FBS @COP28: Cryptography, Music and Moon Dust (+inthe Hoff) in the Battle Against Climate Change

David Chaum is the inventor of the blockchain and blind signatures and founder of the cypher punk movement, a small activist group from the 1980s that used cryptography to protect privacy in the digital realm.. He is joined by Fernando Garibay, super producer and polymath who works with soft diplomacy and soft power using music as a means of communication and influence in a discussion moderated by Oscar Wendel.
Some of the highlights:
Cryptography essential for individual privacy in the info-driven world: need for privacy-preserving technologies with the growing threat of surveillance capitalism and the importance of giving people control over their personal data.
- David Chaum discusses his work on cryptography in the 1970s, including with the Air Force.
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Fernando and David Chaum discuss challenges in translating ideas into practical applications, with a focus on the digital realm's ease of deployment compared to other fields.
- David Chaum shares his experience of trying to explain complex ideas like cryptography in simple terms that ordinary people can understand the importance of communication in making these ideas accessible.
The cypherpunk’s movement's ethos evolving with more people empathizing with the sentiment of being a "cypher punk 2.0" in today's world.

- AstroCool: Using asteroids as a shield to block sunlight and mitigate climate change.
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David Chaum explains that putting dust in space to block sunlight is a potential solution to prevent global warming, but it's not a permanent fix and will fall off eventually.
- Fernando and David discuss using asteroids as a sustainable source of dust for space exploration
29:16:
Potential of nuclear-powered rockets for deep space missions.
The importance of developing a plan to deploy moon dust to cool the planet, as a potential solution to global warming.
Space mining and its potential to solve climate change.
34:10:
The potential benefits of mining on the moon, from valuable elements and resources like radioactive isotopes, water, and rocket fuel.
Carbon markets to climate change solutions.
42:52:
Oscar Wendel and David Chaum discuss the feasibility of a carbon trading platform, with Oscar expressing skepticism about its potential to solve the climate crisis.
• Climate change and funding for research projects.
47m - Oscar Wendel emphasizes the value of the research, regardless of belief in climate change, as it provides a crucial answer to a basic science question that can have significant societal implications.
55:43:
David Chaum discusses the timeline and milestones for his project, including a one-year timeframe for experiment design and partnership building, and an intermediate step referred to as mission architecture in the aerospace field.
- Chaum expresses excitement about the potential for public involvement and consultation in the project, and the positive second-order effects it could have on civilization.
1:01:36: David Chaum discusses the Moon Village Association and its role in the space industry, as well as the potential for disruptive technology and economic scale to drive innovation.