I think it is useful to discuss qualifies as an X-risk. Asteroid/​comet impact is widely regarded as an X-risk, but a big one that could cause human extinction might only have a one in a million probability in the next 100 years. This is a 0.0001% reduction in humanity’s long term value. However, if you believe 80,000 Hours that nuclear war might have a ~3% chance in the next 100 years and this could reduce the long term future potential of humanity ~30%, that is a ~1% reduction in the future of humanity this century. So practically speaking, it is much more of an X-risk than asteroids are. Similarly, if you believe 80k that extreme climate change has a ~3% chance in the next 100 years and it reduces the long run potential by ~20%, that is a 0.6% reduction in the long term future of humanity. This again is much larger than asteroids. I personally think the nuclear risk is higher and the climate risk is lower than these numbers. It is true that some of the long-term impact could be classified as trajectory changes rather than traditional X risk. But I think most people are interested in trajectory changes as well.
I don’t think the 80k estimate on climate change is based on a thorough investigation of the science. I just don’t see how from the impacts estimated in the next 100 years, extreme climate change could be thought to be a greater than 0.1% ex risk. The heat stress of >4 degrees would be bad but if things started going that badly, I think the world would take action. In a few decades it will be much cheaper to abate GHGs and everyone will have an interest in doing so
I generally agree. The question is whether we should call something an X-risk by the impact if it happens alone or by the impact*probability. If the latter, and if comets are an X-risk, then we should call extreme climate change (and definitely nuclear war) an X-risk.
By that logic you are turning the idea of an x-risk into anything that really matters in the long run. So poverty is an x-risk too in this definition. That makes it not a useful definition and is also very different from how most people think about the term.
Extinction (or something just as bad): x-risk. I go by that.
I think it is useful to discuss qualifies as an X-risk. Asteroid/​comet impact is widely regarded as an X-risk, but a big one that could cause human extinction might only have a one in a million probability in the next 100 years. This is a 0.0001% reduction in humanity’s long term value. However, if you believe 80,000 Hours that nuclear war might have a ~3% chance in the next 100 years and this could reduce the long term future potential of humanity ~30%, that is a ~1% reduction in the future of humanity this century. So practically speaking, it is much more of an X-risk than asteroids are. Similarly, if you believe 80k that extreme climate change has a ~3% chance in the next 100 years and it reduces the long run potential by ~20%, that is a 0.6% reduction in the long term future of humanity. This again is much larger than asteroids. I personally think the nuclear risk is higher and the climate risk is lower than these numbers. It is true that some of the long-term impact could be classified as trajectory changes rather than traditional X risk. But I think most people are interested in trajectory changes as well.
I don’t think the 80k estimate on climate change is based on a thorough investigation of the science. I just don’t see how from the impacts estimated in the next 100 years, extreme climate change could be thought to be a greater than 0.1% ex risk. The heat stress of >4 degrees would be bad but if things started going that badly, I think the world would take action. In a few decades it will be much cheaper to abate GHGs and everyone will have an interest in doing so
I generally agree. The question is whether we should call something an X-risk by the impact if it happens alone or by the impact*probability. If the latter, and if comets are an X-risk, then we should call extreme climate change (and definitely nuclear war) an X-risk.
I see, yes good point.
By that logic you are turning the idea of an x-risk into anything that really matters in the long run. So poverty is an x-risk too in this definition. That makes it not a useful definition and is also very different from how most people think about the term.
Extinction (or something just as bad): x-risk. I go by that.