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Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Stockholm.
How will Henry Kissinger be remembered in Europe?
There's always an amount of controversy around the person who's been around in politics in powerful positions for such a long time as he was. But primarily, I think he would be remembered as a great European. He was an American, no doubt. But he came out of the tragedy of Europe and he was deep concerned with all of the lessons that could be learned from the failure to preserve peace in Europe time after time. His first academic and his first book was about the Congress of Vienna. And then book after book after book, that was really around the same theme, how to preserve peace also in the age of nuclear weapons. And that, of course, from the European point of view, is not an insubstantial issue.
Is the nuclear renaissance going on in Europe?
Sort of. I would say. There are still countries that are very much opposed. The Germans are, the Austrians are, there might be others. But I noticed that in Dubai, COP28, there was now signed declaration by a number of European leaders as well to triple global nuclear power by 2050. So no doubt nuclear power will make a substantial contribution to the efforts to create a much greener and much more sustainable Europe in the decades to come.
The benefits and risks of human enhancement using CRISPR, AI, and synthetic biology.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with physician and biologist Siddhartha Mukherjee to explore the recent advances, benefits, and risks of human enhancement with technology. Mukherjee’s latest book, “The Song of the Cell,” explores the history and medical science behind “the new humans,” a term he uses to describe people who have been altered in some way, initially for medical purposes and, potentially in the future, for enhancement. Bremmer and Mukherjee discuss the transformative impact of new tools like CRISPR gene-editing, AI-powered prosthetics, and brain implants that can help treat everything from movement disorders to depression.
“The idea of the human is changing,” Mukherjee says, "CRISPR, synthetic biology, prosthetic biology with AI, and cloning of individuals—that’s what I mean by the new human.”
These new medical technologies could radically improve our understanding of health and the human body, leading to a future of new medicines, cures for fatal diseases, expanded cognitive capabilities, and even communication with deceased loved ones. But there are also ethical implications to tinkering with human nature, including eugenics as a result of gene editing, the potential for AI to create toxic molecules, and the danger of real-time experimentation on the ecosystem with CRISPR. How do we balance the life-changing potential of biotech tools without changing the very nature of what it means to be human?
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.
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You won't be surprised to hear that companies that make drinks need a lot of water. Suntory, one of the leading beverage producers in the world, is no exception. However, they have come up with an exceptional response to the issue, according to Shigeaki Kazama , Executive Officer and Division Deputy COO of the Sustainability Management Division at Suntory Holdings..
To offset the water Suntory draws from Japan's underground aquifers, they manage a vast system of forest preserves. They help recharge the resource by maintaining a cool, wet environment that allows groundwater to seep back into the earth rather than run off or evaporate.
"We now manage 22 forest areas that total over 12,000 hectares, which recharge twice the amount of groundwater that we take for our production in Japan," he said during a GZERO Live event organized by the Sustainability Leaders Council , a partnership between Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and Suntory.
Watch the full livestream conversation: The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future
Agriculture is the foundation of human civilization, the economic activity that makes every other endeavor possible. But historically, says International Fertilizer Association Director General Alzbeta Klein, the subject hasn't received attention in climate talks.
"It took us 23 climate conferences to start thinking about agriculture," she said during a GZERO Live event organized by the Sustainability Leaders Council , a partnership between Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and Suntory. "The problem is that we don't know how to feed ourselves without a huge impact on the environment."
The good news is, leaders are catching on to the notion that a holistic approach is the only way forward.
Watch the full livestream conversation: The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future
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"We often say water is life," says Alzbeta Klein, Director General of the International Fertilizer Association. "And I'd like to add to it: water is food." She spoke at a GZERO Live event organized by the Sustainability Leaders Council , a partnership between Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and Suntory, exploring the emerging issue of water insecurity.
Some 90% of the world's freshwater is used to grow food, meaning that every single drop that can be saved through more efficient uses of water and fertilizer in farming represents one step closer to ensuring all human beings have safe, fresh water to drink.
Watch the full livestream conversation: The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future
Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water, but less than 0.02% is fresh water in lakes and rivers. An even smaller fraction of that fresh surface water is safe for humans to consume and farm. Still, according to Brian Richter, President of Sustainable Waters, humans are drawing too heavily on those resources without allowing replenishment.
What's worse, climate change is threatening to exacerbate the problem by drying out some already overstressed water sources, like the Colorado river.
"By the year 2050, we could have between 20 and 30% less water in that river system because of climate warming," he said during a GZERO Live event organized by the Sustainability Leaders Council , a partnership between Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and Suntory. Watch what he says to find out why he's still hopeful humans will adapt.
Watch the full livestream conversation: The global water crisis and the path to a sustainable future
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Medical technology could lead to a new breed of super humans.
On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer looks at the evolution of human enhancement, tracing its roots from ancient history to recent ground-breaking tools like CRISPR gene editing, AI-powered prosthetics, and brain implants. These advances hint at a future of disease eradication, independence from physical disability, and recovery from traumatic brain injury. In a few short years, they’ve radically expanded the possibilities of how technology can improve the human experience and extend our lives.
But while biotechnology has incredible, transformative potential, it also brings lots of risks. Gene editing raises the specter of designer babies, eugenics, and even the potential for militaries to create superhuman soldiers. There’s also the question of privacy and data collection, as private companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink gain further access to our medical histories. Ultimately, we need to strike a balance between embracing biotechnology’s life-changing potential while safeguarding our values, ethics and the very idea of what it means to be human.
Watch the upcoming episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television this weekend (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.
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