Ep 6. The Post-Antibiotic World & Indonesia's Palm Bomb

In the sixth episode of Vice season 3, the show explores two disparate but important topics. The first-ever comprehensive study of antibiotic resistance from the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance predicts that by 2050, up to 10 million people a year will die from diseases that they cannot treat due to the diminishing efficacy of antibiotics. The episode takes a closer look at this "post-antibiotic world" and what it could mean for the future of medicine.

Vice correspondent Isobel Yeung travels to India, one of the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world, to investigate how overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is contributing to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. Yeung reports on the challenges faced by healthcare workers in a developing country where people often self-diagnose and overmedicate, as well as the ease with which antibiotics can be purchased without a prescription.

Back in the United States, medical correspondent Sal Masekela introduces viewers to a woman who has been battling a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection for almost a decade. Her story underscores the urgency of this issue and illustrates how we may be approaching a time where basic medical procedures, such as surgeries, are too risky to perform due to the lack of effective antibiotics.

The second half of the episode takes us to Indonesia, where the country's burgeoning palm oil industry is having devastating impacts on the environment and its people. Despite the fact that the palm oil industry is creating jobs and wealth for Indonesians, it is increasingly encroaching on the nation's natural resources, including rainforests, orangutan habitats, and peatlands.

Correspondent Milene Larsson explores the factors driving this industry, from the demand for palm oil in everything from food to cosmetics to biofuel, to the low prices paid to small-scale farmers by multinational corporations. Larsson also interviews activists, government officials, and locals who are all feeling the negative impacts of the palm oil industry, including deforestation, human rights abuses, and fires that release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

Throughout the episode, Vice raises important questions about how we as a global society can balance the benefits of industry and economic development with the need to preserve our natural resources and protect public health. As always, the show's in-depth reporting and compelling storytelling make for an engaging and thought-provoking hour of television.