Let’s be honest, the world is not without its challenges at the moment: climate change, war, pollution, disease and much, much more. Typically these problems hit us almost overnight, while the solutions to them often take time to unfold.

Those solutions largely result from dedication in the laboratories, workplaces and minds of scientists, engineers and technologists. Politicians play an important role of course, particularly when it comes to conflict, or the commitment to finance. But the mental heavy-lifting generally comes from the technology sector. So how are we getting on in solving these big societal issues? Well, not that brilliantly, it appears.

Back in 2021 E+T started a project called Critical Targets in which we looked at seven global challenges. In each category we selected a ‘champion’ and, in a series of just released podcasts, I revisited the project and talked to a set of champions made up of new faces and returning experts to discuss the overall topic and the Critical...