Everything good and bad about technology would be magnified by implanting it deep in brains. Is the risk of brain-hacking outweighed by the societal benefits of faster, deeper communication, and the ability to augment our own intelligence? Ramez Naam More Quotes by Ramez Naam More Quotes From Ramez Naam The more widely you can spread this notion of achieving ROI by preserving and improving ecosystems, the better. Ramez Naam roi ecosystems achieve TNC was once limited by the resources it could directly marshal to buy land. But teaching people a new idea is incredibly more scalable. Ramez Naam land teaching ideas By focusing on teaching businesses about the ROI they can achieve by preserving and investing in nature, you're expanding the scope of the impact you can have. Ramez Naam roi impact teaching I think the environmental movement is now so large and diverse that it's hard to talk of it as a single entity. Ramez Naam environmental movement thinking Ozone and climate are global issues, and it's hard to find a way in which the benefits of shutting down carbon emissions are going to pay for themselves for any given power-plant, say. Ramez Naam ozone carbon-emissions issues When it comes to trying to manage how our entire planet-wide market and all the people and businesses in it deal with nature and our natural resources - we first and foremost need to change the incentives. Ramez Naam trying people needs Often we need to use policy to level the playing field, or to be sure that a technology is managed in a responsible way. Ramez Naam technology fields way Unfortunately, in the environment, I don't see as much willingness to invest heavily in R&D as I do in consumer technology. And that's a pity. Ramez Naam pity environment technology There are really two kinds of optimism. There's the complacent, Pollyanna optimism that says "don't worry - everything will be just fine" and that allows one to just lay back and do nothing about the problems around you. Then there's what we call dynamic optimism. That's an optimism based on action. Ramez Naam optimism worry two We have climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from human power and transportation infrastructure. At the same time, we have 2 billion people who live in energy poverty. Ramez Naam climate energy people Doom yourself to horrific climate change by burning all that carbon and releasing all that CO2. Or power down society, reducing total energy usage around the planet. One leads to ecological collapse. The other is a reversion, in many ways, to poverty. Ramez Naam burning climate energy We've seen over time that countries that have the best economic growth are those that have good governance, and good governance comes from freedom of communication. It comes from ending corruption. It comes from a populace that can go online and say, 'This politician is corrupt, this administrator, or this public official is corrupt.' Ramez Naam best good communication freedom Genetically modified organism (GMO) foods are feared and hated by environmentalists and the public alike. Yet the scientific assessment of GMOs is remarkably different. Every major scientific evaluation of GMO technology has concluded that GMOs are safe for human consumption and are a benefit to the environment. Ramez Naam human environment technology safe In a VR setting, you tilt your head up, and you really have the vertigo and the sense that it goes up to infinity, and it's like you're in New York City or Dubai, and you're looking up at a giant skyscraper. You have a sense of awe. Ramez Naam looking city new you We have to slow down the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from coal burning, oil and eventually natural gas... And the best ways to do that are energy efficiency and a switch to renewables. Ramez Naam slow down best energy Technology is vital. We have to have development in new technology if we're going to solve these environmental problems without throwing humanity back in poverty. Ramez Naam new environmental technology humanity We must learn to set our emotions aside and embrace what science tells us. GMOs and nuclear power are two of the most effective and most important green technologies we have. If - after looking at the data - you aren't in favour of using them responsibly, you aren't an environmentalist. Ramez Naam you green power science There's a preponderance of scientists and engineers among China's rulers. New President Xi Jinping was trained as a chemical engineer. His predecessor, Hu Jintao, earned a degree in hydraulic engineering. His predecessor, Jiang Zemin, held a degree in electrical engineering. Ramez Naam new engineering engineers president The final frontier of the digital technology is integrating into your own brain. Ramez Naam your digital technology brain Solar power is going to be absolutely essential to meeting growing energy demands while staving off climate change. Ramez Naam climate-change energy change power
