Global Shield

Climate change policy often fails to adequately consider the risk of climate tipping points. It remains under-represented in efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change when considering the extreme impacts and increasing likelihood. Conferences like these can play an important role of bringing an issue onto the minds of the public and policymakers. In practice, governments should prioritize policies that reduce both the baseline scenarios of climate change as well as tipping point risk. Countries that cover ecological systems with tipping potential – such as Brazil, Canada, Denmark (as the guarantor of Greenland) and Russia – should take greater responsibility in governing and championing the issue globally. Indeed, these countries are likely to feel the local and regional impacts before the global tipping point is reached. The concept of tipping points should also trigger considerations of global catastrophic risk outside a purely climate lens. Policymakers should incorporate all types of tipping points – political, economic, societal, infrastructure, technological – into risk assessment and management frameworks. For more on climate tipping points, check out: Global Tipping Points Report 2023 https://lnkd.in/ejDYhabS (an?updated report?will be published at COP30.) and Climate Tipping Points: Insights for Effective Policy Action by OECD - OCDE https://lnkd.in/dN_RgPF8

Fantastic report, and nice to see Global Shield's work mentioned! A must-read for anyone looking to engage on the policy of global catastrophic risk reduction. As the report notes, there are major blockers to addressing existential threats. Grappling with these blockers will be critical to national and global policy efforts. The '6 C' model for change is a powerful model for overcoming these hurdles. Congrats to European Leadership Network (ELN) and New European Voices on Existential Risk (NEVER) for their important contribution to this space.

?? BIG NEWS! We are thrilled to announce that ROBERT LEVINSON has joined the Global Shield team as the Director of our U.S. Office. He will be leading all our advocacy efforts in Washington DC so that the US can become a leader in global catastrophic risk reduction. No tall order! Most recently, Rob was on Capitol Hill as the National Security Advisor to Senators Feinstein and Butler of California. Before that Rob worked in the defense industry and spent 10 years at Bloomberg Government as the Senior Defense Analyst. He also worked as a lobbyist and had a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer, commander, and politico-military affairs officer. Rob's experience and caliber will be much needed as Global Shield grows, as global catastrophic risk increases, and as policymakers look for actionable ways to prevent and prepare for a global catastrophe. Please welcome him, and feel free to reach out if you are also looking to shape global catastrophic risk policy in the US!

Last month, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight - the closest it has been in its nearly 80-year history. For those who want to understand what that means, and on nuclear risk specifically,?Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is hosting a discussion on 3 March with Bulletin president and CEO Alexandra Bell, former governor of California Jerry Brown, Herbert Lin and Rose Gottemoeller. You can attend online if you're not in the area! https://lnkd.in/dEGwuEbb

A career in preventing human extinction and civilization collapse isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea. But if it is, check out a discussion hosted by Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge about study and career opportunities in the growing field of existential risk, from student opportunities to postgraduate study and professional roles. Speakers: Chaired by SJ Beard (Senior Research Associate, CSER) Olivia Benoit (Executive Director, Cambridge Existential Risk Initiative) Charlotte Hammer (Assistant Professor in Global Risk and Resilience, CSER) Sudhanshu Kasewa (Advisor, 80,000 Hours) https://lnkd.in/d5n_RqCS

For those focused on global catastrophic biological risk, the Pandemic Action Network has been an invaluable source of expert advice. The regular "Pandemic Action Playbook" provides regular updates from around the world, and a recent report provides actionable advice on the interconnection of climate change and pandemics. https://lnkd.in/gDy_vKgk

The latest Global Shield briefing is action packed - covering the AI Action Summit, the latest for the World Health Organization and the pandemic treaty, recent outbreaks in Africa, the Munich Security Report alongside the Munich Security Conference, a potential asteroid impact, and a poll on public perceptions of global catastrophic risk. And a Benjamin Franklin anecdote to boot! All these updates provide useful insights into domestic readiness in absence of global coordination, becoming more precise with estimating global catastrophic risk, the role of the public in policy response, and the importance of supporting local response. https://lnkd.in/dqd6W7zn In this briefing, we touch on important work by: Munich Security Conference, The Centre for Long-Term Resilience, Forecasting Research Institute, Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pandemic Action Network, Africa CDC, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Stop Killer Robots

In today’s #polycrisis moment, the path forward isn’t just about identifying risks—it’s about challenging our thinking about “how things are done” and strengthening the processes that allow us to confront challenges effectively, together.?That’s why ASRA is launching?The Rethink—a year-long blog series to share fresh perspectives on systemic risk, resilience, and the future of decision-making: https://lnkd.in/dYb48sC9 Stay tuned for more insights throughout the year! #GlobalRisks #SystemicRisk #ASRANetwork

Short-termism is an oft-cited foe when discussing how to influence policymakers on global catastrophic risk. Having policymakers zoom out and think about ‘the long term’ seems, to most people, to be a massive hurdle for change. But it’s a false dichotomy. Indeed, falling into this trap could perpetuate the sense from policymakers that global catastrophic risk is unlikely or futuristic. In our latest briefing, we cover three recent topics in the world of global catastrophic risk: a recent spate of global risk assessments; a potential reform to emergency management in the US; and the release of a new AI model by China-based DeepSeek. All three topics show that global catastrophic risk is an encircling reality. It is with us now. There is little time for hiding, hesitation or complacency. https://lnkd.in/dVYNz7b6

Fantastic new opportunity to join the Founders Pledge team as an an?Applied Researcher for Global Catastrophic Risks. Reporting directly to the?Global Catastrophic Risks Research Lead, it offers the chance to influence tens of millions of dollars toward the world’s most high-impact causes. As Global Shield hires for its US and Australia policy leads, we know how important (and hard) it is to get these types of recruitment processes right, especially with so much talent and passion out there. If you or someone you know might be a great fit, check out?the job description?and share widely! https://lnkd.in/dtsnNeUW