We live in a world that admires business leaders and tech startups for having the bravery to take risks, endure setbacks and make mistakes, where “move fast and break things” is not a warning but a motto to live by. But sometimes it seems like a different standard is applied to anyone who dares to try new things that might make the world a better place. Courage becomes naivety, intrepidness becomes recklessness.
As part of the Upside series we’ve reported on successful trials that could have far-reaching implications. This week, we found some stories of experiments that did not go quite as planned, to find out what has been learned. And we travelled to Paraguay to find out how it became the first South American country to eradicate malaria.
Last year, Finland became the first European country to launch a nationwide government-backed trial of a basic income for some citizens. With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, the idea of handing free cash to people had become a cause du jour. When the country recently announced it would not be extending the trial, sceptics gloated. But was the experiment a failure? Tuomas Muraja is a participant, and he shared his thoughts on what he has learned.
When a flagship eco-village was established in Ireland in 2008, hopes were high for its success. The self-governing settlement would be communal, carbon neutral and self-sufficient with a working farm, solar power, an “edible landscape” and district heating. Deposits were placed for every available planned home – but then came the global financial crash. Ten years on, Killian Fox visited Tipperary to see how far the project has progressed.
Elsewhere this week, Laurence Blair reports from Asunción as Paraguay declares victory in its battle against malaria, thanks in no small part to an army of unpaid volunteers educating their peers.
What we liked
Vice asked various experts what can be done to “fix” climate change, offering some reasons not to lose hope (yet).
What we heard
For decades I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who have had to overcome huge disadvantages, such as disabilities, poor education or social exclusion. I’m aware that universal basic income has the potential to level the field for many people with great ideas and abilities, and enable them to take a risk that would otherwise be out of the question (for a whole range of reasons) ... The knock-on economic effects of this injection of enterprise from currently suppressed quarters could be huge.
Commenter GeofCox writing below the line about universal basic income
Where was the upside
In the US, where record numbers of female candidates have earned nominations to stand in elections this November.
