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Suggested readings, 30 August 2020

Illustration by Anders Nilsen

Here are a small number of interesting articles I’ve read over the past week that I think are worth considering.

Aaron E. Carroll, “When It Comes to Covid-19, Most of Us Have Risk Exactly Backward.” 28 Aug, New York Times. 
Risk-taking decisions are not all-or-none: if we loosen Covid restrictions in some areas, we should be increasing our restrictions in others. 

Diana Fleischman, “Practical Veganism.” 28 Aug, Works in Progress. 
This essay makes the case that vegans and animal rights campaigners, instead of pushing for an all-or-nothing approach, should be more open to encouraging others to consume less animal products -- particularly factory farmed fish, eggs, and chicken -- as a strategy to reduce suffering. 
Article considers a number of reasons why Covid-19 deaths are not rising despite cases surge.

Saloni Dattani, “When will the Covid-19 vaccine arrive?” 28 Aug, UnHerd. 
Inspired by superforecasters like Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner, who have a broad understanding of various areas and disciplines in their approach to making forecasts, Dattani estimates there's a 50/50 chance we'll have an effective Covid-19 vaccine available by spring 2021, and that it's unlikely we still won't have one before the end of next year.  

Philip Bethge and Rafaela von Bredow, “Is Nuclear Power the Solution to Climate Change?” 14 Aug, Der Spiegel. 
Paul Dorfman of the Energy Institute, University College London, and advisor to the Irish government on radiation risk, and Staffan Qvist, co-author of A Bright Future, debate the merits of nuclear power as an effective, clean energy source. Dorfman claims that relying on nuclear power isn't a feasible option because it is so expense and due to unavoidable security concerns. Qvist, on the other hand, argues that building more nuclear reactors is the fastest, safest option for decarbonising the energy sector.   

Bill McKibben, “130 Degrees.” 20 Aug, New York Review of Books. 
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and Schumann ­Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury, reviews Mark Lynas' new book, Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency. 

"His new volume echoes that earlier work, which was by no means cheerful. But because scientists have spent the last decade dramatically increasing understanding of the Earth’s systems, and because our societies wasted that decade by pouring ever more carbon into the atmosphere, this book—impeccably sourced and careful to hew to the wide body of published research—is far, far darker." 

You can also listen to Lynas talk about his new book on the 80,000 Hours podcast. 


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