In the previous part, we went through a framework for analyzing the problems within which you have the opportunity to make the biggest difference – problems that are big, neglected and solvable. Now we will move from theory to practice and apply the framework to see which problems seem most promising to focus on. In a perfect world, more people would work in all important fields. But as individuals we only have one career and need to decide where it can do the most good. Thus, this section should not be read as saying that all the world’s resources should be allocated to the listed problems. The question is where you as an individual, given how resources are distributed today, can make the biggest difference on the margin.
Prioritizing between global problems is associated with great complexity and research is limited. The estimates therefore come with a high degree of uncertainty and we expect that our opinion will change as we receive new information. However, based on years of work by organizations such as 80,000 Hours, Global Priorities Institute, and Open Philanthropy, areas that can be categorized as global catastrophic risks seem particularly urgent to get more people to work on. These include:
Ensuring safe development of artificial intelligence (AI)
Preventing catastrophic pandemics
Enhancing nuclear security
Mitigating extreme climate change
Note that this priority isn’t about what problems are most important solely, but also take into account how much resources are already invested in the areas, and how likely it is to make progress on them.
For many, these problems can feel big, new, abstract and difficult to do anything about. It can be easy to conclude that they do not suit one’s self. But we’d like to challenge you not to dismiss them just yet. In the next chapter, we’ll go over the types of professions that can help tackle these problems, and many find that there are more options available to them than they first thought.
Of course, we also think that there are other areas where you can do a lot of good as well, and we will present two promising alternatives for those who want to focus on more concrete, and in the short term more measurable, problems:
Improving human health in low-income countries
Reducing animal suffering in industrial food production
In addition to working directly with a pressing problem, doing research and building capacity to tackle future challenges can also be one of the most promising areas you can work on. These include:
Global priorities research
Improve institutional decision-making
Finally, we also recommend material for those who want to read about additional problems that seem important to work on.