severe allergic reactions, and the use of Apple AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved these methods.
In other medical news, new techniques utilizing coral granules and a hydrogel have eliminated the need for knee joint replacement to repair knee cartilage. The Agili-C product, developed by the Israeli company CartiHeal, has been approved by the FDA. It contains calcium carbonate from coral exoskeletons, which serves as a scaffold in the body, aiding in bone and tissue regeneration and alleviating pain.
Monetary Policy in South America: Argentina and Brazil
Argentine President Javier Milei has presented a budget for 2025, promising savings and the elimination of the country’s fiscal deficit. The Congress will approve the budget, which is dominated by the president’s opposition and controls government finances. Milei’s nine months in office have already seen cuts in public spending, resulting in a fiscal surplus (0.4% of GDP), which Argentina hasn’t seen in almost 20 years. However, these cuts have further impoverished society, with almost 60% of Argentines living in poverty, compared with 44% in December 2023. Milei has balanced the budget by cutting financial transfers to the country’s provinces, eliminating energy and transport subsidies, and keeping wages and pensions steady despite inflation.
The new head of Brazil’s Central Bank, Gabriel Galipolo, is changing the monetary policy of Latin America’s largest economy. To experts’ surprise, Galipolo intends to raise the bank’s interest rates to combat inflation, even though he, a man for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had been expected to lower interest rates. Changes in the leadership of central banks around the world tend to lead to tighter monetary policy, according to a 2017 research paper by, among others, Carlos Viana. Brazil’s government expects economic growth to exceed 3% this year, and President Lula is pursuing plans to boost consumption by increasing public spending.
Europe's Hunting of Its Largest Predators
After saving their largest predators from extinction, European governments are issuing permits to kill thousands of bears, wolves and lynxes. The appetite for killing large predators has grown as their populations have grown. Sweden has issued permits to kill 486 brown bears, about 20% of its population, and record lynx and wolf culls were recorded last year. Romanian MPs voted to double the number of brown bear hunts from 220 to 481, and Slovakia voted to allow hunting under certain conditions near villages. Wolf culls have recently taken place in Austria and Spain, and Switzerland is also planning to do so. There are an estimated 20,000 wolves and 17,000 bears in Europe.
A new law in Turkey requires municipalities to catch stray dogs, place them in shelters, and euthanize feral dogs. The law was introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling party, in part because of dog attacks, including on children. However, there is no indication of an increase in attacks. The new rules have sparked outrage in a country where residents have cared for stray animals for hundreds of years, with some running their private shelters. Animal rights activists, fearing a mass extermination, have called the new law a “massacre law.” There are an estimated 4 million stray dogs in Turkey.
Addressing Labor Exploitation in England and the US
The fast-fashion industry in Leicester, England, has been exploiting workers, often migrants, by paying them between £3 and £5 an hour despite officially paying the minimum wage. After receiving their wages, the workers were forced to pay back some of the money to their employers. Some workers also went unpaid for months or worked longer than their contracts stated. According to the Fashion Workers Advice Bureau Leicester (FAB-L), exploitation is widespread in the industry.
Bangladesh is a central hub of the global fast-fashion industry. However, the country's $55 billion-a-year clothing industry faces an uncertain future following nationwide protests in August. Some major brands are seeking supplies from other countries for the next season, and numerous factories are expected to close due to worker strikes demanding higher wages. Even before these events, the garment industry in Bangladesh has been marred by issues such as child labour, fatal accidents, and COVID-19 shutdowns.
In the United States, foreign-born nurses recruited abroad must sign employment contracts with a “stay or pay” clause. This clause obligates them to work a minimum number of hours or repay thousands of dollars for licenses, travel, lodging, and other expenses if they leave their low-paying jobs. If they do leave, they are subjected to mandatory arbitration and burdened with debt.
China vs. the US: Countering Espionage and Corporate Intelligence
The United States and its allies have successfully taken control of a network of 260,000 cameras, routers, and other internet-connected devices that the Chinese government was using for spying. The operation aimed to dismantle the Flax Typhoon botnet, which U.S. officials claim was operated by a Chinese government contractor called Integrity Technology Group Inc. The cyber spies had hacked into institutions in the United States, Taiwan, and other locations, targeting critical infrastructure such as corporations, media organizations, universities, and government agencies to steal confidential data.
The Chinese military reported that its planes were tracking a U.S. P-8A Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance plane as it flew over the Taiwan Strait. Subsequently, two German warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in over two decades. The People’s Republic of China views the autonomous island of Taiwan as its territory, so any foreign countries patrolling the waters between China and Taiwan are met with criticism.
Business intelligence firms that focus on corporate issues and employ former state agents face increased scrutiny from state authorities. Scandals affecting the sector have been widely publicized, including accusations of "intimidation," secret surveillance, and illegal gathering of confidential information. China is particularly pressuring business intelligence firms, as evidenced by the forced closure of operations in Beijing for the American company Mintz Group and the detention of its Chinese employees.
The Fusion of Fashion with Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Start-up Modern Synthesis is creating new, sustainable materials by working with living organisms—bacteria. The company aims to create low-emission alternatives to traditional fabrics and reduce emissions and plastic pollution associated with the fashion industry. One of the bacteria used to produce the materials can produce fibres eight times stronger than steel.
Fashion and technology combine through intelligent textiles—interactive garments with added technology to meet the unique needs of individual users, such as body temperature (thermochromic fabrics) or heart rate monitoring. Another solution is 3D printing in fashion, which allows for greater personalization in design and is a more sustainable option for fashion designers. Additionally, biotechnology allows the fashion industry to use natural, organic ingredients to create stronger, better, and more sustainable textiles.
Shoppers at Marks & Spencer can use AI technology to receive advice on outfit choices based on their body shape and style preferences. AI is a personal style guru for M&S, aiming to boost online sales. So far, 450,000 M&S customers have used the AI quiz, which lets them choose outfits from 40 million options. In addition, AI-powered product description automation has increased to 80% over the past year from almost zero. At the same time, the retailer has seen a 41% increase in profits last year, while sales have risen by 9.4%.