Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 187 | Andrew Leigh on the Politics of Looming Disasters
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Mar 7, 2022 
Andrew Leigh, a member of the Australian Parliament and author of "What's the Worst That Could Happen?", dives into the urgent necessity of addressing existential risks like climate change and pandemics. He emphasizes how current political frameworks often fail to tackle unlikely but catastrophic threats. The conversation explores the intersection of policy and public perception, critiques political dismissals of AI risks, and underscores the moral responsibility to future generations. Leigh advocates for proactive measures and bipartisan consensus in the face of looming global challenges.
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Defining Existential Risks
- Existential risks are events that could end humanity or drastically alter its trajectory.
- These include nuclear war, bioterrorism, uncontrolled AI, climate change, and asteroid impacts.
Climate Change as a Catastrophic Risk
- Climate change is a catastrophic risk, potentially leading to extreme scenarios.
- A 10-degree Celsius rise could cause widespread famine, violence, and uninhabitable conditions, similar to Venus.
Shifting Focus to Catastrophic Risks
- Andrew Leigh wasn't initially focused on catastrophic risks when entering politics.
- Probabilistic thinking and Toby Ord's prediction of a one-in-six chance of human extinction shifted his focus.
