Chuck Watson: "Nuclear War - All the Questions You Were Afraid to Ask"
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Nate Hagens
4.8 • 555 Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2022
⏱️ 99 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Show Summary:
On this episode, we meet again with risk expert Chuck Watson.
How can we avoid a nuclear conflict? Watson gives a primer on how to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict and the measures we can take to mitigate nuclear exchange as individuals, a nation, and the world. Further, Watson explains the potential pathways to nuclear escalation.
This episode was recorded thanks to the valuable feedback from listeners of The Great Simplification, who expressed a desire to dive deeper into this topic.
About Chuck Watson:
Chuck Watson is the founder and Director of Research and Development of Enki Holdings, LLC, which designs computer models for phenomena ranging from tropical cyclones (hurricanes) and other weather phenomena, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as anthropogenic hazards such as industrial accidents, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction
Enki's models and their outputs are used by governments around the world such as the US Government (NASA, Defense Department, State Department, EPA), the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Hawaii, as well as the insurance industry and UN Agencies. Chuck has been a frequent guest on NPR, CNBC, and Bloomberg News providing expert perspectives on the economic impacts of natural and anthropogenic hazards.
For Show Notes and Transcript visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/17-chuck-watson-nuclear-war
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to The Great Simplification with Nate Higgins. |
| 0:06.0 | That's me. |
| 0:07.0 | On this show, we try to explore and simplify what's happening with energy, the economy, the environment, and our society. |
| 0:17.0 | Together with scientists, experts, and leaders, this show is about understanding the |
| 0:22.6 | bird's eye view of how everything fits together, where we go from here and what we can |
| 0:28.1 | do about it as a society and as individuals. |
| 0:33.2 | Today I have not a second but a third conversation on the Great Simplification with my friend |
| 0:39.2 | and colleague Chuck Watson. |
| 0:41.5 | I've known Chuck for 15 years. |
| 0:43.5 | He's a former Air Force pilot. |
| 0:46.1 | He's a risk analyst. |
| 0:47.9 | He's worked for the government, government agencies like NASA, the State Department, the |
| 0:52.2 | private sector. Since I've known, Chuck, he never calls |
| 0:57.3 | attention to himself or his own deeds and stories. He is singularly focused on stabilization |
| 1:07.9 | and mitigating risks. I learned on this conversation some things about him that he's never told me in 15 years. |
| 1:16.9 | He is a reluctant spokesperson for the systemic risks involved in a nuclear escalation. |
| 1:28.3 | But I think the fact that he agreed to do this conversation and share his expertise on the |
| 1:34.3 | difference between convention on nuclear weapons, what are the escalation pathways, what are |
| 1:39.3 | the damages, and more specifically, what can we do as a nation, as a world, and as individuals |
| 1:47.8 | to minimize the risk of a nuclear civilization ending exchange is why he agreed to share |
| 1:57.2 | these things today. |
| 1:58.8 | I hope you all spend the time to listen to this roughly 90 minute conversation with my friend |
... |
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