Biological Catastrophe

Engineered pandemics or lab-escape pathogens pose the highest near-term existential risk. Advances in biotechnology have democratized the ability to create deadly pathogens, while globalization ensures rapid global spread. Antibiotic-resistant pathogens already kill millions annually, and a deliberately engineered or accidentally released virus could be far worse. Unlike climate change, which unfolds over decades, biological threats can strike suddenly and with catastrophic consequences. Geopolitical tensions also increase the risk of bioweapon development or accidental release from high-security labs, which are proliferating worldwide.