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Ok, Doomer! – The NEVER Podcast

“Okay, Doomer!” the podcast by NEVER, is a 6-part series by the European Leadership Network and their New European Voices on Existential Risk, aka NEVER network, embarking on an exploration into the heart of the manmade existential risks threatening humanity, our planet, and life as we know it.

About the series

Each episode of “Ok, Doomer!” delves into a different existential crisis, from the looming shadows of nuclear war and the escalating perils of climate change to the uncharted territories of disruptive AI technologies and biological threats. “Okay, Doomer!” not only illuminates these daunting threats but also highlights the positive endeavours undertaken by many individuals and organisations worldwide to mitigate these risks. Listeners will hear inspiring stories of resilience, innovation, and hope, showcasing the unshakeable spirit of humanity in the face of formidable challenges. This series seeks to shed light on the collective human effort to navigate and overcome the perils we have created.

“Okay, Doomer!” is more than a podcast; it’s a call to action, offering practical ways for listeners to get involved in these critical issues.

Join us on this journey as we bring to light the risks we face and celebrate the tireless efforts of those working towards a safer, more sustainable future.

Subscribe to “Okay, Doomer!” and be a part of a conversation that could define the future of our planet and species.

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Episodes

Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – How to save the world

Listen to the final episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! This episode takes a step back to assess what we’ve learned about existential and global catastrophic risks in previous episodes, and what comes next. Featuring a discussion of how ordinary people can get involved in existential risk mitigation, what ongoing efforts will prove most successful in creating a framework to deal on these topics, and how the example of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty demonstrates that global cooperation to deal with the biggest threats we all face is possible, even in a tense geopolitical climate.

20 September 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Florian Ulrich Jehn, Nadine Andersen and Francis J. Gavin
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – Fake brains and killer robots

Listen to the fifth episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore artificial intelligence and its relationship with existential risk. Featuring an introduction to the topic, why we should be especially wary when integrating AI with nuclear weapons systems, the role of AI in arms control, how best to regulate AI on the global level and what international institutions are best placed to do so, as well as historical perspectives on technological change and its impact on our cultural understandings of existential risk.

2 August 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Alice Saltini, Konrad Seifert and Nicolò Miotto
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – Biological threats: Going viral

Listen to the fourth episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore biological existential and global catastrophic risks. Featuring an introduction to the topic and an exploration of some of the technological mitigation techniques we have available for biological risks, a panel discussion exploring the current state of the international governance of biological risks, and we will also delve into whether humanity’s recent brush with COVID-19 has better or worse prepared us for future pandemics, be they man-made or natural.

17 June 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Jasper Götting, Angela Kane, Anemone Franz, Dr Emil Nafis Iftekhar and Bekki Field
Emerging Disruptive Technologies and risk reduction
Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER Podcast – Climate change: A hot topic

Listen to the third episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore climate change; the existential risk that the general public is most familiar with. Featuring an exploration of how the climate crisis affects politics on the local, national and international levels, climate change as a “polycrisis”, and how the world in the past has managed to unite around policies that combat climate change such as closing the hole in the ozone layer.

26 March 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Ziya Meral, Jakob Gomolka, Jieqiong Duan and Katie Duffy
Global Security
Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER Podcast – Nuclear War: What is it good for?

Listen to the second episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore nuclear war, the first man-made existential risk. Featuring an introduction to the topic, disarmament versus deterrence, how governments have dealt with issues such as proliferation, and how they should respond to them in future.

23 January 2024 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Rishi Paul, Oliver Meier, Olamide Samuel, Valeriia Hesse and Sahil Shah
Global Security
Commentary

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER Podcast – The End of the World for Beginners

Listen to the first episode of the NEVER podcast – Ok, Doomer! In this episode, we explore the basics of man-made existential risk, featuring an introduction to the topic, its relationship to great power competition, how governments have dealt with potential existential risks such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how they should respond to them in future.

15 November 2023 | Jane Kinninmont, Edan Simpson, Adam Thomson, Des Browne, Arthur Duforest, Eva Siegmann, Marion Messmer and Alexey Gromyko
Global Security

NEVER Commentaries

Commentary

Beyond nuclear deterrence: New approaches for tackling non-nuclear strategic threats

In our latest commentary from the ELN’s New European Voices on Existential Risk (NEVER) network, Shane Ward and Eva Siegmann, explore how the emergence of non-nuclear strategic threats (NNST) has undermined the normative taboo surrounding the use of nuclear weapons, and why new methods extending beyond deterrence are needed to ensure international stability.

23 October 2023 | Shane Ward and Eva Siegmann
Global Security
Commentary

Could establishing Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) systems for nuclear security in the EU improve existential risk resilience?

Nicholas Moulios, from the ELN’s New European Voices on Existential Risk (NEVER) Network, has written the ELN’s first commentary as part of this project. He explores the capabilities of OSINT systems for assessing and mitigating potential nuclear disasters, and how these emerging technologies can be harnessed to improve existential risk resilience in Europe and beyond.

1 August 2023
Global Security