If you had a trillion dollars and a year to spend it for the good of the world and the advancement of science, what would you do?
It’s an unimaginably large sum, yet it’s only around one per cent of world GDP, and about the valuation of Google, Microsoft or Amazon. It’s a much smaller sum than the world found to bail out its banks in 2008 or deal with Covid-19.
In this week’s How To Academy Podcast, New Scientist senior editor and evolutionary biologist Rowan Hooper explores how $1 trillion could be used to change the course of human history: from creating artificial life to colonising the moon, helping in the fight against climate change to lifting millions out of poverty.
It’s the ultimate thought experiment and a powerful reminder of the power of science and economics to shape our collective future.
Rowan’s new book, How To Spend a Trillion Dollars, is out now.
