London Futurists

The best of times and the worst of times, updated, with Ramez Naam

Mar 26, 2025

Ramez Naam, a climate tech investor and award-winning author, shares insights on today's dual realities of prosperity and peril. He discusses significant advancements in clean energy technologies and the urgent climate challenges that remain. Ramez emphasizes the role of governance in navigating these issues. The conversation also covers innovative solutions like geoengineering and the complex landscape of AI's societal impact, as well as the intertwined fate of democracy and technology amid growing fears and inequalities.

45:07

Episode guests

Ramez Naam

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The current era showcases both unprecedented technological advancements enabling comfort and significant environmental challenges that require urgent attention.

While innovations like geoengineering could offer temporary climate relief, ethical implications and thorough risk assessments are necessary for responsible implementation.

Deep dives

The Duality of Our Current Era

The present era is characterized by both unprecedented wealth and significant global risks, likened to a 'tale of two Earths.' While advancements in technology have provided comfort and progress, the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation loom large. This juxtaposition invites a reconsideration of the power of ideas and technology to create a better future. Emphasizing the need for responsible and directed technological innovation is essential to navigate these complexities.

Intro

2min

From Tech to Tomorrow: A Journey of Transformation

4min

Navigating Progress and Challenges in Climate Change

3min

Innovative Climate Solutions: Navigating Geoengineering and Nuclear Power

16min

AI's Influence on Society and Politics

16min

Navigating Fear and Inequality in Modern Democracy

4min

Our guest in this episode, Ramez Naam, is described on his website as “climate tech investor, clean energy advocate, and award-winning author”. But that hardly starts to convey the range of deep knowledge that Ramez brings to a wide variety of fields. It was his 2013 book, “The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet”, that first alerted David to the breadth of scope of his insight about future possibilities – both good possibilities and bad possibilities. He still vividly remembers its opening words, quoting Charles Dickens from “The Tale of Two Cities”:

Quote: “‘It was the best of times; it was the worst of times’ – the opening line of Charles Dickens’s 1859 masterpiece applies equally well to our present era. We live in unprecedented wealth and comfort, with capabilities undreamt of in previous ages. We live in a world facing unprecedented global risks—risks to our continued prosperity, to our survival, and to the health of our planet itself. We might think of our current situation as ‘A Tale of Two Earths’.” End quote.

12 years after the publication of “The Infinite Resource”, it seems that the Earth has become even better, but also even worse. Where does this leave the power of ideas? Or do we need more than ideas, as ominous storm clouds continue to gather on the horizon?

Selected follow-ups: