Will “smart cities” encourage more sustainable behaviours in cities? And what are the risks? In our second cities episode, we focus on how IoT affects the everyday experiences of those who live and work in cities, discussing everything from smart homes and driverless vehicles, to buying nappies and upgrading e-bike firmware. Our expert guests considering these issues and their sustainability are Dr. Anthony Townsend, author of both 'Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers and the Quest for A New Utopia' and 'Ghost Road: Beyond the Driverless Car', and Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, author of ‘Smarter Homes: How Technology Will Change Your Home Life' and initiator of the Low Carbon Design Institute.

Can IoT help make the changes that are needed to make our energy systems sustainable? Or does it make such systems too vulnerable to attack to justify? Our energy use and the systems behind it has perhaps never been more relevant or in question than it is right now, with the sources of our energy, and our behaviours relating to consumption critical to whether or not the world can achieve net zero. Our expert guests, Dr Sarah Darby, Associate Professor and Acting Deputy Leader of the Energy Programme, University of Oxford, and Robbie Gibson Renewable Energy Services Director at Black and Veatch UK and Europe,  consider energy throughout the entire system, from generation and distribution, to our uses of and relationship with it.  

Does IoT favour the poachers or the poached? Using AI to detect suspected trafficking, how data generated to protect animals may be used by poachers to target them, and navigating the use of technology in challenging terrains are just a few of the areas explored by this weeks guests: Grant Miller MBE, Law Enforcement Advisor, Zoological Society of London, and Dr. Matthew Bradbury, Lecturer in Cyber Security, Lancaster University.

Can an internet of more things result in a world of fewer emissions? Distributed and flexible manufacturing; balancing the negative and positive environmental impact of IoT devices; and society's acceptance of these devices and data collection are just some of the topics covered by this week's guests: Prof. Jeremy Watson CBE, Director of PETRAS, Dr. David Pugh, Manufacturing Market Lead, Digital Catapult, and Dr. Michael Stead, Lecturer in Sustainable Design Futures, Lancaster University.

Is IoT a threat to our food systems or a tool to be harnessed? Agricultural resilience, trust in our produce, and the need for greater cybersecurity awareness within food supply chains are just some of the issues discussed by this week's guests: Zeina Chapman, Retail Consultant and Former M&S Food Buyer, and Prof. Awais Rashid, Professor of Cybersecurity, University of Bristol.

Are cities 'Machines for Living'? Privacy, sensors, and the inevitable evolution of connected cities are just some of the wide-reaching areas discussed by this week's guests: Prof. Julie McCann, Deputy Director of PETRAS, and Colin Williams, Historian of Cybernetics.