Catastrophic Biological Risks
Background
COVID-19 has caused global devastation and demonstrated the urgent need to improve U.S. national strategy and responses to biological threats. Yet, progress in and proliferation of biotechnology is likely to increase both the frequency and severity of future biological threats, whether from lab accidents or the deliberate release of engineered pathogens. As Kevin Esvelt points out, the United States “has lost more citizens to the pandemic than it has in all military conflicts in the past century, yet it devotes less than 1% of its defense budget to biodefense.”
We should invest in robust early warning and rapid response capacities, countermeasure development, and improved international coordination. Collectively, these measures would allow the nation to stop future pandemics in their tracks—avoiding a staggering number of lives lost and damage to health, national readiness, and the economy.
Resources
“A Handbook for Ending Catastrophic Biological Risks” (2022), Council on Strategic Risks
Biosecurity Dilemmas: Dreaded Diseases, Ethical Responses, and the Health of Nations (2017), Christian Enemark
“The Apollo Program for Biodefense – Winning the Race Against Biological Threats” (2021), Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
“Global Catastrophic Biological Risks” (2019), Thomas V. Inglesby & Amesh A. Adalja
“AI and Biorisk: An Explainer” (2023), Steph Batalis, CSET
