Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja examine how advancing desalination technology could reshape geopolitics and transform landscapes. They discuss how affordable desalination ($0.3 cents per liter) makes large-scale terraforming feasible, potentially enabling countries like Saudi Arabia or Australia to create vast green spaces and support larger populations. The technology's implications extend beyond water security to national development and climate resilience. The essay on desalination originally appeared in The Bismarck Brief - subscribe here: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
The Untapped Potential of Desalination: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/the-untapped-potential-of-desalination
1957, 1978, 2005 Chicken Sizes diagram: https://compote.slate.com/images/4e407854-6360-4172-a85e-d7b8c64fd365.jpg?width=1200
Growth, efficiency, and yield of commercial broilers from 1957, 1978, and 2005: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119385505
Live Players: Can China Power Its Rise?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOei7kZjuZU
Live Players: The Possibility of Human Extinction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQEMpxLnGA&t=42s
Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/
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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:
Technology Status
- Highly efficient: 2.3 kWh per cubic meter
- Low production cost: 0.3 cents/liter
- Main costs: infrastructure, not energy
Current Usage
- Gulf states lead adoption (UAE: 42% of water from desalination)
- Viable for moderately developed nations
Transformative Potential
- $32B could match Nile River's annual flow
- Enables desert terraforming
- Could transform Saudi Arabia, Australia, US regions
National Opportunities
- Saudi Arabia: $300B for national parks
- Australia: Support larger population
- Regional development: Turkey, Spain
Strategic Impact
- Eliminates water scarcity concerns
- Enhances climate resilience
- Enables new settlement patterns
- Potential tool for political stability
