Global Shield Briefing (18 March 2025)
The latest policy, research and news on global catastrophic risk (GCR). Why now? Global catastrophic risk is seemingly rising faster than ever. Tipping points might be fast approaching. Not just climate disruptions, but also ecological collapse, severe bacterial and fungal infectious diseases, an intelligence explosion, poisoned information ecology, political polarization, economic fragility, tensions between nuclear-armed […]
Global Shield Briefing (18 February 2025)
The latest policy, research and news on global catastrophic risk (GCR). Benjamin Franklin’s contributions are innumerable. Across science, politics, diplomacy and writing. His mark is still felt. So you’d be forgiven for overlooking an early achievement: successfully advocating for fire safety. Early 18th century Philadelphia, with its narrow streets, densely packed wooden buildings and open […]
Global Shield Special Briefing: A preliminary government assessment of global catastrophic risk
The latest policy, research and news on global catastrophic risk (GCR). On 30 October, the RAND Corporation released an assessment of existential and global catastrophic risk. It is an extensive and lengthy treatment of six catastrophic threats: nuclear war, climate change, pandemics, artificial intelligence, asteroid or comet impacts, and supervolcanoes. This report is particularly important […]
Global Shield Briefing (2 October 2024)
The latest policy, research and news on global catastrophic risk (GCR). Homo sapiens became a formidable species not only due its ability to learn and adapt. It was due to its ability to transfer that knowledge from generation to generation. Individual intelligence became collective memory. Through oral stories, and later, the written word, our ancestors […]
Global Shield Briefing (11 September 2024)
The latest policy, research and news on global catastrophic risk (GCR). You look out from the ship’s bridge, scanning the stormy seas, seeking the horizon hidden by ominous storm-clouds, as waves crash against the hull. You must navigate through these turbulent times. Prepared for rough conditions, you adjust course and marshal your resources, knowing full-well […]