Dear friends,
We are pleased to announce a new report The origin and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: An expert survey. We surveyed 168 experts from around the world about how the COVID-19 pandemic began and the corresponding implications for future pandemics. It addressed the question of whether the pandemic began via natural zoonosis from a nonhuman animal to a human or via a research-related accident remains, as well as the question of the value of further research on the topic. It is the first-ever systematic study of expert opinion on the origin of COVID-19.
View the report: The origin and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: An expert survey.
Sincerely,
Seth Baum
Executive Director
2023 Annual Report
GCRI’s 2023 Annual Report documents our work during 2023 and our plans for 2024. It covers GCRI’s research, outreach, community support, and organization development. Overall, 2023 was a relatively quite year for GCRI as we transition toward a focus on contributing to public conversations about global catastrophic risk.
2023 GCRI Fellows
Each year, GCRI recognizes as Fellows a group of people who have made exceptional contributions to addressing global catastrophic risk in collaboration with GCRI. We are pleased to announce three Fellows in the 2023 GCRI Fellowship Program: Natalie Kiilu, a Program Associate of the ILINA Program, an organization that supports people across Africa working on global catastrophic risk and related topics; En Qi, a Masters student in Economics at the Toulouse School of Economics; and Roberto Tinoco, a Scientific Diplomat with Riesgos Catastróficos Globales, an organization that works on policy for global catastrophic risk across the Spanish-speaking countries.
2023 Advising and Collaboration Program Summary
During August-December 2023, GCRI ran its annual Advising and Collaboration Program. Through the program, we spoke with 43 people from around the world and made 54 private introductions, helping them connect with other people in the field of global catastrophic risk. The program is GCRI’s primary means of supporting people who are trying to get more involved in global catastrophic risk.
All-Hazards Policy
A new report All-hazards policy for global catastrophic risk develops the concept of using specific policy measures to address multiple global catastrophic risks at the same time. The report is published by GCRI and written by Rumtin Sepasspour, co-founder and Director of Policy for Global Shield, a new organization dedicated to advancing policy for reducing global catastrophic risk.