The Week Unwrapped: Synthetic fuel, Myanmar and an energy rebate

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Rory Reid, Julia Macfarlane and Guy Anker.

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

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Synthetic fuel

The British attempt to build a supersonic car is back, with a new mission: to demonstrate the feasibility of synthetic fuels. The Bloodhound LSR’s jet engine, borrowed from a Eurofighter aircraft, now runs on a blend of hydrogen and carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere. While using the technology to propel a car to speeds of 700mph may not be the greenest application, there are hopes that it will help to prove its safety and reliability, and accelerate its use in aviation – where green alternatives to jet fuel are thin on the ground.

Myanmar air strike

Three days before a conference of Asian foreign ministers was due to discuss violence in Myanmar, the country’s military government launched an air strike against a music festival organised by rebels in the province of Kachin. At least 60 people are believed to have died in the attack, adding to the toll of nearly 2,300 civilians who have died since a military coup overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year. Why does Myanmar receive so little attention, and what can be done to end the violence?

Energy payments

The threat of energy shortages this winter has led some energy companies to offer households a rebate on their bill if they reduce their power consumption at moments of peak demand. The hope is that they will shift energy-intensive tasks to times of the day when the national grid has spare capacity – reducing the chances of rationing or blackouts. Will these financial incentives help us keep the lights on this winter?