Carnegie Council Podcasts

When author Eliot Peper first heard about solar geoengineering, or solar radiation modification, he knew he had to write a novel. "There are so many different angles on this kind of a problem. It raises so many questions that impact every area of our lives," he told C2GTalk. Speculative fiction, says Peper, can spark people's curiosity and inspire them to become engaged. "If it makes other people look more deeply and pay more attention, to me that's a huge win." Eliot Peper is the author of nine novels, including Veil, Cumulus, Bandwidth, and Neon Fever Dream. He also publishes a blog, and sends a monthly newsletter. He is on Twitter, @eliotpeper. Peper’s most recent novel, Veil, is a speculative thriller about diplomats, hackers, spies, scientists, and billionaires racing to control our climate future. Janos Pastor, C2G’s executive director, calls Veil "the tale we need to confront climate change. Peper deftly explores one of the most controversial ideas on the climate agenda—solar geoengineering—and its geopolitical quandaries—raising tough questions and showing why we require new forms of governance to answer them." This interview was recorded on  December 14, 2021 and will be available with interpretation into 中文,  Español, and Français. For an edited transcript, please go to C2G's website.

In this episode of the Artificial Intelligence & Equality podcast, Senior Fellow Wendell Wallach sits down with Professor Shannon Vallor to discuss how to reenvision ethics and empower it to deal with AI, emerging technologies, and new power dynamics in the information age. For more on this talk, please go to carnegiecouncil.org. For more on the Carnegie Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative, please go to carnegieaie.org.

Equity, justice, and transparency are needed to enable meaningful conversations around the the debate on solar radiation modification, because Africa has to be very careful about climate-altering technologies, especially when we do not understand their consequences, says Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) during a C2GTalk interview. Africa can only sustainably and justly have the conversation on carbon emissions if it sees that this road leads to a more prosperous life, better livelihoods, and that this road will help the continent meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Vera Songwe is the United Nations under-secretary-general and the ninth serving executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). As executive secretary focusing on "ideas for a prosperous Africa," her organizational reforms have brought to the fore critical issues of macroeconomic stability; development finance, growth and private sector; poverty and inequality; the digital transformation and data; and trade and competitiveness. She is acknowledged for her long-standing track record of providing policy advice on development and her wealth of experience in delivering development results for Africa. A strong advocate of the private sector, Songwe launched a business forum debate at ECA and created, for the first time, a private sector division with a number of significant initiatives. Before joining the ECA, Songwe held a number of leading roles at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC). Songwe serves as a non-resident senior Ffllow at the Brookings Institution. She is also a member of the African Union institutional reform team under the direction of the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and an advisory board member of the African Leadership Network and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. This interview was recorded on October 19, 2021 and is available with interpretation into 中文, Español, and Français. For an edited transcript, please go to C2G's website.

The Biden/Harris team had big plans for re-engaging the U.S. with the world after four years of retrenchment under Trump. But the continuing pandemic, runaway inflation, and rising populism have upended the new administration's 2021 goals. Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown's Institute of Politics and Public Service, joins Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss what the Biden/Harris team gets right and how messaging can be improved ahead of 2022 mid-term elections to engage a disconnected electorate. For more, please go to carnegiecouncil.org. 

In the last 20 years, the U.S. and its allies significantly expanded their military and security infrastructures. But as America pivots from the War on Terror, new areas of focus have begun to take center stage, including the militarization of space and rising tensions with China. Is there a better way to meet our basic security responsibilities without militarizing across society? Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discusses these issues with security experts Elliot Ackerman, Neta C. Crawford, and Ned Dobos. This special event was inspired by the Ethics, Security, and the War-Machine book symposium recently published in the Fall 2021 issue of Carnegie Council's Ethics & International Affairs journal. For more, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

A global and regional discussion is needed to learn about and create governance for climate-altering approaches like solar radiation modification, says Alicia Bárcena, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), during a  C2GTalk interview. The UN's regional commissions, including ECLAC, can play an important role in bringing together a diverse range of actors in this discussion, including public and private experts in environment, energy, finance, economy, and planning. At the end of this C2GTalk, Bárcena said “And someday we will have to pay tribute to Maurice Strong . . . I think of him quite a lot.  I believe that he was really anticipating so many of these things. So hopefully someday we and C2G can do something about it”. On behalf of  Bárcena and Janos  Pasztor this C2GTalk is dedicated to the memory of Maurice Strong. Alicia Bárcena  assumed  office  as  the  executive  secretary  of  the  Economic  Commission  for  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean (ECLAC) on July 1, 2008. She had previously served as the under-secretary-general for management at United Nations Headquarters in New York, chef de cabinet, and deputy chef de cabinet to the former secretary-general, Kofi Annan. This interview was recorded on August 6, 2021 and is available with interpretation into 中文, Español, and Français. For more, including an edited transcript, please go to C2G's website.

Emerging technologies with global impact are creating new ungoverned spaces at a rapid pace. In this critical moment, frameworks and approaches to govern these technologies, particularly in the international sphere, are often unclear or altogether nonexistent. In this podcast, the leaders of Carnegie Council's Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and the Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative (AIEI) discuss the ways they are working to educate and activate communities around these critical governance issues. For full transcript, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new questions have arisen in regards to the ethics of global vaccine distribution. In a continuation of a series started over the summer, University of Pennsylvania's Ezekiel Emanuel returns to discuss boosters and vaccine hesitancy and how that affects vaccine distribution around the world. Plus, he shares his thoughts on Biden administration policies concerning the travel ban due to the Omicron variant, domestic mandates, testing, and masking. For more on these issues, read "On the Ethics of Vaccine Nationalism: The Case for the Fair Priority for Residents Framework," co-authored by Dr. Emanuel and published by Carnegie Council's Ethics & International journal and Cambridge University Press.  For a full transcript of this talk, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.

Understanding that we face a planetary emergency can help countries and citizens around the world overcome our many interlocking crises, says Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome during a C2GTalk interview. Bringing international, national and local leaders into inclusive, people-focused governance processes can help our emergence into a new type of civilization. Technology has a role to play—if governed properly—but cannot be relied upon to "save" us. In particular, climate-altering approaches like solar radiation modification (SRM) or large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) need governance in order to manage risks. Science and stories are needed to help citizens understand potential futures, and to find a way forward for people, planet and prosperity. Sandrine Dixson-Declève is currently the co-president of the Club of Rome and divides her time between lecturing, facilitating change in business, and policy models and advisory work. She holds several advisory positions for the European Commission and the United Nations. She sits on the boards of organizations such as BMW, EDP, UCB, Climate KIC, UCL-Bartlett School of Environment, and the IEEP. Dixson-Declève is also a senior associate and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), ambassador, for the Energy Transition Commission (ETC) and WEALL. She co-founded the Women Enablers Change Agent Network (WECAN) and has been recognized by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business. This interview was recorded on June 29, 2021 and is available with interpretation into 中文, Español, and Français. For more, including an edited transcript, please go to C2G's website.

One of the fastest growing—and underreported—subjects in international relations is the rise of private armies. Dr. Sean McFate, Atlantic Council senior fellow and former private military contractor, joins Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss his book The New Rules of War and how our current paradigm of warfare is obsolete. With cyberweapons, disinformation, and mercenaries presenting new threats, how can America shore up its defenses and rethink the trillions of dollars spent on defense? Is the risk of inaction creating a new "Middle Ages"? For more on this subject, don't miss Carnegie Council's panel on December 14 at 3pm ET,  "Is Militarization Essential for Security in 2022 and Beyond?" And, for more on this podcast, please go to carnegiecouncil.org.