This week’s edition of the Upside series looks at the use of new tech to fight dirty money, sexual harassment and pollution

Our world is full of persistent, apparently unsolvable problems that often stem from the type of behaviour that can shake our faith in our fellow human beings. But amid that gloom, the advance of technology is one of the great and renewable sources of hope. And while technology alone can never provide all the answers, history is a story of breakthroughs and revolutions triggered by all manner of scientific discoveries.

This week, we present to you: tales of how technology is being leveraged to tackle some of our most demoralising problems.

The Panama Papers exposed the murky world of offshore money havens, which allow billions in ill-gotten gains to be laundered through “legitimate” investments each year. This week British MPs indicated they will force Britain’s overseas territories to abolish corporate secrecy by the end of the decade. That news was welcomed by the team behind OpenOwnership, a group building an online system that could shine a light on the hiding places for dirty money around the world, as Oliver Bullough reports.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A still from Bystander, a game in which teenage players encounter four episodes of harassment and assault. Photograph: Ci3’s Game Changer Chicago Design Lab

In the age of #MeToo, researchers in the US are exploring how immersive technology can be used to challenge attitudes to sexual harassment. Amanda Holpuch and Olivia Solon reported on projects aimed at office workers and young people that use virtual reality and computer games.



The shipping industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to polluting our air, with many large vessels still powered by the dirtiest diesel fuel. Last month global shipping companies agreed to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and the race is on to develop the technology that can make good on that commitment, as Fred Pearce reports.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Aquarius Eco Ship concept design incorporates an innovative solar and wind power system. Photograph: Courtesy of Eco Marine Power

What we liked:

This New York Times piece on a partnership that has had some remarkable success combating malaria in Senegal. And a report in the i on renters in the UK who formed a union to fight for their rights.

What we heard:

Vertical farming gives me hope with its potential for greening inner cities, feeding people at its doorstep, maximising vegetable productivity while economising power, water and waste – and freeing the countryside to return to nature. Guy Ottewell emailed us about vertical farming

Where was the upside?

In Montreal, Clothilde Goujard found Radio Sleepytime, a bilingual radio show broadcast over the internet and airwaves for an audience of young Syrian children settling down at bedtime wherever they may be.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rahaf, a 10-year-old Syrian refugee in Montreal, is a regular Radio Sleepytime listener. Photograph: Handout

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If there is a story, innovation or trailblazer you think we should report on, write to us at theupside@theguardian.com