Next Era

27/07/2024

We have become so used to tax avoidance by billionaires, many think it's just an inherent part of our economic systems

But, as the wealth gap continues to grow globally, and the top 1% owns 37% of the world's wealth, the pressure on politicians has started a tide of change.

In 2021, 136 countries agree to set a global minimum tax rate for corporations, and now Brazil and France, amongst others, are pushing to do the same for Billionaires.

Read more about the proposal for a new billionaire wealth tax, and what it might mean for our economies, on our website.

Written by Moritz Odersky

---

21/06/2024

As less and less of us feel we have a voice in our democracies, and all the messages we hear are angry and divisive, some have decided to push back.

Citizens' assemblies are being organised around the world to bring people face-to-face again, and have us solve problems on a human level. From Paris to Rio, they have been surprisingly effective at creating discussion and mutual understanding, providing valuable proposals with widespread support.

Now, with the help of AI tools, these expensive assemblies could be opened up to all, creating a new democratic era where we all have a chance to raise our voices and participate in the democratic process. It is called 'Fireside Democracy.'

Written by

Read the full story on our website. Link in bio.

---

07/06/2024

As climate change is increasingly causing direct harm to people's lives across the world, it may feel like there is little we can do to stop it.

But, the Swiss Klimaseniorinnen, a group of senior women aged 64+, decided to fight back. They took their government to court for violating their human rights, which they can now prove because of the heatwaves and other direct ways in which we are now feeling climate change.

After many years of legal battle, it now looks as though they might create a major victory in their quest to hold governments accountable and increase climate actions.

Written by

Read the full story on our website. Link in bio.

---

17/05/2024

To build a brighter future for our generation, we need to first imagine what that future is.

And the one thing we often forget in our discussions is: What do we want our normal lives to look like? These dreams we have for our ideal normal lives are our Cosy Futures.

Together, our cosy futures create a pole star for us to work towards as a society.

In the process of making them a reality, we will have to tackle our crucial challenges of the 21st century, from affordable housing, to climate change and our mental health crisis.

But the first step to solving these challenges is imagining what the solution looks like.
-----

10/05/2024

In our newest article, Tabby Taberer explores the power of positive natures stories in creating optimism about our future.

From the reintroduction of beavers in the UK, to the protection of humpback whales in the Pacific Ocean and the expansion of a national park in Australia, there are countless optimistic tales around us. They provide a spark of hope, showing us that the direction our world is moving in is not all negative.

Read the full story on our website. Link in bio.

-----

03/05/2024

Founder of mental health clothing brand Stijn Willemse tells his journey through mental health challenges and his quest to build a more human world by kickstarting discussions around youth mental wellbeing.

Read the full story on our website. Link in bio.

Words by Stijn Willemse:

----

26/04/2024

All across Europe, rural areas are in crisis. Many farmers struggle to make ends meet, causing rural communities to slowly decline as farmland is increasingly abandoned.

Now, scientists and environmental conservationists are proposing a surprising solution: allowing nature to return to the land. Rewilding is proposed as a way to help biodiversity and natural ecosystems recover, whilst creating new jobs that could revive rural communities.

Whether it will be a success, time will tell.

Read the full story on our website. Link in bio.

Article written by Alex Collins:

Some images sourced from

---------

19/04/2024

The rapid decline of the environment around us, and the slowness of those in power to respond is a major source of anxiety for our generation.

But, instead of accepting this fate, many young people have started taking action, turning despair into a motivation for action, and a reason to hope for a better future.

Written by Marie Vanolli:

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

—

05/04/2024

Throughout human history, music has been a key ritual building social bonds and allowing us to find like-minded people.

In recent times, with the advent of online streaming and listening, this link between music and human connection has weakened. At the same time, we're facing a growing loneliness epidemic.

Read more about the artists bringing back the funk in our music and re-building communities of self-expression that imagine our place in the world.

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

—

14/03/2024

Sci-fi writer William Gibson once said: "The future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed."

Many of us spend time imagining what our world might look like in 10, 20, 30 years time. Often, we see utopian or dystopian images around us.

More likely than that, the world will look like some variation of today. Technological and social innovations of today are likely to translate into improvements in our daily lives tomorrow.

By looking around us, and supporting these seeds of change in our communities, we can start seeing this brighter future take shape, and we can be a part of making it come true.

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

—

08/03/2024

Today is not the first time electric cars have been on our roads. When cars first became popular 100 years ago, electric and petrol cars were already competing for the personal car market.

Last time around, electric cars lost, but due to environmental necessity, they are back.

The future of electric cars will be determined by government legislation. The EU and China are already leading the electric car boom, with the US following behind.

The new battle is expected to be between battery-electric and hydrogen-electric cars, to see what the most efficient solution to our challenges today is.

Written by Kalyan Wessendorp:

Next Era is a magazine exploring optimistic for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

07/03/2024

There are few optimistic climate stories coming from heavy industry. But new technological innovations may be about to change that.

The slow rise of electric factories may decarbonise some of our heavily polluting and fossil-fuel reliant industries out there.

And this victory is not only due to scientists or businesses. Public pressure is one of the key factories pushing climate legislation, which is why we are seeing these new innovations. Our collective voices are the strongest tool we have in our quest to transform this world.

Next Era is a magazine exploring optimistic for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

05/03/2024

Do you also struggle to see how you can be a part of building brighter futures? The X-curve shows us that sustainable change is about phasing out unsustainable practices and experimenting with sustainable alternatives instead. Try out this tool tool to make sustainable changes in your life easier!

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

Full articles on our website. Link in bio.

01/03/2024

What is AI going to do to our jobs? With a predicted 400 million+ jobs being threatened by AI automation in the coming decade, this is an important question for our generation as we hit the job market.

By looking back at the industrial revolution, we can see how this process of creative destruction has worked before, and what needs to be done to ensure we can most effectively adapt today.

Full article on our website. Link bio.

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build brighter futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

New posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

28/02/2024

Loneliness and social isolation is on the rise in our cities. But, a group of Parisians, called the 'Super Neighbours', show us that things don't have to be this way.

This grassroots initiative went viral for their massive weekend brunches, movie nights, and other activities that helped create new friendships and battle loneliness in the fast-paced city.

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

New posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Full articles on our website later this week. Link in bio.

26/02/2024

Where do we get our future predictions from? And how accurate are they actually at telling us how the world will change? Futurists tell us that they're actually a lot less valuable than we think, and that to change the world, we have to focus more building towards desirable optimistic futures, rather than avoiding negative probable futures.

Next Era is a magazine exploring how we can build better futures for our generation, and covering the people, ideas, and projects building solutions to our 21st century crises.

New posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Full articles on our website later this week. Link in bio.

10/04/2021

Read our latest article, "From High Literacy to High Educated Unemployment in Kerala: Causes and Consequences" by Shivani Menon via https://medium.com/the-political-economy-review/the-kerala-paradox-from-high-literacy-to-high-educated-unemployment-1f4b3e0e3927.

For over a decade, Kerala has distinguished itself from other Indian states on many fronts. It boasts of its religious diversity, its…

10/04/2021

📍 What’s in the headlines?

Bhutan, despite being a small lower-middle income country, has managed to vaccinate the majority of their adult population in less than a month with at least one dose.

The country was given a bulk load of vaccinations from India earlier in the year, but unlike most countries, they decided to hold off vaccinating until late March following the guidance of Buddhist Monks and decisions made at the top of the political structure.

It was suggested by the monks who had studied the stars to hold off vaccinations until this period, initially providing them to women born in the Year of the Monkey.

The “Dragon” King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, was proactive in deploying an army of medics named the “Guardians of Peace” to administer the vaccination process across the nation.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering (a former doctor who was elected due to his successful public health-focused campaign) has utilised his platform to keep the public informed about the spread of the virus and promote the vaccine.

In other countries, where the approach was not so precautious, we now see that reopening is still delayed with large portions of the populations having received no vaccinations and greater concern about the potential side effects of some vaccine variants.

Caption by Siofra Bracken.
Source: Upasana Dahal via AFP

08/04/2021

📍 What’s in the headlines?

Controversy over China's treatment of the minority Uyguhr population has emerged again. This time there are allegations of forced labour on cotton farms located in the Xinjiang province.

Unfortunately, it is not the first time that the discrimination against and genocide of Uyghurs has made the headlines. Despite the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) claims that they have merely established re-education facilities - to supposedly protect the nation against potential terrorist threats from the culturally, linguistically and religiously distinct, non-Han population - it appears as though these establishments are instead used as concentration camps. Daycare centres are reportedly filled with orphaned children who have been separated from relatives now trapped in these facilities. Furthermore, it is claimed that forced sterilisation is common practice.

The employment of these people in the cotton-picking industry is part of a coercive state-mandated labour training, transfer and “poverty alleviation” scheme. Some Western brands, identified as using cotton extracted from Xinjiang in various products, have issued statements that they will no longer be using materials from this region.

However, these firms, mostly part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) are facing boycott threats on both sides: from both international and Chinese consumers. Whilst they must appease the labour standards upheld by Western consumers, many global retailers are unwilling to sacrifice the significant consumer markets present in China. Many Chinese celebrities and patriotic social media users have indicated their disappointment by declaring that they will no longer support certain brands which have displayed their corporate social responsibility (CSR), denying that such atrocities are taking place in their country, and destroying the goods they have previously purchased from these companies.

Caption by Siofra Brakcen.
Source: Adrian Zenz for the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy.

07/04/2021

Have you read our latest article yet? Here's an excerpt from “Lake Chad: Coping with the crisis at the local level” by Erez Molinas. To read more click the link in our bio.

02/04/2021

Read our latest article, "Lake Chad: Coping with The Crisis At Local Level" by Erez Molinas via https://medium.com/the-political-economy-review/lake-chad-coping-with-the-crisis-at-local-level-793856bc6c3.

Since the 1990s, many international organisations reported that Lake Chad was shrinking at an alarming rate. Together with NASA’s…