The Human Survival Podcast

Will Meat Cause The Next Pandemic?: Jerry Martin – Tufts University, Global Public Health

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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.
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode 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 – 5/21/20The growing global appetite for meat increases the risk of future ‘spillover’ pandemics. We can do something about ithttps://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 productionOur World in Datahttps://ourworldindata.org/land-use
Global meat production, 1961 to 2018Our World in Datahttps://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
Environmental Impacts of Food ProductionOur World in Datahttps://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food
USA Today – 2/16/22Bird flu detected at multiple chicken and turkey farms in Midwest, South; over 300k affectedhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/16/bird-flu-affected-chickens-turkeys-midwest/6814375001/
Vox - June 10, 2020The meat we eat is a pandemic risk, toohttps://bit.ly/3xH2Qz3
The Guardian, 9/18/20A 12-storey pig farm: has China found the way to tackle animal disease?https://bit.ly/3eRMZ8f
NY Times, 4/29/19U.N. Issues Urgent Warning on the Growing Peril of Drug-Resistant Infectionshttps://nyti.ms/3eaapX6
Foreign Policy, 5/21/20China’s Farms Are Petri Dishes of Antibiotic Resistancehttps://bit.ly/3eQcve4 
NY Times, 6/7/19Warning of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push to Sell More Antibioticshttps://nyti.ms/3eL6YFG

From Global to Local: Helping the World Right at Home – Orion Kriegman, Boston Food Forest Coalition

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.
This show is also available on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/euABJGafx-c
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
(04:30)Tellus Institutehttps://www.tellus.org/Great Transition Initiativehttps://greattransition.org/
(41:15)Institute for Policy Studies / Chuck Collinshttps://ips-dc.org/ips-authors/chuck-collins/
(47:25)Boston Food Forest Coalitionhttps://www.bostonfoodforest.org/

Can We Avoid a Global Meltdown?: YES! We Can Do It!!

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.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.
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/cMgcN-epieQ
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
BBC, 11/15/21COP26: What was agreed at the Glasgow climate conference?https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56901261
New York Times Magazine, 7/23/20The Great Climate Migrationhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html
Grist, 10/4/21It’s not just you: Everyone is Googling ‘climate anxiety’https://grist.org/language/climate-anxiety-google-search-trends/
MarketWatch, 11/14/21Did the climate summit leave you anxious? You’re not alone — here are the most-Googled questions during COP26https://www.marketwatch.com/story/did-the-climate-summit-leave-you-anxious-youre-not-alone-here-are-the-most-googled-questions-during-cop26-11636758097
CNN, 11/17/20The global economic bailout is running at $19.5 trillion. It will go higherhttps://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/economy/global-economy-coronavirus-bailout-imf-annual-report/index.html
Medium / Adam Swersky, 12/30/16Our 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 Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_George_Floyd_protests_outside_the_United_States
 

Getting The Strong United Nations We Need: Mark Leon Goldberg

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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/
This show is also available on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/wEOHATwodzQ
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
 

Broken Promises Will Not Fix The Climate: Global plans need enforcement

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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.
This show is also available on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/iEWWOn7Sef8
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 8/9/21Climate change widespread, rapid, and intensifying – IPCChttps://www.ipcc.ch/2021/08/09/ar6-wg1-20210809-pr/
UN Climate Change, 9/17/21Full NDC Synthesis Report: Some Progress, but Still a Big Concernhttps://unfccc.int/news/full-ndc-synthesis-report-some-progress-but-still-a-big-concern
Climate Action Tracker, 9/15/21Global Update: Climate target updates slow as science demands actionhttps://climateactiontracker.org/publications/global-update-september-2021/
UN Environment Programme, 12/9/20Emissions Gap Report 2020https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020
Foreign Affairs, May/June 2020The 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, 1/29/21The Expensive Club That Could Stop Global Warminghttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-29/the-expensive-club-that-could-stop-global-warming
Council on Foreign Relations, 9/23/21Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failureshttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/paris-global-climate-change-agreements
 

Re-Thinking Morality Amid Existential Threats: Old Issues Need a Fresh Outlook

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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.
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/LM9rB4iCG1o 
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
The Guardian, 1/13/21Top 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 crisishttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/13/top-scientists-warn-of-ghastly-future-of-mass-extinction-and-climate-disruption-aoe
BBC, 6/2/20Extinction crisis 'poses existential threat to civilisation'https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52881831
World Inequality Labhttps://inequalitylab.world/en/
Inequality.orghttps://inequality.org/facts/global-inequality/
Oxfam International5 shocking facts about extreme global inequality and how to even it uphttps://www.oxfam.org/en/5-shocking-facts-about-extreme-global-inequality-and-how-even-it
New York Times Magazine, 7/23/20The Great Climate Migrationhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html
Joy of Saving the Human Race, 8/24/21COVID 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 2020Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2019https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/fs_2020_04_milex_0_0.pdf
 

COVID Vaccine Boosters For the Masses?: Short-Sighted and Selfish. Let’s Beat the Pandemic Instead.

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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.
 
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/j22w3on1R2o
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
WIRED, 8/20/21The US Is Getting Covid Booster Shots. The World Is Furioushttps://www.wired.com/story/the-us-is-getting-covid-booster-shots-the-world-is-furious/
CNBC, 8/17/21U.S. should focus on vaccinating the rest of the world before Covid booster shots, says Dr. Vin Guptahttps://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, 8/22/21Share of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
NY Times, 3/31/21See How Rich Countries Got to the Front of the Vaccine Linehttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/31/world/global-vaccine-supply-inequity.html
NY Times, 8/2/21Where a Vast Global Vaccination Program Went Wronghttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/world/europe/covax-covid-vaccine-problems-africa.html
NPR, 8/20/21They're Asking Biden To Vaccinate The World. It's Not Fair. But It's Not Impossiblehttps://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, 6/29/21Explainer: What are patent waivers for COVID vaccines?https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/29/explainer-what-are-covid-vaccine-patent-waivers
 

Where Is Our Elon Musk Of Political Innovation?: We need better governments to save humanity

NOTE:  The Joy of Saving the Human Race is now “The Human Survival Podcast.”  For a brief explanation listen to the episode on July 1, 2022, “The Name Of This Show Is Changing…”
This show is part of The Human Survival Project, a grassroots movement that encourages citizens around the world to push for transformation of the United Nations system.  We want humanity to have the tools to protect itself from global catastrophic threats, and solving global threats requires strong global systems.
** Connect and learn more at: https://www.thehumansurvivalproject.org/ **
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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.
 
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/fNh2StqvD2w
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
Resources:
XPRIZE Foundationhttps://www.xprize.org/home
Wired, 4/14/21Is Silicon Valley Dead? Not According to Venture Dollarshttps://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 2018https://www.statista.com/statistics/1105959/total-research-and-development-spending-worldwide-ppp-usd/

Data Geeks Are Saving Humanity: Gregory Taff – World Resources Institute

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.
 
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/dYNy9UKf1ig
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
 
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-foodOur 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-dietshttps://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
 

COVID-19 Lab Leak: People Are Not Talking Solutions. Here’s Some.

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. 
 
This show is also on YouTube.Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/kGO9l2XVS6M 
Please subscribe and tell your friends about the show.
Theme music by Moby: https://mobygratis.com/
 
Resources:
Jamie Metzl has done great reporting on the lab leak possibility since early in the pandemic, long before it was widely accepted.  His site offers an exhaustive compilation of facts and resourceshttps://jamiemetzl.com/origins-of-sars-cov-2/
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 Originshttps://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 2021Mapping Maximum Biological Containment Labs Globallyhttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/6048d7a0e9652c472e619f6f/t/60ae71cea2219b008f29d4ca/1622045135314/Mapping+BSL4+Labs+Globally+EMBARGOED+until+27+May+2021+1800+CET.pdf
~ The Conversation, 6/14/21Fifty-nine labs around world handle the deadliest pathogens – only a quarter score high on safetyhttps://theconversation.com/fifty-nine-labs-around-world-handle-the-deadliest-pathogens-only-a-quarter-score-high-on-safety-161777
~ Global Biolabs Projecthttps://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, 4/28/21Enhancement of laboratory biosafetyhttps://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 dismissedhttps://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/opinion/2021/03/22/why-covid-lab-leak-theory-wuhan-shouldnt-dismissed-column/4765985001/
~ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 6/17/21Essential reading on lab leaks and gain-of-function researchhttps://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 stophttps://www.vox.com/2020/5/1/21243148/why-some-labs-work-on-making-viruses-deadlier-and-why-they-should-stop