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The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI

The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI

Your Undivided Attention vor 11 Monaten

In 1987, 198 countries came together in Montreal to draft an agreement to save the world from the ozone hole. It was an unprecedented moment of global coordination amid a catastrophic crisis. How did it happen? And what can it teach us about the crisis of

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In 1985, scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the ozone
layer that posed a catastrophic threat to life on earth if we
didn’t do something about it. Then, something amazing happened:
humanity rallied together to solve the problem.

Just two years later, representatives from all 198 UN member
nations came together in Montreal, CA to sign an agreement to
phase out the chemicals causing the ozone hole. Thousands of
diplomats, scientists, and heads of industry worked hand in hand
to make a deal to save our planet. Today, the Montreal protocol
represents the greatest achievement in multilateral coordination
on a global crisis.

So how did Montreal happen? And what lessons can we learn from
this chapter as we navigate the global crisis of uncontrollable
AI? This episode sets out to answer those questions with Susan
Solomon. Susan was one of the scientists who assessed the ozone
hole in the mid 80s and she watched as the Montreal protocol came
together. In 2007, she won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in
combating climate change.

Susan's 2024 book “Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We
Can Do It Again,” explores the playbook for global coordination
that has worked for previous planetary crises.

Your Undivided Attention is produced by
the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on
X: @HumaneTech_. You can find a full transcript, key
takeaways, and much more on our Substack.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

“Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again”
by Susan Solomon

The full text of the Montreal Protocol

The full text of the Kigali Amendment

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Corrections:

Tristan incorrectly stated the number of signatory countries to
the protocol as 190. It was actually 198.

Tristan incorrectly stated the host country of the international
dialogues on AI safety as Beijing. They were actually in
Shanghai.

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