Small Modular Reactors 1:55 A.I. 3:41 Outer Space 5:28 Biologic Drugs 7:25 Shale Revolution 8:40 Agriculture 11:30

The best of breed, Peter gives such a great overview of where things are going and why, without being overly political or divisive. Big fan

Going for a morning hike with Peter while getting a master class in world affairs really makes my day. Thank you Peter!

I was waiting until the end because I was hoping to pounce in the comment section when I thought Peter Zeihan was going to miss GMOs, but honestly, I think he nailed it. That is why I listen to this hiking channel with great geopolitics.

I look forward to Peter's video every morning. He has a great outlook on the world

Peter is like Gandalf wandering in the woods talking to trees and birds it is so cute somehow. Hi Peter.

Peter has a gift of digesting many streams of information, arrange and synchronize them into a single train of thought, and deliver the result with his excellent communication / presentation / writing skills. Hats off.

For a guy who knows so much, he is never in the office :) Good to hear Peter say "Ma and Pa shops" To me the four ingredients of innovation are : 1) A place to tinker. 2) A reason to tinker and 3) Time to tinker and 4) Materials to tinker with. From Charles Goodyear making vulcanized rubber in the kitchen to Jobs/Woyzniac making the Apple. When citizens are stress and "tapped out" they reduce their tinkering. Yes many still do but the number drops.

I think this guy loves walking in nature

US farmers are already doing inputs based yield expectations on a small scale vs. farm field wide. Its the plant genetics that is changing big time. I was at Purdue in 1998; the corn guru there said no way we can top 700 bushel an acre ever; 350 bu/ac be tough to do. 2019 corn yield record holder hit 619 bu/ac!!!

I work in biologic drugs (aging.) Since I've started walking and talking like Peter ...great insights started happening behind the scenes. Walking is good for creativity!

Honestly, I think we're sufficiently underutilizing the technologies we DO have, that a slowdown in the rate of raw innovation (and an increase in the rate of operationalization) might actually do more to help than hurt. I can think of hundreds of workplaces and processes that can be mechanized, automated, and robotized to a MUCH greater degree than they already are. And if we have a shrinking workforce, that removes the main objection we have to it, which is that it takes away people's jobs. The worst thing we could do right now is mass-import workers to replace the ones retiring. If we do that, the pressures driving down birthrates will never go away.

Ageism in tech is a huge problem. I'm in my 60's and I have to do my innovation work in manufacturing automation, not at the "cool" Big Tech and start-up companies.

Excellent summation of where things are, at the moment. Well done Peter!

I can't believe that Peter does not have over 2 million subscribers. He is a brilliant and important mind and most folks choose to watch drooling idiots on you tube. Rock on Peter!

I'm an IT professional. I didn't learn about all types of artificial neural networks, but the ones I learned about are extremely easy to run and would do with even old hardware. Teaching the network is more demanding.

That's (as usual) a seriously wide range of knowledge. Thank you for sharing.

I had wondered if the Green Party was supported by the Soviet Union/Russia. People tend to underestimate and discount the effectiveness of propaganda. The internet and AI allows it to be deployed, disseminated and even individually targeted. Yet no one wants to admit they could be affected by it… “No, not me. I’m an independent thinker.”

Speaking of innovation, how about a video that discusses the game-changing advances that plasma-bit drilling is likely going to have on the well drilling industry, in the very near future, especially regarding geothermal wells(?) Really enjoy the channel and your insight, keep up the great work!

Not quite as optimistic about this tech stuff as Peter Diamandis, but still a valuable perspective. The world needs more than one Peter.

Screw the Geopolitics man, someone tell me how this man can hike, think & speak at the same type without fainting

I'm beginning to think you don't have a house mate.

Excellent video. Incredibly informative on a broad range of subjects.

Always appreciate someone who can plainly state the origins and motivations of the Green Cult.

Peter your inspirational talks have changed my life. Just keep it up! My question, on your multi day hikes, what’s your kit list? I struggle keeping my pack lite. And your right about everything else so ………….

I work at a company that actually came up with a change to PCR (although its not called that because the way it works is different). This tech can be placed on a small chip and genetic testing for things like viruses or small genetic sequences can be done in 8 to 15 min under isothermal conditions. The chip is hooked up to a device that can almost immediately inform a doctor of the results of the test.

This is one of those epic Peter videos that hits you when you least expect it. Wish he'd include a bibliography so I could do a deeper dive on some of the topics.

Enjoy listening to your thoughts and general knowledge of current events and history. I live in cedar rapids and will be staying at Golden Colorado for abit to enjoy what Colorado has to offer!

Having lived in Colorado for a few years, I found it beautiful hiking there. I live on the east coast so West Virginia has become my go to hiking and camping spot. Needless to say, we just bought land and are moving there.

This is the kind of news and scientific updates that i live for! Instwad of the usual crazy western alarmism about how everything is wrong and the workd is ending, i am so happy to see a westerner reporting in the ongoing beneficial scientific innovation and research.

A simple rebuttal: 1. Fewer and less skilled people are needed for high tech projects than ever given the utility of existing automation products and the legacy tech experience in Gen Xers and millennials, which did not exist at scale before 2010 2. Less capital is needed than ever for software innovation given the progress in open source software, copilot programs, and new development languages and platforms. 3. Existing robotics tech can and will massively streamline manufacturing at scale and reduce associated costs for countless products. This will be capital intensive, but the returns are enormous since maintenance is cheaper than wages and benefits, so it will definitely attract the needed capital - see the Midea acquisition of Kuka. If you don't think the largest manufacturer of electrical goods acquiring the market leader in industrial robotics is a sign of manufacturing going full auto, I don't know what to tell you. 4. Most commercial chips can run UX for AI apps, and cloud providers already have massive supplies of server side chips 5. Server side chips for AI will be manufactured in the US at scale within 5 years. 6. Supply chains for chips can be streamlined and localized/friend shored within that 5 years and it's already starting

Peter continues to lead the WFN, Work From Nature movement. I’m joining!

great video peter, always informative and realistic

Your videos are great, I actually feel like I've learned things about the world that few others bother to even think about. And all the while you are laying down the knowledge you are just casually strolling through a different wilderness ever time.

Always well-reasoned and thought provoking. Thank you Mr. Zeihan.

"Where in the World is Peter Zeihan and his crystal ball....?" The behavior of homo sapiens throughout the ages has not changed enough to accomadate anything other than time in a capsule. The evolution painstakingly, differentiates technological advances just ahead of throwing a weighted spear to it's target with less drag then the previuos throw. Finding an individual who is willing to put a finger into some of the abstract carnage at present, can be like that of a gifted child who will excel to become a beacon, should anyone be interested. Thanks Peter, always enjoy the outdoors with you. Stay safe!

Peter for president! Can we have a real option for once?

Peter Zeihan never disappoints

That is some serious cardio fitness to deliver that summary while hiking with a backpack. 🤣And as always - chocked full of useful insights

Limits of innovation. Directly related to freedom and liberty of citizens. If innovation is lacking, there is a reason.

Thanks again for another educational, informative video - and the awesome vistas!

I think one of the big areas that will see innovation increase is in the low capital cost areas that people can play around in. low capital being $500-10,000 dollars, which is part of why we have seen such a major boon for ai as much of the ground work can be done on 500-10,000 dollar computers that you can buy at a store. Organic/sustainable/resilient agriculture being another area that is seeing and will keep seeing major improvements, as we see indoor growing and small plot farms starting to be developed and building in automation. It's all those areas of development that have been ignored for the last 60+ years.

Dr. Joseph Tainter, University of Pennsylvania has a great Series on this great Topic of the End of Innovation. Keep up the Excellent work Mr. Zeihan.

Really optimistic outlook, you made my day What a wonderful time 😃

Honestly,....this human being IS a national treasure!

Master Zeihan just explained in a few minutes; what took me an entire 6 months to research and validate.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 This is the power of have access to actionable Data and experience with different industries and processes.

This was one of the best

Peter, you are Awesome, thanks so much for your knowledge and insights. Watch out for wildlife out there ok?

Well done. The ag future forecast is something I assumed, but now I know what the contributing factors are that will lead to the ag production evolution & growth. My granddad had 220 acres, a tractor, a plow, & manure spreader for the family farm here in Iowa. He used the shared Co-op cultivator & seeder for planting and outsourced the harvest to a combine company.. The only fertilizer he used was manure. His corn & soybean yields were just enough to feed the hogs & cattle he raised, with some left to get some cash by selling to the local grain elevator to put on the market. He'd be amazed at the corn yields & tech today. 😀

I lived off this guys opinions while in college. I loved his books and he has great views on globalization, manufacturing, birth rates etc etc.

I love our walks and talks together. I'm smarter, more fit, and might even be better-looking now. 😎

Peter's approach is great for understanding geopolitical strategy because the macro-level geographical, economic, and even political forces which are amenable to quantitative analysis are the best tools governments and corporations have for thinking about these things. But they're less useful for explaining trends in innovation, which is strongly influenced by more intangible phenomena like culture and law.

I don't think things will be as bad as you make them out in terms of lack of tech workers in the future. I remember in the 80's attending a colloquia, as a physics grad student, telling me that there are no jobs for us, (the largest cohort in US history). And the over capacity was at least a factor of 2. And that was in an age of generally lower scientific and technical awareness in the general public. Things have changed so much. There are so many outlets of information and free education from top notch universities, even with the declining population I think we are gonna be just fine.

Let's play 'Where in the World is Peter Zeihan?'

One thing to keep in mind is that innovation often does not require new technology. What it does require is changing your approach to the problem. Fly-away nuclear reactors may not be ready for prime time just yet, but fly-away fractional petroleum distilleries have been around for over 20 years. Don't want to use petroleum? Try plasma waste disposal to generate collectible gases that can be used to run co-generation facilities. Or how about using a 9 volt battery to create bi-generic plant hybrids on demand? No gene-editing required. You spoke of limitations, Peter. Humans are at their most innovative when confronted with limitations. Said elsewhere: Take a group of kids and put them in an open field. They will naturally gravitate toward the center. But put a fence around the field, and they will immediately be drawn to the fence. Limitations are the boundaries at which discovery occurs. And the world knows that no one innovates like the Yanks. They don't call it Yankee ingenuity for nothing...

Hiking is the best. So much beauty out there to see and hear. Can't do it on a machine.

QUESTION FOR PETER You've talked a lot about the impacts of Boomers mass-retiring. But what are the impacts of them mass-dying, and of all their retirement savings being inherited?

Thanks for a great analysis of potential remedial technologies. I would love to see you discuss this topic specifically in relation to demographic collapse and any subsequent security issues…

*I want to walk in nature with Peter!*

Engineer and child of two researchers here. Knowledge grows exponentially because every discovery then forks into several others further down the line. We spent several million years making stone tools. Then, with domestication of plants and animals, the pace grew, slowly at first. We talk of the middle ages as the dark ages, but in fact, innovation accelerated considerably. The birth of the scientific method in the century of lights paved the way for the industrial revolution. We are in the information age, just a continuation. AI will follow with the advent of the singularity. The only thing that will stop us is when our own innovations kill us (global warming, nuclear bombs and AI are good candidates). Economy and demographics are tied into this process, but are far from the only parameters. Cultural ones are probably more important ones. The Islamic world innovates very little in this century even though their demographics are explosive (less groundbreaking scientific articles published generated by 1.2 billion Muslims than by Spain, a country of 45 million). As for the bad rap nuclear power gets, you forget the fear of nuclear war during the cold war (movies like "The Day After"), testing of radiation effects on US military personnel (atomic veterans), Three Mile Island, Tchernobyl, Fukushima. Blaming it on Russian propaganda is a gross simplification.

This is why I subscribe to Peter’s content - the wide-ranging broad scale treatise on the geopolitical impacts of a humming bird flying over a beaver dammed creek, is what is so cool…. Literally the flight of a bumble bee can influence a pipeline lol

Rolls Royce already has modular Nuclear Power units and probably others too. Geothermal breakthroughs are incredibly promising with the tech barriers seemingly overcome very recently. See George Monbiot on precision brewing for foods.

When my grandfather farmed it was 60 bushel per acre. Now it is 200 bushel per acre. Corn. There's GPS tracking that measures bushels on each acre. Matches that to how much fertilizer etc is applied. This is used year to year to optimise everything.

I've only recently discovered Mr. Zeihan and have been avidly binging on all of this amazing knowledge. I'm addicted.

Zeihan's remark about the KGB origins of the environmental movement struck a nerve. One thing that has irritated me about environmentalists pretty much my entire life has been their sense of defeatism. As in, there is no way to solve the environmental crises we face unless we devote ourselves to a puritanical regime of self-negation which no one would agree to. It individualizes the problem, as in small micro-decisions of middle-class Americans are root cause of the problem, reflecting how Communist regimes would harass, torture, and kill people who indulged in relatively innocuous middle-class pleasures. And there is a lot of implicit hatred of the West - notice how so much of the climate change self-flagellation ignores the shameless contributions of China to carbon emission. Finally, one thing I have noticed when I respond to these articles is how anti-practical they are. As in, I will recommend increased funding for R&D, increased regulation of polluting industries, a more coherent redefinition of ESG in the financial community, and increased input of environmental concerns into foreign policy decisions, and I will be called selfish, narcissistic, capitalist, etc. By the way, I am all these things - an unapologetic capitalist interested in the betterment of myself and my loved ones, and I have a hopefully well-deserved high opinion of myself, sometimes. I think the tragedy of environmentalism is that the problems are very real, but the people voicing these concerns have no interest in a real solution. They simply want to punish the people they hate.

That was very interesting. Technology in all fields of endeavour rolls on. One caveat. Regarding farm activity and probably other occupations, farm equipment, including heavy equipment like tractors, is becoming more software dependent. Much of it proprietary. When your tractor won’t star because of a software glitch the solution is not available at your local supplier. For some it requires a company tech to come out to fix the problem. They are not around every street corner and it can take days or weeks for the fix. That can be costly at harvest time. That 1990 JD does not have those issues.

Love the Serengeti sunglasses, Peter!!

SMR's are the FUTURE!!!!! I'm a senior nuclear engineering major, My senior design project is about developing an SMR for use in the mining industry!

Great overview, Peter. Your timeline prediction regarding Nuscale is right on the mark. You didn't however mention any of the other companies (non American) that are also on the cusp of getting regulatory and prototype approval, companies like Moltex, Elysium and Thorcon, to name a few. Perhaps you'll mention Small Modular Reactor/Molten Salt Reactor competition and the industries' effects on the "green" revolution in another video? I noted too, that there's a lot of ground clutter (fallen trees, etc.) on your hike.

I just wanted to take a moment to say how amazing your video was! I was really impressed with the quality of the footage, the editing, and the overall presentation. You did a great job of explaining the topic in a clear and concise way, and I learned a lot from watching your video.

Fascinating topics presented in an entertaining way. That’s what keeps me coming back. Great job.

Thorium reactors are one answer - melt downs are self extinguishing (due to molten salt cooling that solidifies), the fuel is abundant (unlike Uranium), the nuclear waste is un-weaponisable. Etc etc.

On the more grounded side, installing modular nuclear reactors on the site of former coal fire stations would go a long way toward sidestepping NIMBY related issues - or so you'd think.

Peter, what is your routine for learning everything you know and staying informed on so many topics? Your videos are interesting and impressive. I enjoy them every day. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and thoughtful insight.

Extremely knowledgeable and inspirational. Enjoying nature,exercising and just enjoying life.

In reiteration of what you shared: One limitation is a breakdown of the critical ecosystem that supports manufacturing of chips in Taiwan which is the point of the spear. Everything behind that thrust (of the chip manufacturing) requires globalization of which about 9000 companies are involved in building stuff needed to manufacture the chips. Half of those steps (in manufacturing the chips correct?) is done by one company in one country by a single staff without any global competition and has only one customer (The United States?). It is globalization in its perfect form which has taken 60 years to get to this point. So a breakdown of the globalization at any place of significance (possibly China taking over Taiwan) forfeits the ability to make the chips in mass and it would require about 10 years to return to our current status with a low amount of available capital. Appreciate your grasp on geopolitics. Thank you

Over 700 SMR’s built since the late 1940’s - not all for military use. Even easier to build SMR’s on land than on ships … Otherwise I’m with you 100%

I agree with Peter that AI is bound by the chip power and quantity. However, if deep learning with VCSEL proves to be as effective as reported just a month ago, that restriction is no longer there.

The master of the metaphor. The Spear. An absorbent sponge cortex able to imbibe, then organise and transform such complex information into a comprehensible soliloquy for us .... all whilst taking a hike. Uphill. Thankyou and Bravo :)

Excellent topics to think about with context and analysis included. Also, great inspiration to get off the couch, thanks Peter!!

You mentioned corn. Uses lots of water. Our recent very high humidity that accompanied the heat here in Iowa was caused in great part by evapotranspiration - corn sweat. Makes for misery. Corn handles heat well, but prolonged temps above 95F retard growth. Another factor that will have a long range effect is that Iowa has half as much topsoil today as it did in the mid-1850s. Really nasty thunderstorms don't help with soil conservation and can destroy crops. The US is exhausting its aquifers, although that's not nearly as big a problem in Iowa as in Nebraska or Kansas. Too bad we can't frack water. And weird weather also affects the insurance industry, which depends on predictable unpredictability, and that inturn impacts construction activity. I could go on and on. In the background, while we prognosticate and plan, is a climate that is changing and becoming more chaotic. My crystal ball has gone on strike.

Hey Peter, I enjoy your snippets. I wanted to find out where you find a lot of your information. I have my own channels, however every now and then you will provide information about a topic that I have not personally found myself. I do read Academic journals from time to time, in conjunction to things like statistics from the WEF, World Bank, Treasury and so forth. Merely curious if there were any other recommendations you were willing to provide? Thanks :)

2:11 thorium, molten salt reactors. They make xenon for interstellar space travel. They make molybdenum 99 for cancer diagnostics therapies and research. Excess heat can be used for water desalinization. Petroleum, distillate, manufacturing, i.e. diesel, fuel, heating oil, kerosene, etc..

Zeihan makes me wanna explore mother nature

The eventual problem with AI is that by the time a company gears up their whiz-bang AI product or software, the speed of innovation will render that product or software obsolete. Companies are going to have such a hard time deciding WHEN to jump into a given market, because the next innovation that renders their current technology obsolete is going to be just weeks, days, and eventually HOURS away.

Robotics is a category that stretches across multiple of the listed categories that I think will have an enormous impact in the near future. As mentioned a lot of robotics doesn't necessarily require great amounts of processing power. Robots with "lower end" processing will improve many parts of our daily lives.

I agree with the ag prognosis in terms of potential per acre yields; but I think there are many factors that will mean that net production at national scales won't necessarily track the local max yields (reduced acres under production/diversification, regional climate shocks, decreasing efficacy of certain herbicides, etc). At minimum, it forebodes a significant continuation of the consolidation of farmland in certain regions in order to be profitable...

Gotta get my daily Peter. I'd like a rundown of every state - - the good, the bad and the ugly. Economics and future outlook trends. Best retirement. Lowest tax base. Etc.

Please don’t get killed by a bear on your hikes Peter 🙏 We need you.

Using AI is a massive boost to productivity.. I can code a program in 1 day what would have taken 2 weeks. Maybe don't need so many young people in this industry anymore ✌

I’d pay a large sum of money to hike and chat about global politics with Peter. This is the next best thing.

Love your multi-tasking Sir!

SpaceX made access to space 10x cheaper - with the *Falcon 9* Now with *Starship* they can do that *again* (prob by 2026, since F9 development to commercial use was cca 8-10 years. Starship began in 2016) Big stuff is gonna happen besides sats and tourism! (also Starship is estimated to be able to do 150t to 250t to LEO, compared to F9's 13t)

The reality is we need SOCIAL innovation if technical innovation is to mean anything...

I gotta sit down and take a break after listening to this! ;-)

I do not think there are limits to innovation but I think that some problems cannot be overcome by innovation and I think that some innovation creates new problems.

I believe SMRs have a number of competing programmes worldwide, thr US has several in the mini and micro size space and the UK has at least the one with Rolls Royce, I think possibly more too. I would envisage the European continent has some of its own, if Germany doesn't have a programme in progress this would be very odd indeed.

Peter almost makes me want to get out on a nature walk then I remember where I live😂

The agricultural narrow-casting is amazingly high tech. That dude in overalls with dirt packed under his fingernails has the equivalent of 2 BS's and a few tech certifications to really use it. They're out there. Imagine a machine that crawls through your row crops with cameras to inspect every single plant, sensors to check moisture, temp and a dozen other things in real time, smart systems to analyze what it is sensing and determine the right mix of water, fertilizer, any number of pesticides, etc... and deliver it to that exact plant and no other one... while it just crawls through the field, never stopping. The tech is amazing. The farmer has to be able to fix the mechanical systems AND understand the smart systems enough to at least swap components or clean them on the fly. He can't have that thing stop moving for a week while he waits for a tech from the factory! He (or she) also has to review the aggregate data for each field so they can understand changes over time and adapt to changing conditions. All of that is really hard. Never think farming today is remotely like what it was even 50 years ago.

Jeez, Peter. My knees hurt just watching your videos! 😂😂