For years, politicians have told us we cannot afford important investments in solving climate change, poverty, pandemics and many other problems - even on issues that are critical to the survival of human civilization. But it’s not true. Wealthy people have Trillions of dollars (not billions, Trillions) that could be redirected toward solving our existential threats. They even have Trillions of dollars that have not been counted because they’re hidden in offshore accounts and complex, opaque financial instruments in order to avoid taxation. To save humanity, our society needs to use these resources in more helpful ways.

Our guest today teaches us how this system of hidden wealth works, how wealth is used to influence politics and society, and how wealth can be redirected toward humanity’s important needs.

Chuck Collins is Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org. He is an expert on U.S. inequality, authoring over ten books and dozens of reports covering climate disruption, philanthropy, the racial wealth divide, affordable housing, and billionaire wealth dynasties. He is a founding member of the Patriotic Millionaires, and in 1995, he co-founded United for a Fair Economy (UFE) to organize, educate, and shift narratives to fight inequality. Collins’ newest book is a novel, Altar to an Erupting Sun (Green Writers Press), a near-future story of one community facing climate disruption in the critical decade ahead. His other titles include The Wealth Hoarders, Born on Third Base, Wealth and Our Commonwealth (co-authored with the late Bill Gates Sr.), and The Moral Measure of the Economy (co-authored with Mary Wright).

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a global grassroots organization pushing for a redesigned and much stronger United Nations, so humanity has the global tools to manage its global existential threats. We’re working to protect the future of humanity and create a world we can be proud of.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

This show is also on YouTube.
This episode can be watched here: https://youtu.be/CP8iScGkewI

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Find us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/thehumansurvivalproject/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumansurvivalproject
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-survival-project/

RESOURCES:

Chuck Collins’ website
https://www.chuckcollinswrites.com/
This site includes info on his recent book Altar to an Erupting Sun, which Shelby has read and highly recommends.

Institute for Policy Studies
Program on Inequality and the Common Good
https://ips-dc.org/ips-project/inequality-and-the-common-good/

https://inequality.org/

Patriotic Millionaires
https://patrioticmillionaires.org/

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In today’s world, there is so much technology at our fingertips that we don’t know how to manage it all. Technologies like artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, nanotech and chemicals have important benefits, but they could also destabilize society, destroy democracy, crash the economy, create the next pandemic or ruin the environment. And competition between companies and countries is driving advancement SO FAST. How can we reap the benefits of technology, while seriously managing the risks? And who should have the power to make these decisions?

Wendell Wallach offers promising approaches to regulating humans’ use of technology. Wendell is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, where he co-directs the AI and Equality Initiative (AIEI). He is also a senior advisor to the Hastings Center and a scholar at the Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, where he has chaired Technology and Ethics studies for 11 years. Wendell has written several books on how to avoid misusing technology and the moral considerations that factor into those actions.

By improving our governance systems, we humans can be more thoughtful, forward-looking, organized and international in our management of technology. In truth, the consequences of mismanaging technology are already here. But it’s not too late for positive change. If we act quickly and collaboratively, we can shape our future for the better.

technology #artificialintelligence #existentialthreats #ai #bioethics #governance #TechGovernance #EthicalInnovation #EthicalTech #FutureLeaders #CollaborativeChange #FutureReadiness

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.
This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a global grassroots organization pushing for a redesigned and much stronger United Nations, so humanity has the global tools to manage its global existential threats. We’re working to protect the future of humanity and create a world we can be proud of.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/
Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

This show is also on YouTube. Watch this episode here:
https://youtu.be/PXAlbG7M3s8?si=eJH7kjSDRUuIz38e

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Find us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/thehumansurvivalproject/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumansurvivalproject
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-survival-project/

RESOURCES:

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs:
https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/

Wendell Wallach Bio:
https://www.wwallach.com/

AI & Equality Podcast:
https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/series/aiei

Article - A Framework for the International Governance of AI:
https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/article/a-framework-for-the-international-governance-of-ai

A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology from Slipping Beyond Our Control by Wendell Wallach
https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Master-Technology-Slipping-Control/dp/0465058620

Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong by Wendell Wallach
https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Machines-Teaching-Robots-Right/dp/0199737975

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction
2:53 - Description of Wendell Wallach.
5:01 - Where is humanity at?
7:16 - Problems with technology and governance.
16:15 - Seeing risks before they happen.
18:44 - Computers consume lots of energy.
20:52 - AI is worsening the unequal distribution of wealth.
22:37 - Humans mismanage their technological powers.
23:50 - Who should control the frameworks?
28:30 - OpenAI and commercialization.
30:14 - We need governments to put up guardrails.
35:55 - Salt March Moments, like Gandhi.
41:42 - Teaching citizens to create their own sense of meaning.
43:01 - Managing competition between countries.
44:55 - Acting with a global mindset.
49:50 - Short-term and long-term risks of AI.
53:22 - We need rules.
56:30 - Executive agency with multidisciplinary expertise.
59:34 - How do we enforce rules?
1:03:10 - Reevaluating our focus on other issues.
1:04:56 - America needs immigrants to fill jobs.
1:06:17 - Laws of armed conflict and unnecessary wars.
1:08:10 - We need a trustworthy system to enforce our agreements.
1:10:12 - Keep working and acting on opportunities.
1:15:21 - Direction of government funding.
1:19:50 - Responding earlier.
1:23:09 - Good change can happen quicker than we think.

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After the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to think we won’t face another global outbreak in the next century. But viruses don’t have a schedule — the next pandemic could be tomorrow. And it could be much more fatal than COVID-19. So, how do we prepare ourselves?

With us to explain the best ways to both prevent and face these outbreaks is David Quammen, an award-winning author, and journalist on science and humans’ relationship with the natural world. He regularly contributes to many distinguished news sources, including the New York Times, the NY Times Book Review, and National Geographic. His 18 books include two on pandemics. “Spillover,” in 2012, accurately predicted a major pandemic could happen soon. In 2022, “Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus” thoroughly analyzed the world’s reaction to COVID-19. Quammen has traveled the world extensively, allowing him to contribute to today’s conversation with his personal experiences in third-world countries and what he’s seen in the availability of resources for those communities.

Luckily, the threat of viral outbreaks is rooted in something we can change: our actions. By regulating humans’ contact with animals, overconsumption of animal-based products, and the distribution of vaccines and education, we can act proactively on our planet. To save human and non-human creatures, we must adopt a future-oriented approach and find solutions now. If the next pandemic is tomorrow, we can be prepared.

virus #outbreak #pandemic #pandemicawareness #protectourplanet #publichealth #existentialthreats #grassroots #globalcommunity #unitednations #diseaseprevention #coronavirus #outbreak #overconsumption #biodiversityloss #vaccine

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a global grassroots organization pushing for a redesigned and much stronger United Nations so humanity has the global tools to manage its global existential threats. We’re working to protect the future of humanity and create a world we can be proud of.

Connect and learn more at:https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/slmCOt5na3Y

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Find us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/thehumansurvivalproject/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumansurvivalproject

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-survival-project/

RESOURCES:

David Quammen’s Website

https://davidquammen.com/

New York Times - 12/19/23

Mystery Amid an Anthrax Outbreak in Africa

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/health/anthrax-africa.html?smid=url-share

Grist - 4/27/20

Deadly Leaps: These scientists saw the coronavirus coming. Now, they're trying to stop the next pandemic before it starts.

https://bit.ly/3ecYmIJ

Vox - 610/20

The meat we eat is a pandemic risk, too

https://bit.ly/3xH2Qz3

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

2:20 - Description of David Quammen.

5:38 - What is the size of this risk, and what drives it?

8:00 - The three big human-caused problems (“three rivers of woe”) on Earth.

9:07 - Human contact with animals leads to most diseases.

14:30 - Dangers of wet markets.

16:24 - Domesticated meat production and its risks.

21:01 - Leaks of diseases from labs.

24:36 - Adopting a future-oriented approach to find solutions.

26:16 - Communication of information and public trust in science.

28:57 - Science is a gradual and self-correcting process.

32:15 - The next pandemic could be tomorrow (and worse than COVID-19).

38:36 - Rapid development of successful vaccines.

40:41 - Making vaccines and disease education available to ALL countries.

44:12 - Public/private funding and partnerships.

46:45 - Proactive surveillance, containing outbreaks and predictions of viruses.

52:00 - Lack of capacity and resources in hospitals.

55:13 - What is the state of the World Health Organization?

57:19 - Inspecting labs and hospitals would be valuable.

1:00:16 - We need to have more conversations on these issues.

1:01:10 - Pandemic threats and biodiversity loss are co-equal to climate change.

1:03:06 - Losing the world’s creatures.

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How to END War: John Reuwer - World BEYOND War

Historically, war has seemed natural for humans. It is everywhere. However, at its core, conflict always comes down to a choice. When making these decisions, we need to understand the right tools to respond to all conflict levels, from neighborly disputes to global warfare.

With the help of expert John Reuwer, we learn the value of settling wars with nonviolence and civil resistance. John is the treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors at World BEYOND War (WBW), a global movement that aims to abolish the institution of war. The organization currently has signatories to their two-sentence peace pledge in 194 countries. John has had many firsthand experiences with violent conflict as a retired emergency physician and has spent decades examining the benefits of nonviolence.

In this episode, we discuss ways to manage conflict on a global scale, including the enforcement of gradual disarmament, incentivization for countries, reallocation of military budgets, and the removal of nuclear weaponry. The dangers of war continue to grow with the advancement of artificial technology; this means that humans have the power to regulate our systems and weaponry to redesign our world for a better and more peaceful future.

betterfuture #hopeforhumanity #abolishwar #civilresistance #nonviolence #worldpeace #peacepledge #globalconflict #grassroots #globalsecurity #conflictresolution #nonviolence

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/PUdAysiU4_s

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Find us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/thehumansurvivalproject/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumansurvivalproject

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-survival-project/

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

RESOURCES:

World BEYOND War’s Website

https://worldbeyondwar.org/

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Introduction.

4:26 - What is World BEYOND War? How does it work? What are its goals?

8:28 - War is not inevitable or “natural” for humans.

10:51 - Nonviolence and the Golden Rule.

13:49 - War/violence mainly keeps the powerful in control.

16:40 - Manipulation of citizens’ and soldiers’ perspectives in the Russia-Ukraine war.

19:45 - What would happen if we didn’t fight? Civil resistance.

28:03 - Enforcing nonviolent approaches.

32:35 - Redesigning the United Nations.

38:38 - Cultural violence to empower the people.

40:39 - Humanity making decisions for humanity.

41:14 - Making war illegal and gradually disarming everyone.

44:37 - Difficulties of having a representative voice in government.

45:50 - Disarmament in peace policies.

47:33 - Redirecting the military budget to non-military purposes.

48:59 - How do we help countries feel safe enough to disarm?

52:47 - Transparency in policies is a choice.

55:03 - Nuclear weapons and incentivization for disarmament.

1:00:08 - International courts.

1:02:37 - To what extent is warfare economic?

1:05:05 - Humans built nuclear weapons. Humans can take them apart.

1:08:26 - World BEYOND War’s peace pledge.

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Recently, the development of artificial intelligence has become exponential. As more programs like ChatGPT have been released to the public, many people see benefits of continuing investment in this growth. Some believe it might even help solve our existential threats.

But with its unregulated advancements, AI itself could be an existential threat to our world. From cybersecurity risks to autonomous weapons, artificial intelligence poses countless threats to the safety of humankind. How should we regulate AI development?

With us to talk about managing our uses of artificial intelligence is Joep Meindertsma, founder of Pause AI. Pause AI is an organization proposing a worldwide pause in development of the most powerful AI systems, through the regulation of their training and publication, alongside the creation of an international safety agency. Joep is also the CEO of Ontola and of Argu in the Netherlands. As a software engineer, he has lots of experience with technology and has seen the dangers of AI firsthand.

It’s comfortable to ignore the risks of artificial intelligence. And building a globally-functioning pause button won’t be easy. But the threat of AI has become urgent. We can’t afford to ignore its dangers to humanity any longer. Humans created artificial intelligence. It’s time for us to take responsibility and use our real intelligence to control AI before it controls us.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/PUdAysiU4_s

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Find us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/thehumansurvivalproject/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumansurvivalproject

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-survival-project/

RESOURCES:

Pause AI’s Website:
https://pauseai.info/

Pause Giant AI Experiments - An Open Letter:
https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Introduction

3:39 - What is Pause AI?

6:28 - Cybersecurity risks and rapid development of AI.

10:37 - Consequences of rushed decisions.

15:35 - Building an international pause button.

22:31 - Emotional obstacles to taking responsibility.

25:00 - Big successes are possible.

27:19 - Designing global governance.

35:50 - Urgency of regulating AI.

38:44 - Creating an executive agency, authorized to move quickly.

41:41 - When and what do we pause?

46:57 - Regulating hardware used for AI.

50:20 - Controlling AI democratically and open-sourcing.

53:55 - Problems of promoting AI.

57:03 - When would AI become necessary?

59:14 - Value of AI in solving existential threats.

1:03:51 - Possibilities of AI takeover.

1:13:12 - Optimists vs. pessimists.

1:17:39 - Enforcing policy measures.

1:20:41 - Solving environmental issues with narrowed AI.

1:23:19 - Approaches to different AI models.

1:24:34 - Importance of international regulation.

1:26:35 - Courage to implement treaties.

1:29:27 - Plan for the future.

1:33:06 - Every small action matters.

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We are all horrified by the wars in Israel-Palestine, and Ukraine. And those are just the conflicts we hear about. There are 21 wars in the world right now - most of them barely make the news. We tend to feel hopeless as we watch the death and suffering. But what if we didn’t have to feel helpless? What if the world had ways to actually DO something, and SOLVE wars?

The Human Survival Project proposes redesigning and strengthening the United Nations, so humanity can have the global tools to manage violence, and the many other existential threats humanity faces. Today we talk about what might be possible if we had those tools.

With us to discuss this are two members of The Human Survival Project Team - Ben Gavin and Sarmad Wali Khan.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a global grassroots organization to protect the future of humanity and create a world we can be proud of. We push for the United Nations to be redesigned and strengthened, so humanity has the global tools to manage its existential threats.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

This show is also on YouTube. Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/zDI0BYklGTQ

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

RESOURCES:

Wikipedia - List of Current Armed Conflicts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts

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With the growing conversation on climate change, many people are now helping the planet and trying to get rid of the damaging policies and products that are worsening climate change - which is great. But we need to widen our focus from not only getting rid of the bad, but to also pushing for the good. Our response to saving our world from this existential threat needs to pick up the pace, and in order to do that, we have to be more strategic about where we’re directing our time and resources. How can we change our approach to climate change?

With us to share his thoughts on where we’re at and where we should be heading is James Jylkka, a natural resource specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers. His work puts him at the nexus of flood risk management, recreation, and natural resource management. He began his journey toward environmental justice when he left the corporate world to embark on a solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Since then, he has worked as an environmental policy analyst for the State of California and as a science teacher in underserved communities. He is passionate about issues of environmental equity and sustainability, which inform his daily life, both at home and work.

With his help, we consider how we can cut back on consumption, help third-world countries make the green transition, redirect government involvement in climate projects, and promote a value system that’s more meaningful and productive than our culture’s heavy focus on money and technology. These things can get us closer to our goal for humans, animals, and ecosystems to all thrive in our shared world.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes. This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a grassroots organization helping the human race become an intentional and forward-looking species, with the global tools to improve ourselves and protect ourselves from global catastrophic threats.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.o...

This show is also on YouTube. You can watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/QnioxSXFnE8

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

RESOURCES:

NY Times, 3/13/22 Government Is Flailing, in Part Because Liberals Hobbled It https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/op...

OUTLINE:

0:00 - Intro 6:01 - Less focus on getting rid of the bad and more focus on pushing for the good 7:36 - Changes are not moving quickly enough 9:33 - But moving too fast could lead to problems 13:11 - Managing the complexity of having many involved agencies 14:51 - Solutions aren’t new and shiny; we already have them, but they just aren’t implemented 15:03 - Need to incentivize rooftop solar 16:39 - Carbon tax or heavy subsidy of green energy is important, not a complete solution 17:28 - Motivating change on a broad scale by setting standards in huge markets like California 18:19 - Charge what things actually cost 19:26 - Incentivize the good by making it more accessible/affordable. Competitive economies. 23:14 - Government should provide guidance, regulation, incentives, and financial support 26:42 - Government bureaucracy is a huge problem 28:15 - Wealth and opportunity gap 29:20 - One additional layer of agency to coordinate all the other agencies 32:37 - Different levels of government are not aligned 33:53 - U.N. model that comes up with codes and guidelines that can adopted all the way down to the municipality level would improve alignment 34:33 - International climate change agreement can level the global playing field 35:40 - Economic sanctions 40:18 - Poverty is an existential risk that hinders the fight against climate change 44:39 - Wealthier countries need to cut back consumption. 48:52 - Artificial intelligence is going to make many of us obsolete in the workforce 49:20 - Value system 52:44 - More money to be made in solving climate issues. Makes the expenses worth it. 54:13 - Liberal vs. conservative divide gets in the way. Make the government work better. 57:00 - Difference of opinions in current news outlets 58:06 - Advocacy organizations and nonprofits bridge the divide between the government and the average voter 59:46 - Redirection of funding and resources 1:01:50 - Caring about people you can’t see, instead of self-interest 1:04:33 - Life is complex. It’s hard to keep making perfect choices. 1:06:58 - Goal is for people, animals, and ecosystems to all thrive. Compromise. 1:10:29 - Be respectful of people, show appreciation for what people do well 1:13:20 - The Human Survival Project team’s summer goals

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Humans have become good enough at agriculture to feed the world’s 8 billion people, which is amazing - but we're destroying our planet doing it. Farming uses an enormous amount of land, crowding out nature and driving extinctions. It contributes to climate change, soil degradation and pollution of waterways. And farming uses a lot of fossil fuels and other resources. But we all need to eat. How can we feed ourselves without destroying the planet we live on?

With us to discuss all this is Miranda Mertes. She recently earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst - a dual degree in Sustainable Food & Farming and in Animal Science. This has given her an overview of current cutting edge thinking on a wide range of farming and environmental topics.

This conversation is a good overview for those who want to learn about the intersection of food and environment. It also contains creative ideas. I especially like our discussion of farms that combine animals and crops, to boost yields and reduce environmental harms.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

ABOUT THIS SHOW:

The Human Survival Podcast is hosted by Shelby Mertes.
This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a grassroots organization helping the human race become an intentional and forward-looking species, with the global tools to improve ourselves and protect ourselves from global catastrophic threats.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube.
Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/8nwXgGj18LE

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

RESOURCES:

Mother Jones, 1/12/15
California’s Almonds Suck as Much Water Annually as Los Angeles Uses in Three Years
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/01/almonds-nuts-crazy-stats-charts/

Our World In Data - Land Use
https://ourworldindata.org/land-use
(This shows us the huge amount of land used for agriculture, especially meat production)

Our World In Data - Environmental Impacts of Food Production
https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food

OUTLINE:

5:57 Integration of plant and animal production
7:44 Eutrophication, runoff of fertilizers and pesticides into waterways
8:41 Repairing soil degradation with livestock
9:20 Soil loss, erosion, degradation
11:49 Chemical fertilizers
12:17 Fossil fuels used for fertilizer
13:19 Farming and climate change
13:58 Feeding the 8 billion human population
15:38 Should we all eat organic food? It’s complicated.
18:56 Enormous amounts of land used to grow food worldwide, especially meat
21:45 Meat is an inefficient way to get our nutrition
23:26 Meat production’s impact on the environment
25:53 Sustainability is impossible with the high volume of meat being consumed. Diets will have to change.
26:38 Eating vegan
27:39 Water used for farming. Water scarcity
30:18 Eating locally produced food
33:07 Are there ways to produce meat with less harm
34:03 Grass fed meat
35:21 Regenerative grazing of cattle to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change.
40:11 Grazing to use and improve marginal land
41:53 Integrated farming systems
44:43 Silvopasture, combining livestock grazing with tree crops/forestry
46:29 Farms as diverse ecosystems that mimic nature. Agroecology.
49:57 Sustainable farming requires more human labor, and public policies to support that labor.
52:22 Government programs to help farmers innovate and take risks
55:57 Scientists as government decision makers, to balance complex priorities

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The United States spends an astronomical amount of money on its military - more than any other nation. In fact, more than the next 8 nations combined. It helps fund 750 military bases in 80 countries. It has quite an impact on the world.

Last week, the U.S. Congress and President Biden enacted the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023, which increased military spending to the largest level since the end of World War II, even adjusted for inflation.

Increasing technology makes war more dangerous. And growing conflict between the United States, China and Russia (and of course Ukraine) is fueling an arms race between superpowers that could end up disastrous.

Today, we consider what the United States actually gets for all this military spending. Does it make Americans and the world safer, or put them in more danger? What else could this money be used for?

And I suggest we turn to world approaches to world security - like a stronger United Nations - rather than large nations slugging it out with each other.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a grassroots organization helping the human race become an intentional and forward-looking species, with the global tools to improve ourselves and protect ourselves from global catastrophic threats.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/eTHb_6kLNWE

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

----------

Resources:

~ U.S. Department of Defense, 12/23/22Biden Signs National Defense Authorization Act Into Lawhttps://bit.ly/3YOZzv0

~ Union of Concerned Scientists, 12/14/22Defense Spending Reaches Record High as Pentagon Fails Its Audit – For Fifth Timehttps://bit.ly/3jEQyVv

Data on U.S. and international military spending…~ Stockholm International Peace Research Institutehttps://bit.ly/3I7q7BV

Report on U.S. military bases around the world…~ Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, 9/20/21Drawdown: Improving U.S. and Global Security Through Military Base Closures Abroadhttps://bit.ly/3G5mMR2

~ United Nations annual spendinghttps://unsceb.org/total-expenses

Other news articles about the recent military spending bill, both good and mediocre…~ New York Times, 12/18/22Military Spending Surges, Creating New Boom for Arms Makershttps://bit.ly/3Gnv9sB ~ Slate, 12/8/22There Is No Good Reason for a Defense Budget This Largehttps://bit.ly/3PYBk9R ~ CNN, 12/15/22Here’s what’s in the $858 billion defense billhttps://bit.ly/3vmC4vZ ~ Reuters, 12/15/22U.S. Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Bidenhttps://bit.ly/3G22isy ~ Fox News, 12/18/22Ukraine aid opened the floodgates for more Pentagon spending as US eyes Russia, Chinahttps://bit.ly/3C8QDa6

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There’s a ton of conversation lately about inflation, and its effects on the economy and on people’s personal finances. Lots of people are concerned. BUT, could inflation actually be helpful?

We are in a climate and environmental crisis that could ruin just about everything if we don’t get it under control - including the entire economy. The planet is being ruined by people buying stuff, and when stuff is expensive, people buy less. Could higher prices help us get our overconsumption under control?

Further, as we destroy the climate and nature, there will be shortages of water, food, metals, oil and just about everything, which will drive up prices. High prices are coming anyway, whether we like it or not. So maybe we should drive up prices now while we still have some nature and manageable climate left to protect.

Today, we talk about inflation, consumption and your future - and how we can manage our economy to protect us all from environmental danger.

With us to talk about all this is one of my very best friends, Mike Jordan. He is working with me to produce this podcast and to launch The Human Survival Project. He is smart, interesting, curious and lots of fun to talk with.

Thanks for approaching this controversial topic with an open mind.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

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The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/JylIuAWXVWU

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Resources:

(5:15) Humans are consuming the equivalent of 1.7 Earths. If all humans consumed like Americans, we would need 5 Earths.~ Global Footprint Networkhttps://www.footprintnetwork.org/

(8:20) NY Times columnist Bret Stephens, after years of downplaying the threat of climate change, changes his perspective after a trip to Greenland.~ NY Times, 10/28/22Where My Climate Doubts Began To Melthttps://nyti.ms/3vjzqXX

(10:30) Mike mentioned fossil fuel industries receiving $11 trillion in subsidies each year, which he was pulling from memory. It may be that he was remembering the figure of $11 million every minute, which adds up to $5.9 trillion annually. Various analyses come out a little differently. Any way you slice it, fossil fuel subsidies are enormous.~ Yale Environment 360, 10/6/21Fossil Fuels Received $5.9 Trillion In Subsidies in 2020, Report Findshttps://e360.yale.edu/digest/fossil-fuels-received-5-9-trillion-in-subsidies-in-2020-report-finds

(12:20) The world is running out of high quality oil, and now working harder and costlier to extract lower quality oil, which will result in higher oil prices in the future.~ Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification Podcast - YouTubehttps://youtu.be/mVjhb8Nu1Sk

In our conversation, I wish I had mentioned this other project Nate Hagens is working on. They are advancing proposals like what we’ve discussed in this talk - basically, taxing resources to reduce their consumption. Please check this out - it’s terrific.~ UnTaxhttps://www.untax.org/

(21:55) The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith~ Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Affluent_Society

(29:30) Mike mentioned online advertising he received after shopping at a store. He was not just being paranoid. Retail stores use wifi and bluetooth to track customers and learn about their shopping behavior, and follow them beyond the store.~ Vox, 1/29/20Why you see online ads for stuff you buy in the real worldhttps://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/19/21011527/retail-tracking-apps-wifi-bluetooth-facebook-ads~ RetailDive/SenSource, 3/4/20Wi-Fi tracking: A data gold mine or privacy nightmare?https://www.retaildive.com/spons/wi-fi-tracking-a-data-gold-mine-or-privacy-nightmare/572937/~ New York Times, 6/14/19In Stores, Secret Surveillance Tracks Your Every Movehttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html

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Being positive is a good part of happiness and mental health. And being supportive is nice and friendly. But amid catastrophic threats to humanity, being positive and supportive is not just about being happy and friendly – it’s how we rally support for the ambitious policies that are bold enough to reduce death and suffering of billions of people. Productive criticism is fine, but we can’t afford negativity anymore. Today, I unpack some psychology of why it makes rational sense to be positive in these dangerous times.

“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it.”-- Chinese Proverb

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.This show is offered by The Human Survival Project, a grassroots organization helping the human race become an intentional and forward-looking species, with the global tools to improve ourselves and protect ourselves from global catastrophic threats.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

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After decades of hard work, climate change activists have finally put the issue in the mainstream of public discourse and policy discussions. But, the world’s response to this critical threat to humanity is far too slow. We all need to be even better activists. What can we improve?

Dave Johnson has good ideas for us, brought from the field of design. He is a teacher, lawyer, author and activist. He teaches at the Stanford Law School and at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (a/k/a “the d.school”). He has extensive legal experience in litigation, negotiation and as general counsel, representing Silicon Valley tech companies, state governments, and others. Dave is currently writing a book on applying design principles to climate activism.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube. Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/CApVuG36yyw

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Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

Dave Johnson website https://climate-activist.com/

Prof Cass Sunstein on how change happens, and why it's so often abrupt & unpredictable. 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin (If you don’t have time to listen to this whole episode, you can at least skim the highlights and transcript here) https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/cass-sunstein-how-change-happens/

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As nations of the world meet at COP27 in Egypt to negotiate next steps to address climate change, we desperately need to improve this international process. Instead of vague promises that might be broken, we need enforcement systems to build trust between countries, so we can be sure everyone will follow through on their commitments. Economic sanctions used against Russia after their invasion of Ukraine taught us a lot about what’s possible. Now we need to apply what the world has learned. Today, I explain. Thanks for listening.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube. Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/D4bfo_NfQh8

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Resources:

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increased in 2022 as Crises Roiled Energy Markets New York Times – 11/10/22 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/climate/carbon-dioxide-emissions-global-warming.html?smid=url-share

Climate Pledges Are Falling Short, and a Chaotic Future Looks More Like Reality New York Times – 10/26/22 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/climate/un-climate-pledges-warming.html?smid=url-share

Cop27 host accuses countries of making empty public pledges The Guardian – 11/4/22 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/04/cop27-host-accuses-countries-of-making-empty-public-pledges

This is the United Nations detailed assessment of how the world is falling short on emissions reductions: Emissions Gap Report 2022 UN Environment Programme https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2022

No sign of decrease in global CO2 emissions Global Carbon Budget – 11/11/22 https://globalcarbonbudget.org/no-sign-of-decrease-in-global-co2-emissions/ The above report states, among other things, “If current emissions levels persist, there is now a 50% chance that global warming of 1.5°C will be exceeded in nine years.”

Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis The Guardian – 11/7/22 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/07/why-scientists-are-using-the-word-scary-over-the-climate-crisis

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It can be difficult watching climate change and the destruction of nature. It’s easy to fall into despair and worry about the future of humanity, and all the other species. The Human Survival Podcast fell into hibernation, as I’ve struggled the past few months with anger, fear and hopelessness. After wrestling with these feelings, I’ve emerged stronger and more motivated to keep doing the work of saving humanity (and everything else). And this experience has taught me some lessons about effective public communication about these important issues. In this episode, I’ll share with you what I went through, in case it helps you keep your head straight amid these challenging times in the world. Cheers!

Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/

Sign up for our email newsletter, or send Shelby a message with any questions or suggestions: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/connect

The Human Survival Podcast is also on YouTube. Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/XKTk5ZWNJiQ

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Resources:

Climate Change Enters the Therapy Room New York Times – 2/6/22 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/06/health/climate-anxiety-therapy.html?smid=url-share

Got Climate Anxiety? These People Are Doing Something About It New York Times – 2/4/21 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/climate/climate-anxiety-stress.html?smid=url-share

Good Grief Network https://www.goodgriefnetwork.org/

Joanna Macy https://www.joannamacy.net/

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://www.ipcc.ch/

Deep Adaptation https://www.deepadaptation.info/ Jem Bendell https://jembendell.com/

Job One For Humanity https://www.joboneforhumanity.org/ (This site uses a communication style very different from mine. To me, their vibe often feels panicky and alarmist, rather than grounded and level-headed. But I share it here because I think their analysis and key points are strong, and certainly worth considering. This site is an interesting example of the challenge in conveying truly alarming information without relying too heavily on fear. I appreciate the difficulty these authors face.)

The Great Climate Migration New York Times Magazine – 7/23/20 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

Global Footprint Network https://www.footprintnetwork.org/ https://www.footprintnetwork.org/2021/01/19/we-do-not-need-a-pandemic-to-movethedate/

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Meet Shelby and learn what the show is all about.

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org

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The name of the show is changing from "The Joy of Saving the Human Race" to "The Human Survival Podcast." Here's why...

The Human Survival Podcast, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org

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Wealth inequality around the world has been ignored for too long. We need a new and different conversation about global wealth inequality, since it now threatens the survival of humanity. Our catastrophic threats like climate change, destruction of nature, pandemics, mass migration and war are all intensified by inequality of financial resources. And those threats all require serious investments to manage them. Luckily, we have enough money in the world. Instead of making wealthy people and countries even wealthier, we could invest in our future survival and success. This requires strong global systems to deploy financial resources in a more effective way. Our world needs to finally deal with inequality – we don’t really have a choice.

With us to help figure this out is our guest, John Lefebvre. John has a unique perspective on wealth, after making hundreds of millions of dollars years ago in successful business, then losing much of that money, and then charitably giving away most of the rest. He is an activist, philanthropist, musician, author, entrepreneur and a former lawyer. He talks with us about the psychology of wealth accumulation, getting high on generosity, the economic and political impact of inequality on society, and what public policy tools we can use to promote wealth equality and better use of society’s resources. He also gives us hope that motivated citizens can make a difference.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube. You can watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/hjnXjOaoZjM

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

John Lefebvre’s work: ~ John’s website, which includes info on the two books he authored, and his two studio albums https://www.johnlefebvre.com/ ~ Great 4-minute video on John’s relationship with wealth and the world https://youtu.be/pwfi75rsAHo ~ Facebook: John Lefebvre & Other Thoughtful Species https://www.facebook.com/thoughtfulspecies ~ David Suzuki Institute https://www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca/ ~ DeSmog – countering climate and environmental misinformation with investigative journalism https://www.desmog.com/ ~ Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver https://dalailamacenter.org/

Inequality.org Facts: Global Inequality https://inequality.org/facts/global-inequality/

New York Times, 3/1/21 Warren Revives Wealth Tax, Citing Pandemic Inequalities https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/business/elizabeth-warren-wealth-tax.html

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Humans’ meat consumption is still growing, and doing great damage to nature and climate. If that’s not bad enough, meat may also cause the next pandemic. Pandemic pathogens often jump to humans from animals. Farm raised meat and wildlife markets (“wet markets”) greatly increase opportunities for pathogens to jump from animals to humans, and then spread human-to-human as a pandemic. Today, we explore these risks, and what can be done about them.

Our guest is Jerry Martin, who has worked for many years to prevent and manage disease outbreaks from animals. He has traveled the world helping countries develop programs to manage these risks.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/9EtTMHD5YhE

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

Jerry Martin article: STAT – 5/21/20 The growing global appetite for meat increases the risk of future ‘spillover’ pandemics. We can do something about it https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/21/growing-global-appetite-meat-risk-future-spillover-pandemics/

The program Jerry used to be director of: DAI: Preparedness and Response (P&R) https://www.dai.com/our-work/projects/worldwide-preparedness-and-response-pr

Global land used for meat production Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

Global meat production, 1961 to 2018 Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production

Environmental Impacts of Food Production Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food

USA Today – 2/16/22 Bird flu detected at multiple chicken and turkey farms in Midwest, South; over 300k affected https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/16/bird-flu-affected-chickens-turkeys-midwest/6814375001/

Vox - June 10, 2020 The meat we eat is a pandemic risk, too https://bit.ly/3xH2Qz3

The Guardian, 9/18/20 A 12-storey pig farm: has China found the way to tackle animal disease? https://bit.ly/3eRMZ8f

NY Times, 4/29/19 U.N. Issues Urgent Warning on the Growing Peril of Drug-Resistant Infections https://nyti.ms/3eaapX6

Foreign Policy, 5/21/20 China’s Farms Are Petri Dishes of Antibiotic Resistance https://bit.ly/3eQcve4

NY Times, 6/7/19 Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell More Antibiotics https://nyti.ms/3eL6YFG

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Global issues came to my hometown recently, as a new gas pipeline is being proposed in Springfield, Massachusetts. We urgently need to stop using fossil fuels – and soon! – to avoid a horrific climate change future. Instead, Eversource Energy wants to spend $40 million on new fossil fuel infrastructure that will be with us for decades. Citizens are rallying against the pipeline, including me.

Today’s guest, Verne McArthur, explains what is happening, and what can be done about it.

Whether you live in Massachusetts or elsewhere, you’ll want to listen. We look at the process of transitioning our energy systems away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. Communities everywhere have important decisions to make about their energy future.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/oln1rc8AXWo

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Background sculpture by Josh Sheldon: https://www.joshsheldonworks.com/sculpture.html

Resources:

Stop the Toxic Pipeline https://www.stopthetoxicpipeline.org/

Pipeline fact sheet https://14c68895-eea2-4d80-b316-e6d2c79410fb.filesusr.com/ugd/998dab_57ed2c5a88694359b11f73e6615d381c.pdf

Eversource - Proposed Western Massachusetts Natural Gas Reliability Project https://www.columbiagasma.com/services/work-in-your-neighborhood/western-massachusetts-natural-gas-reliability-project

Boston Globe, 10/19/21 As state law requires steep emissions cuts, utilities face an urgent quandary: to build or not to build new gas pipelines? https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/19/metro/state-law-requires-steep-emissions-cuts-utilities-face-an-urgent-quandary-build-or-not-build-new-gas-pipelines/

MassLive, 12/15/21 Eversource gas pipeline proposal brings out residents in Springfield as state reps hold listening session https://www.masslive.com/springfield/2021/12/eversource-gas-pipeline-proposal-brings-out-residents-in-springfield-as-state-reps-hold-listening-session.html

New England Public Media, 11/3/21 Concern about gas pipeline proposed from Longmeadow to Springfield https://www.nepm.org/interviews-talk/2021-11-03/concern-about-gas-pipeline-proposed-from-longmeadow-to-springfield

Vox, 11/3/21 It’s time to freak out about methane emissions https://www.vox.com/22613532/climate-change-methane-emissions

Ithaca, NY electrification: ~ Washington Post, 11/3/21 This U.S. city just voted to decarbonize every single building https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/11/03/ithaca-new-york-decarbonize-electrify/ ~ Ithaca.com, 11/9/21 Ithaca becomes first city in U.S. to try and electrify all buildings https://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/ithaca-becomes-first-city-in-u-s-to-try-and-electrify-all-buildings/article_03c6e998-41bb-11ec-9a84-47a7c90ee120.html

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Where is the best place to focus one’s efforts to help humanity? Addressing global policy, or doing hands-on work in one’s community? Today’s guest, Orion Kriegman, has done both. He is living a fascinating life, while helping the world and his local community. He used to work for several years at the Tellus Institute (www.tellus.org) analyzing the political, economic and social forces shaping the future of humanity, and what we can do to improve these global trends. Now he is executive director of the Boston Food Forest Coalition (www.bostonfoodforest.org), which helps revitalize urban neighborhoods by reintroducing nature, growing food, fighting climate change and building community. We discuss all that, as well as the state of our agriculture system, ecological design of cities, race, local economics, how to manage our feelings about our struggling world, and more. It’s a reminder that big global efforts get implemented by real people in local communities.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/euABJGafx-c

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Resources:

(04:30) Tellus Institute https://www.tellus.org/ Great Transition Initiative https://greattransition.org/

(41:15) Institute for Policy Studies / Chuck Collins https://ips-dc.org/ips-authors/chuck-collins/

(47:25) Boston Food Forest Coalition https://www.bostonfoodforest.org/

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Humanity is on a collision course with serious hardship, facing increasing risks from climate change, destruction of nature, pandemics, nuclear weapons and more – and with inadequate systems for dealing with such things. On top of that, we just had the COP26 international climate change negotiations fall far short of protecting us from danger. So, why should we be optimistic?

Today I talk about real, concrete trends going in the right direction, and powerful tools we have at our disposal for dealing with our situation. We might actually make it through this mess. If we can embrace both fear and hope – and put in the work – we can do this.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/cMgcN-epieQ

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

BBC, 11/15/21 COP26: What was agreed at the Glasgow climate conference? https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56901261

New York Times Magazine, 7/23/20 The Great Climate Migration https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

Grist, 10/4/21 It’s not just you: Everyone is Googling ‘climate anxiety’ https://grist.org/language/climate-anxiety-google-search-trends/

MarketWatch, 11/14/21 Did the climate summit leave you anxious? You’re not alone — here are the most-Googled questions during COP26 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/did-the-climate-summit-leave-you-anxious-youre-not-alone-here-are-the-most-googled-questions-during-cop26-11636758097

CNN, 11/17/20 The global economic bailout is running at $19.5 trillion. It will go higher https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/economy/global-economy-coronavirus-bailout-imf-annual-report/index.html

Medium / Adam Swersky, 12/30/16 Our economy keeps doubling in size. You won’t believe what happens next. https://medium.com/@adam_swersky/our-economy-keeps-doubling-in-size-you-wont-believe-what-happens-next-9070630590ee

Wikipedia - List of George Floyd protests outside the United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_George_Floyd_protests_outside_the_United_States

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We are facing several enormous risks to human civilization. These are global threats like climate change, destruction of nature, pandemics, nuclear weapons, wealth inequality and more – which no one country alone can solve. We need global systems to tackle these, but the United Nations is underfunded and lacks the necessary political support by the world’s nations.

Today we assess the United Nations system – what it does well, what needs improvement, and how we might accomplish that. Our guest is Mark Leon Goldberg – writer, podcaster, international relations expert. Mark has done extensive work covering the United Nations and international affairs for many years.

I highly recommend checking out Mark’s outstanding work:

UN Dispatch blog - https://www.undispatch.com/
Global Dispatches Podcast - https://www.globaldispatchespodcast.com/
Development and Aid World News Service (DAWNS) Digest - https://dawnsdigest.com/
Mark Leon Goldberg website, including links to his publications, Twitter feed and more - http://markleongoldberg.com/

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This show is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wEOHATwodzQ

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The celebrated 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change gave us a system where countries voluntarily do whatever they want. Recent analysis shows that countries’ commitments fall radically short of what’s needed to protect us from the global warming danger zone. And IPCC scientists warn us the climate is heating up faster than previously predicted. The world needs a new approach to protecting the planet and our future - quickly. In November, world leaders will gather at COP26, and could give us the stronger international system we need. Today, we discuss options for them to consider.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/iEWWOn7Sef8

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 8/9/21 Climate change widespread, rapid, and intensifying – IPCC https://www.ipcc.ch/2021/08/09/ar6-wg1-20210809-pr/

UN Climate Change, 9/17/21 Full NDC Synthesis Report: Some Progress, but Still a Big Concern https://unfccc.int/news/full-ndc-synthesis-report-some-progress-but-still-a-big-concern

Climate Action Tracker, 9/15/21 Global Update: Climate target updates slow as science demands action https://climateactiontracker.org/publications/global-update-september-2021/

UN Environment Programme, 12/9/20 Emissions Gap Report 2020 https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020

Foreign Affairs, May/June 2020 The Climate Club: How to Fix a Failing Global Effort (by William Nordhaus, 2018 Nobel Prize winner in economics) https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-04-10/climate-club?utm_medium=promo_email&utm_source=lo_flows&utm_campaign=registered_user_welcome&utm_term=email_1&utm_content=20210928

Bloomberg Businessweek, 1/29/21 The Expensive Club That Could Stop Global Warming https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-29/the-expensive-club-that-could-stop-global-warming

Council on Foreign Relations, 9/23/21 Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/paris-global-climate-change-agreements

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Debates about right and wrong have been around as long as humanity. But now, as we face existential threats to human civilization, it forces us to reconsider morality. Some values-laden issues (poverty, race, war, environment) have been around for generations or even thousands of years, but now are deeply intertwined with our ability to survive catastrophe. So now, our public conversations need to change so that people understand their new importance. And simply scolding people about morality doesn’t seem to work anyway. Today, let’s start a new chapter in the human story.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube - https://youtu.be/LM9rB4iCG1o Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/

Resources:

The Guardian, 1/13/21 Top scientists warn of 'ghastly future of mass extinction' and climate disruption: Sobering new report says world is failing to grasp the extent of threats posed by biodiversity loss and the climate crisis https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/13/top-scientists-warn-of-ghastly-future-of-mass-extinction-and-climate-disruption-aoe

BBC, 6/2/20 Extinction crisis 'poses existential threat to civilisation' https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52881831

World Inequality Lab https://inequalitylab.world/en/

Inequality.org https://inequality.org/facts/global-inequality/

Oxfam International 5 shocking facts about extreme global inequality and how to even it up https://www.oxfam.org/en/5-shocking-facts-about-extreme-global-inequality-and-how-even-it

New York Times Magazine, 7/23/20 The Great Climate Migration https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

Joy of Saving the Human Race, 8/24/21 COVID VACCINE BOOSTERS FOR THE MASSES?: Short-Sighted and Selfish. Beat the Pandemic Instead | #11 (about global vaccine disparities) https://youtu.be/j22w3on1R2o

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Fact Sheet April 2020 Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2019 https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/fs_2020_04_milex_0_0.pdf

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Wealthier, well-vaccinated countries are starting to give COVID-19 vaccine boosters to their general population. This is after several months of these countries hoarding COVID vaccines, keeping poorer countries from being vaccinated. Now, “We're planning to hand out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets, while we're leaving other people to drown.”

Global public health experts warn us that new COVID-19 variants are most likely to emerge in unvaccinated countries where COVID is running rampant.

Today, I ask you to please consider these global factors as you decide whether to get a booster.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j22w3on1R2o

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Resources:

WIRED, 8/20/21 The US Is Getting Covid Booster Shots. The World Is Furious https://www.wired.com/story/the-us-is-getting-covid-booster-shots-the-world-is-furious/

CNBC, 8/17/21 U.S. should focus on vaccinating the rest of the world before Covid booster shots, says Dr. Vin Gupta https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/17/covid-us-should-focus-on-vaccinating-the-rest-of-the-world-before-booster-shots-says-dr-vin-gupta.html

Our World In Data, 8/22/21 Share of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

NY Times, 3/31/21 See How Rich Countries Got to the Front of the Vaccine Line https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/31/world/global-vaccine-supply-inequity.html

NY Times, 8/2/21 Where a Vast Global Vaccination Program Went Wrong https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/world/europe/covax-covid-vaccine-problems-africa.html

NPR, 8/20/21 They're Asking Biden To Vaccinate The World. It's Not Fair. But It's Not Impossible https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/08/20/1029263796/theyre-asking-biden-to-vaccinate-the-world-its-not-fair-but-its-not-impossible

Al Jazeera, 6/29/21 Explainer: What are patent waivers for COVID vaccines? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/29/explainer-what-are-covid-vaccine-patent-waivers

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Elon Musk is rich and famous as a technology innovator. Do you know of anyone rich and famous for their innovations to improve government?

While billions are being spent to invent new technology, and tech leaders are idolized, government innovation is undervalued and ignored. We need to improve this if we want to save humanity from a catastrophic future. Innovation is especially important for global systems, which are not equipped for the enormous global problems we face.

In this episode I propose an XPRIZE competition to invent a new and improved United Nations, so human civilization can survive and thrive.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/fNh2StqvD2w

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Resources:

XPRIZE Foundation https://www.xprize.org/home

Wired, 4/14/21 Is Silicon Valley Dead? Not According to Venture Dollars https://www.wired.com/story/silicon-valley-dead-not-according-to-venture-capital/

Statista - Total global spending on research and development (R&D) from 1996 to 2018 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1105959/total-research-and-development-spending-worldwide-ppp-usd/

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Over many generations, humans have done extraordinary unintentional damage to the planet and to each other, simply by not understanding the impact of their behavior. We can forgive our ancestors, but we now have no excuse for being clueless. Powerful tools like computing, data collection and analysis, satellite imaging and modern research techniques help us understand the complexity of the world and help guide our choices. And this capacity is growing. These tools are improving the work done by government officials, citizens, journalists and organizations of many types.

At the forefront of deploying these tools is the World Resources Institute. WRI is a global research organization that works with governments, businesses, multilateral institutions and civil society groups to develop practical solutions that improve people’s lives and protect nature. They organize their work around seven global challenges: Food, Forests, Water, Energy, Climate, the Ocean and Cities. They analyze these issues through the lenses of their four Centers of Excellence: Business, Economics, Finance and Equity

Gregory Taff is WRI’s Director of Research and Data Integrity. He and his team make sure all WRI research follows best practices, and help grow the organization’s research capacities.

The Joy of Saving the Human Race, hosted by Shelby Mertes Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

This episode, and all of them, are available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dYNy9UKf1ig

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Resources:

World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/ Gregory Taff bio: https://www.wri.org/profile/gregory-taff

Below are links to some of the WRI projects we discussed…

Global Forest Watch: https://globalforestwatch.org/ Quick data assisting forest protectors: https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/indigenous-forest-monitors-reduce-deforestation/

Resource Watch: https://resourcewatch.org/ A dynamic platform featuring hundreds of data sets all in one place on the state of the planet’s resources and citizens. Includes mapping tools, data dashboards and interesting blog posts.

Water, Peace and Security Partnership: https://waterpeacesecurity.org/ Innovative tools and services that help identify water-related security risks, and allow stakeholders to take action at an early stage.

Helping companies manage their environmental impact: https://www.wri.org/business

Creating a Sustainable Food Future: https://research.wri.org/wrr-food Our crowded world has a collision of land use demands. Nature is being crowded out, while agriculture is the biggest human use of land. This effort strategizes how to get everyone fed adequately, while protecting nature, climate and water resources.

Eat less meat, please: https://www.wri.org/food/climate-friendly-diets https://www.wri.org/insights/6-pressing-questions-about-beef-and-climate-change-answered

Modeling climate change futures and assessing progress on climate actions: https://publications.wri.org/state_of_climate_action

Strengthening equity across all sectors: https://www.wri.org/equitable-development

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about the possibility that COVID-19 leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China. Surprisingly, even with all this attention, few people are talking about solutions that can actually make ourselves safer from future pandemics coming out of labs. And even worse, we’re on the verge of really mismanaging the relationship with China. So today, I’ll talk solutions. Instead of just talking about the past, we can start working to create the safer future we all want.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This episode is also on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/kGO9l2XVS6M

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Resources:

These couple guys have done great reporting on the lab leak possibility since early in the pandemic, long before it was widely accepted:

~ Jamie Metzl offers an exhaustive compilation of facts and resources https://jamiemetzl.com/origins-of-sars-cov-2/

~ Virologist Dr. Chris Martenson at Peak Prosperity has done several episodes on this, and other valuable coverage of COVID and other issues. His recent work on the lab leak possibility includes: https://youtu.be/sNMmPw9_Iec https://youtu.be/DNxoVFZwMYw https://youtu.be/_A8Drix5taQ

A couple of the most solid overviews of the lab leak issue I’ve seen. These review the evidence and the public discussion so far. Start here if you’re new to the issue:

~ Vanity Fair, 6/3/21 (Katherine Eban) The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins

~ NY Times, 6/25/21 (Zeynep Tufekci) Where Did the Coronavirus Come From? What We Already Know Is Troubling. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/opinion/coronavirus-lab.html?referringSource=articleShare

Dr. Filippa Lentzos & Dr. Gregory Koblentz have done a great survey of BSL-4 labs around the world, and offer safety recommendations. Their ideas deserve more public attention:

~ Kings College London, May 2021 Mapping Maximum Biological Containment Labs Globally https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6048d7a0e9652c472e619f6f/t/60ae71cea2219b008f29d4ca/1622045135314/Mapping+BSL4+Labs+Globally+EMBARGOED+until+27+May+2021+1800+CET.pdf

~ The Conversation, 6/14/21 Fifty-nine labs around world handle the deadliest pathogens – only a quarter score high on safety https://theconversation.com/fifty-nine-labs-around-world-handle-the-deadliest-pathogens-only-a-quarter-score-high-on-safety-161777

~ Global Biolabs Project https://www.globalbiolabs.org/

This WHO summary has an optimistic and forward-looking tone, while admitting that there is significant work to be done to ensure adequate safety of labs working with dangerous pathogens:

~ World Health Organization, 4/28/21 Enhancement of laboratory biosafety https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA74/A74_18-en.pdf

There have been lab safety breaches in several countries for many years. These articles summarize the risks we have faced for years:

~ USA Today, 3/22/21 (Alison Young) Could an accident have caused COVID-19? Why the Wuhan lab-leak theory shouldn't be dismissed https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/opinion/2021/03/22/why-covid-lab-leak-theory-wuhan-shouldnt-dismissed-column/4765985001/

~ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 6/17/21 Essential reading on lab leaks and gain-of-function research https://thebulletin.org/2021/06/essential-reading-on-lab-leaks-and-gain-of-function-research/

~ Vox, 5/1/20 (Kelsey Piper) Why some labs work on making viruses deadlier — and why they should stop https://www.vox.com/2020/5/1/21243148/why-some-labs-work-on-making-viruses-deadlier-and-why-they-should-stop

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This contains highlights from the longer presentation, in case you don’t have time to hear that entire presentation. You can find that longer show, along with links to resources, here: https://youtu.be/RiYwqXtKkN8

DONATE to help the Banyamulenge in Democratic Republic of Congo: https://bit.ly/3cEkcUt

Connect and learn more: * https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com *

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxigWHyCSrGp6OA0ahmnjA

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Interconnected global trade has brought more prosperity to more people than ever, allowing abundance (in some places) that our ancestors would have seen as magic. This modern globalized economy also allows us to devour the natural environment and warm the climate more efficiently than ever before. Our desire for electronics, beef, soy, palm oil – and everything else – is punishing nature. But we need intact nature if we want to keep a stable climate and avoid pandemics. We need ways to avoid killing ourselves and our planet with our consumer desires.

Today we explore how huge and interconnected our global economy has become. We see examples where our economy is destroying critical rainforests – the Amazon, in Democratic Republic of Congo and in Indonesia & Malaysia. We discuss some core economic philosophy that served its purpose over the years, but is no longer compatible with a safe climate and environment, on a crowded planet with human population of almost 8 billion people. And we look at solutions, because solutions are really good.

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This show is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/RiYwqXtKkN8

https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com *

DONATE to help the Banyamulenge in Democratic Republic of Congo https://bit.ly/3cEkcUt

For most environmental data I shared, links are available with my other episode: HUMANS ARE GOING NUTS: More global chaos reduction systems, please? | #2 https://youtu.be/TVlIGFanbv0

Environment/Climate:

~ Our World In Data, Extinctions https://bit.ly/2TZdXnv

~ Global Footprint Network (1.6 Earths) https://bit.ly/3zzdw3M

~ The Atlantic, March 2021 The Terrifying Warming Lurking in the Earth’s Ancient Rock Record: Our climate models could be missing something big. https://bit.ly/3gBCwyK

~ Gizmodo, 6/10/21 Landmark Report Links Earth’s 2 Biggest Existential Threats for the First Time: Fifty top scientists warn climate change and biodiversity loss are one and the same. https://bit.ly/3gv93q2

~ Our World in Data, Human population https://bit.ly/2QGcUYB

~ Our World in Data, World GDP over the last two millienia https://bit.ly/3giMi9K

Global economic integration:

~ Our World in Data, Trade and Globalization https://bit.ly/3cGbV29

~ Statista, July 2019 Trends in global export volume of trade in goods from 1950 to 2018 https://bit.ly/3pXtDUo

~ Car and Driver, 1/11/19 U.S. Car Brands Aren't What They Used to Be https://bit.ly/2Snfx2h

~ Our World In Data, 2/23/21 Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation? https://bit.ly/3gvVHK3

Amazon Rainforest:

~ Seeker, 12/30/20 Amazon Rainforest Could Become A Savannah Within 15 Years, Here’s How (4:47) https://bit.ly/35iChmU

~ Vox Atlas: The Amazon Part 1 (11:44): https://bit.ly/3wi0IfY Part 2 (10:57): https://bit.ly/3pMx1kQ Part 3 (10:04): https://bit.ly/3wmko2m

~ Washington Post, 8/27/19 How Amazon deforestation is being done in the service of surging beef demand https://wapo.st/3wnREWS

~ The Intercept, 8/30/20 How Larry Fink, Joe Biden’s Wall Street Ally, Profits From Amazon Cattle Ranching, a Force Behind Deforestation https://bit.ly/3wltcWl

~ Trase, September 2019 Mapping the deforestation risk of Brazilian beef exports https://bit.ly/3cCk8Eu

~ Our World In Data, Soy https://bit.ly/2TSJ587

Indonesia/Malaysia:

~ The Guardian, 2/19/20 How the world got hooked on palm oil https://bit.ly/3zraTAI

~ Yale Environment 360, 5/27/21 The Time Has Come to Rein In the Global Scourge of Palm Oil https://bit.ly/2Tni1h8

~ Mongabay, August 2020 ‘Meaningless certification’: Study makes the case against ‘sustainable’ palm oil https://bit.ly/3gvge1n

~ Trase, 7/9/19 Supply chain transparency could be vital to easing tensions around Indonesian palm oil https://bit.ly/3iDtDHn

~ Mongabay, 3/9/21 Deforestation in Indonesia hits record low, but experts fear a rebound https://bit.ly/3cBGMNu

Democratic Republic of Congo:

~ Mongabay, 12/21/20 Poor governance fuels ‘horrible dynamic’ of deforestation in DRC https://bit.ly/2SnZjGb

~ World Resources Institute, 7/9/19 Congo Basin Deforestation Threatens Food and Water Supplies Throughout Africa https://bit.ly/3iExi80

~ Mongabay, 7/16/19 Agriculture, mining, hunting push critically endangered gorillas to the brink https://bit.ly/3vfs19u

~ Washington Post, 4/19/18 The quest for conflict-free mining in Congo: an ugly truth behind ‘ethical consumerism’ https://wapo.st/3xhWx3V

~ Genocide Watch, 10/10/20 Genocide Warning: The Vulnerability of Banyamulenge ‘Invaders’ https://bit.ly/2TsJk9G

~ Digital Trends, 9/9/18 Companies want to sell you conflict-free phones, but certification isn’t foolproof https://bit.ly/3xhK2Fn

Economic Theory:

~ The New Yorker, 2/3/20 Can We Have Prosperity Without Growth? https://bit.ly/35h032z

~ Degrowth, 8/31/20 Book review: ‘Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World’ by Jason Hickel https://bit.ly/2U7O2dD [I have not read this book yet. I want to. I read Hickel’s previous book The Divide, which was amazing.]

~ Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth https://bit.ly/3gj7zA5

World Trade Organization:

~ Council on Foreign Relations, 2/16/21 What’s Next for the WTO? https://on.cfr.org/3wyAnu4

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I believe in vaccination, and I think COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. But I’m refusing mine. Listen and learn why.

This episode is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R4v_0U5-C20

Also, please listen to my longer, more thorough episode on pandemics: We Hate Pandemics: So why are we making more of them? | #6 https://youtu.be/rzNcn2uDeMQ

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

Resources:

~ CNN, 5/3/21 Video: The Covid-19 hospital in India so bad patients want to get out https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/03/india/hospital-coronavirus-deaths-oxygen-delhi-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

~ Newsweek, 5/15/21 Indian Police Crack Down on Dumping of Bodies Into Ganges as Country Sees 326K New COVID Infections https://www.newsweek.com/indian-police-crack-down-dumping-bodies-ganges-country-sees-326k-new-covid-infections-1591812

~ CNN, 5/14/21 The stark global divide in the Covid-19 pandemic https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/05/world/covid-global-outlook-cnnphotos/

~ NY Times, 4/22/21 Opinion: I Run the W.H.O., and I Know That Rich Countries Must Make a Choice (Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/opinion/who-covid-vaccines.html

~ NY Times, 5/14/21 Editorial: America Is Failing Its Moral Test on Vaccines https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/opinion/biden-covid-vaccines-world-india.html

~ Vox, 4/29/21 The world could be doing much more to help India: Countries can’t go it alone in tackling Covid-19 https://www.vox.com/world/22403722/india-covid-19-vaccine-variant-cases-coronavirus

~ Washington Post, 3/11/21 The Health 202: The U.S. bought enough coronavirus vaccines for three times its adult population https://wapo.st/2RgU0HE

~ NY Times (continuously updated) Tracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

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Unfortunately, COVID-19 is probably just practice for other pandemics in the future, which might be far worse. We are creating this risk ourselves – destroying nature, warming the climate, allowing poverty to persist, eating meat, and even inventing dangerous new viruses in labs. And we still don’t have adequate global public health systems to protect us from these risks we’re creating. But luckily, there are many solutions we can use – and we can afford it.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

This show is also on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/rzNcn2uDeMQ

Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.

Resources:

Demographics:

~ World population - https://bit.ly/2QGcUYB ~ Urbanization - https://bit.ly/3xDIqqC

Destruction of nature:

~ Grist, 4/27/20 Deadly Leaps: These scientists saw the coronavirus coming. Now they're trying to stop the next pandemic before it starts. https://bit.ly/3ecYmIJ

~ The Guardian, 8/30/20 Rampant destruction of forests ‘will unleash more pandemics’ https://bit.ly/3tdUjA0

~ The Guardian, 7/28/20 We are entering an era of pandemics – it will end only when we protect the rainforest https://bit.ly/33fwgpL

~ Ensia, 12/8/20 There Are Worse Viruses Than COVID-19 Out There. How Do We Avoid the Next Big One? https://bit.ly/3eRFnlU

~ Ensia, 3/17/20 Destruction of Habitat and Loss of Biodiversity Are Creating the Perfect Conditions for Diseases Like COVID-19 to Emerge https://bit.ly/3vwvb9a

~ Rolling Stone, 12/7/20 How Climate Change Is Ushering in a New Pandemic Era https://bit.ly/3vBxuIm

Meat production:

~ Vox - June 10, 2020 The meat we eat is a pandemic risk, too “If you actually want to create global pandemics, then build factory farms.” https://bit.ly/3xH2Qz3

~ The Guardian, 9/18/20 A 12-storey pig farm: has China found the way to tackle animal disease? https://bit.ly/3eRMZ8f

~ NY Times, 4/29/19 U.N. Issues Urgent Warning on the Growing Peril of Drug-Resistant Infections https://nyti.ms/3eaapX6

~ Foreign Policy, 5/21/20 China’s Farms Are Petri Dishes of Antibiotic Resistance https://bit.ly/3eQcve4

~ NY Times, 6/7/19 Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell More Antibiotics https://nyti.ms/3eL6YFG

Virology labs:

~ Newsweek, 4/27/20 The Controversial Experiments and Wuhan Lab Suspected of Starting the Coronavirus Pandemic https://bit.ly/3tlF2gV

~ Washington Post, 4/30/20 Chinese lab conducted extensive research on deadly bat viruses, but there is no evidence of accidental release https://wapo.st/3vAXpzJ

~ Vox, 5/1/20 Why some labs work on making viruses deadlier — and why they should stop https://bit.ly/3uccdVa

~ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - February 25, 2019 Human error in high-biocontainment labs: a likely pandemic threat https://bit.ly/3eaavOE

~ Jamie Metzl - Origins of SARS-CoV-2 [This site contains TONS of resources related to the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 originated in a China lab.] https://bit.ly/3edTYZY

Bioterrorism:

~ TED, 7/17/19 How synthetic biology could wipe out humanity -- and how we can stop it | Rob Reid https://bit.ly/3xJfVYw

Pandemic resilience systems:

~ UN Environment Programme, 7/6/20 Preventing the next pandemic - Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission https://bit.ly/3nHIxgr

~ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Escaping the Era of Pandemics https://bit.ly/3xJhXb6

~ Bloomberg Businessweek, 2/3/21 The Five Things to Get Right Before the Next Pandemic https://bloom.bg/3xJAnbG

~ The Guardian, 7/23/20 Cost of preventing next pandemic 'equal to just 2% of Covid-19 economic damage' https://bit.ly/3gUYLBc

Global vaccine distribution:

~ The Hill, 4/23/21 WHO leader blasts vaccine inequity on anniversary of COVAX plan https://bit.ly/2PGAtzK

~ Washington Post, 3/11/21 The U.S. bought enough coronavirus vaccines for three times its adult population https://wapo.st/2RgU0HE

~ New York Times, 12/15/20 With First Dibs on Vaccines, Rich Countries Have ‘Cleared the Shelves’ https://nyti.ms/3aWKMY0

~ New York Times, 1/31/21 As Virus Variants Spread, ‘No One Is Safe Until Everyone Is Safe’ https://nyti.ms/2QHPSk2

~ New York Times, 1/23/21 If Poor Countries Go Unvaccinated, a Study Says, Rich Ones Will Pay https://nyti.ms/3vCfAoN

Hunger:

~ United Nations – Global Humanitarian Overview, 11/30/20 https://bit.ly/3uce8ZS

~ World Politics Review, 12/7/20 COVID-19 Poses the Greatest Challenge Yet to the U.N. Humanitarian System https://bit.ly/3nL6Cmj

~ World Food Program - July 2, 2020 Coronavirus and hunger: WFP ready to assist largest number of people ever https://bit.ly/3eaNCdH

~ New York Times, 11/1/20 How the Wealthy World Has Failed Poor Countries During the Pandemic https://nyti.ms/33cNLac

Water:

~ World Resources Institute - January 21, 2020 It Could Only Cost 1% of GDP to Solve Global Water Crises https://bit.ly/3nEe174

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Some of our new digital technologies are helping to tear our politics apart, make us more angry and hateful, and even make it impossible to know what’s true. Facebook gets a lot of the negative attention (rightfully), but the problem is so much bigger. Our society is clearly not dealing with these technologies effectively. Basically, people are allowed to invent and put into the world whatever they want, no matter how harmful – and there are no rules. Then, on top of this very shaky foundation, people are creating artificial intelligence that will be profoundly more powerful than anything humanity has created before.

Computing is advancing at an exponential rate. Things are already moving faster than we’ve been able to keep up with, and it’s about to go a LOT faster.

Should we keep idolizing technology, and let tech companies and inventors do whatever they want? Or should we responsibly manage these transformative changes to our society, with political and economic systems that encourage safety?

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube HERE: https://youtu.be/u07lbdQ2tT0

Please subscribe. And please tell your friends about the show.

Resources:

Deep Fakes:

~ Bloomberg News, 9/27/18 It's Getting Harder to Spot a Deep Fake Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLoI9hAX9dw ~ Radiolab, July 2017 Breaking News http://futureoffakenews.com/videos.html (go here to see videos of researchers developing deep fake software) ~ 80,000 Hours Podcast, 4/6/21 Nina Schick on Disinformation and the Rise of Synthetic Media https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/nina-schick-disinformation-synthetic-media/

Social Media:

~ New York Times, 10/15/18 A Genocide Incited on Facebook, With Posts From Myanmar’s Military https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/technology/myanmar-facebook-genocide.html ~ BBC News, 9/12/18 The country where Facebook posts whipped up hate https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-45449938 ~ MIT Technology Review, 3/11/21 How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/03/11/1020600/facebook-responsible-ai-misinformation/ ~ Center for Humane Technology https://www.humanetech.com/

Artificial Intelligence:

~ The Independent, 5/1/14 Stephen Hawking: Transcendence looks at the implications of artificial intelligence - but are we taking AI seriously enough? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-transcendence-looks-at-the-implications-of-artificial-intelligence-but-are-we-taking-9313474.html ~ CNBC, 3/13/18 Elon Musk: ‘Mark my words — A.I. is far more dangerous than nukes’ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/elon-musk-at-sxsw-a-i-is-more-dangerous-than-nuclear-weapons.html ~ SingularityHub, 7/15/18 Why Most of Us Fail to Grasp Coming Exponential Gains in AI https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/15/why-most-of-us-fail-to-grasp-coming-exponential-gains-in-ai/ ~ AlphaZero (chess-playing artificial intelligence) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaZero ~ MuZero (chess- and Atari-playing artificial intelligence) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MuZero ~ SingularityHub, 6/18/20 OpenAI’s New Text Generator Writes Even More Like a Human https://singularityhub.com/2020/06/18/openais-new-text-generator-writes-even-more-like-a-human/ ~ SingularityHub, 8/2/20 This AI Could Bring Us Computers That Can Write Their Own Software https://singularityhub.com/2020/08/02/this-ai-could-bring-us-computers-that-can-write-software/ ~ SingularityHub, 5/31/17 Google’s AI-Building AI Is a Step Toward Self-Improving AI https://singularityhub.com/2017/05/31/googles-ai-building-ai-is-a-step-toward-self-improving-ai/ ~ Science, 4/13/20 Artificial intelligence is evolving all by itself https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/artificial-intelligence-evolving-all-itself ~ Future of Life Institute - Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/ ~ Future of Life Institute Podcast, 3/19/21 Roman Yampolskiy on the Uncontrollability, Incomprehensibility, and Unexplainability of AI https://futureoflife.org/2021/03/19/roman-yampolskiy-on-the-uncontrollability-incomprehensibility-and-unexplainability-of-ai/ ~ AI Research Considerations for Human Existential Safety (ARCHES) by Andrew Critch & David Krueger, 6/11/20 https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.04948 (This academic paper is a long read, but I highly recommend it. It’s understandable and well-written. It does an excellent job of explaining why AI safety is quite difficult because of complex interactions between multiple people and organizations, and multiple AI systems.)

Lethal Autonomous Weapons:

~ Campaign to Stop Killer Robots https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/ ~ Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems https://autonomousweapons.org/

Efforts to regulate artificial intelligence:

~ International Congress for the Governance of AI https://www.icgai.org/ ~ Future of Life Institute https://futureoflife.org/policy-work/ ~ Centre for the Governance of AI / Future of Life Institute at University of Oxford https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/govai/ ~ Center for AI and Digital Policy https://caidp.dukakis.org/ ~ Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence https://gpai.ai/

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Humans are pretty damn smart. Our technological innovations are nearly magic, including inventions our ancestors could not have even imagined. But if we’re so smart, why do we create technology that is so destructive to our health and the natural environment – and even threaten our future with pandemics or other emergencies? Are we really as smart as we think we are?

If we are as innovative as we think, we should be able to innovate safety systems, regulations and public policies that protect our environment, our health and our future from the dangerous technologies people invent and release into the world.

Today we explore how we might manage ourselves and innovate more safely.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube HERE.

Please subscribe. And please tell your friends about the show.

Resources:

Nuclear waste:

~ Verge Science, 8/28/18 88,000 tons of radioactive waste – and nowhere to put it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgVyPwhkoJs

~ CBS This Morning, 6/10/19 Inside the $19B hole at the center of a nuclear waste controversy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3nk02dC2o

Chemicals:

~ Consumer Reports, 9/24/20 Why Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' Are Still Allowed in America's Drinking Water https://www.consumerreports.org/water-quality/why-dangerous-forever-chemicals-are-still-allowed-in-americas-drinking-water/

~ The Conversation, 10/9/20 PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are widespread and threaten human health – here’s a strategy for protecting the public https://theconversation.com/pfas-forever-chemicals-are-widespread-and-threaten-human-health-heres-a-strategy-for-protecting-the-public-142953

~ New York Times, 3/5/21 Book Review - COUNT DOWN: How Our Modern World Is Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, Threatening Sperm Counts, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race By Shanna H. Swan https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/books/review/shanna-swan-count-down.html

~ The Guardian, 3/18/21 Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: toxic chemicals threaten humanity https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/18/toxic-chemicals-health-humanity-erin-brokovich?utm_term=4b1133f2176357b0fda5ed60087a09c4&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

~ U.S regulation of chemicals is a joke: Wikipedia - Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Substances_Control_Act_of_1976

BioTechnology:

~ Foreign Affairs, May/June 2018 The Ultimate Life Hacker: A Conversation With Jennifer Doudna https://www.foreignaffairs.com/interviews/2018-04-16/ultimate-life-hacker

~ MIT Technology Review, 6/19/18 US military wants to know what synthetic-biology weapons could look like https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/06/19/66749/us-military-wants-to-know-what-synthetic-biology-weapons-could-look-like/

~ Future of Life Institute Benefits & Risks of Biotechnology https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-biotechnology/?cn-reloaded=1

~ New York Times Magazine, 1/8/20 The Gene Drive Dilemma: We Can Alter Entire Species, but Should We? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/magazine/gene-drive-mosquitoes.html

~ Science Magazine, 7/6/17 How Canadian researchers reconstituted an extinct poxvirus for $100,000 using mail-order DNA https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/how-canadian-researchers-reconstituted-extinct-poxvirus-100000-using-mail-order-dna

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Immigration has been a big challenge for many countries, and has been a source of conflict and frustration. But if we can’t handle today’s migrants, how will we handle the 2 Billion migrants we might see over the next 50 years? That’s the future of climate change, as many countries will be become too hot for humans to live. If we are not careful, this situation could be very destabilizing to the world. This will require completely different thinking about immigration, and a fundamentally different approach.

The good news: immigration can be economically great for the country receiving those immigrants, if the world plans for the future to take advantage of the opportunities.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

The Joy of Saving the Human Race is also on YouTube HERE.

Please subscribe - and tell your friends about the show.

Resources:

Climate-related heat & potential population displacement:

~ New York Times Magazine - July 23, 2020 The Great Climate Migration https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

~ The Guardian - May 5, 2020 One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years – study: Human cost of climate crisis will hit harder and sooner than previously believed, research reveals https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/05/one-billion-people-will-live-in-insufferable-heat-within-50-years-study

~ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) - May 26, 2020 Future of the human climate niche https://www.pnas.org/content/117/21/11350

Conditions in refugee camps:

~ Wikipedia - Refugee Camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_camp

~ Wikipedia - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_refugees_in_Bangladesh

Economics of migration:

~ Nature - June 21, 2018 Migrants and refugees are good for economies: Analysis of 30 years of data from Western Europe refutes suggestions that asylum seekers pose a financial burden. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05507-0

~ University of Pennsylvania Wharton School - June 27, 2016 The Effects of Immigration on the United States' Economy https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2016/1/27/the-effects-of-immigration-on-the-united-states-economy

~ Wikipedia - Economic results of migration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_results_of_migration

~ Wikipedia - Economic impact of illegal immigrants in the United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States

Germany, an interesting case study:

~ The Guardian, 8/30/20 How Angela Merkel’s great migrant gamble paid off https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/30/angela-merkel-great-migrant-gamble-paid-off

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In a bit over 200 years, the human population went from 1 billion to 7.8 billion. In this very short amount of time we had an 8-fold increase in humans on the planet. The planet was not ready. Busy, clever humanity quickly chopped up and devoured the Earth. Homo sapiens (humans) used to be simply one species among many in nature. Now, humans have so thoroughly dominated the planet, our choices and actions determine how much of the planet survives – and determines whether we as a species will survive.

These many billions of people joined the planet before systems were put into place to accommodate so many people. Systems to help us get along with each other, and to collectively make sure we don’t destroy ourselves and our planet. Instead of thoughtfully planning for our collective future, we humans are just stumbling from emergency to emergency.

Today’s presentation is twofold:

First, a tour of humans’ presence on the earth, and the insane amount of pressure we’ve put on our natural environment and climate.

Second, just as importantly, a review of the incredible progress humans have made on poverty, education, life expectancy, health, peace and much more. It’s clear – humans can solve big problems.

So, here I offer you equal doses of fear and hope. And I suggest we put our heads together and cooperate, in a global way.

Connect and learn more at: https://www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

Resources:

~ The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity by Toby Ord http://www.tobyord.com/book

~ World population, last 12,000 years https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth

~ World GDP over the last two millenia https://ourworldindata.org/economic-growth

~ Vertebrate extinction rates since 1500 https://ipbes.net/global-assessment

~ One in four species are at risk of extinction https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48169783

~ 4005 vertebrate species decline 60% since 1970 Zoological Society of London / WWF - Living Planet Index 2018 https://www.zsl.org/global-biodiversity-monitoring/indicators-and-assessments-unit/living-planet-index

~ CO2 emission by fuel type, World, 1751-2017 https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

~ Atmospheric CO2 levels last 800,000 years https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

~ Average temperature anomaly, Global, 1850 to 2018 https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

~ World temperature since last ice age US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/what’s-hottest-earth-has-been-“lately”

~ Land use over the long term, World, 100-2016 How the world's land is used (world map comparison) https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

~ Meat production by livestock type, 1961 to 2018 https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production

~ Global fishery catch by sector, 1950-2010 https://ourworldindata.org/seafood-production

~ Global freshwater use over the long run, since 1900 https://ourworldindata.org/water-use-stress

~ Inside Climate News - September 13, 2020 Deforestation Is Getting Worse, 5 Years After Countries and Companies Vowed to Stop It https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13092019/forest-loss-rate-global-deforestation-amazon-fires-corporate-agribusiness-international-declaration

~ Global plastics production, 1950-2015 https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution

~ World’s Top 500 supercomputers https://www.top500.org/statistics/perfdevel/

~ The Independent - May 1, 2014 Stephen Hawking: Transcendence looks at the implications of artificial intelligence - but are we taking AI seriously enough? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-transcendence-looks-at-the-implications-of-artificial-intelligence-but-are-we-taking-9313474.html

~ World population living in extreme poverty, 1820-2015 https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts

~ Life expectancy, 1771-2015 https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy

~ Global child mortality, 1800-2017 https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts

~ Literacy rate, 1820-2010 https://ourworldindata.org/new-literacy-dataset

~ Gender ratios for mean years of schooling, 1870-2010 https://ourworldindata.org/global-education

~ Numbers of autocracies and democracies, 1900-2018 https://ourworldindata.org/democracy

~ The decline of war deaths https://www.ft.com/content/e448f4ae-224e-11ea-92da-f0c92e957a96

~ Global number of smallpox cases https://ourworldindata.org/smallpox

~ Polio cases by world region, 1980-2016 https://ourworldindata.org/eradication-of-diseases

~ Deaths from malaria, 1990-2017 https://ourworldindata.org/malaria

~ Cato Institute - May 19, 2019 Why Measles Making the News Is a Sign of Progress https://www.cato.org/blog/why-measles-making-news-sign-progress

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The human race really is worth saving, you know. And it will take some work – most importantly, making global systems that can deal with our global threats. These include climate, environment, pandemics, migration, technology, the world economy, nuclear weapons and more. No one country can solve these on its own. We’re all in this together. We need a stronger United Nations and other systems that help the world cooperate and coordinate on these important issues.

Connect and learn more at: www.joyofsavingthehumanrace.com

Resources:

United Nations budget, 2019 https://unsceb.org/total-expenses

United States and World military spending, 2019 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Fact Sheet April 2020 https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/fs_2020_04_milex_0_0.pdf

CNN, 11/17/20 The global economic bailout is running at $19.5 trillion. It will go higher https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/economy/global-economy-coronavirus-bailout-imf-annual-report/index.html

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Meet Shelby and get a brief overview.

The Human Survival Podcast: Recent Episodes

The Human Survival Project

technology #artificialintelligence #existentialthreats #ai #bioethics #governance #TechGovernance #EthicalInnovation #EthicalTech #FutureLeaders #CollaborativeChange #FutureReadiness

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