Recently, the Nobel Sustainability Trust Summit and the First Nobel DAO Future Technology Conference were held at UC Berkeley. This event was jointly organized by the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST), UC Berkeley, Nobel DAO, and Berkeley Center for Responsible Decentralized Intelligence (RDI). The conference gathered a diverse group of distinguished participants, including the Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein, senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, United Nations (UN) representatives, Nobel laureates, international organization executives, industry pioneers, renowned science fiction authors, futurists, and top scholars. The conference aimed to explore the intersection of technological innovation and sustainable development, focusing on critical issues such as global climate change, energy innovation, and artificial intelligence development, seeking solutions for the sustainable future of human civilization.
The Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST) founded by members of the Nobel family and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, has long been dedicated to addressing global challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and resource overconsumption. The foundation plays a vital role in promoting global sustainable development by advocating for sustainable production and consumption practices, with a particular emphasis on non-polluting and renewable technologies. NST presents annual Sustainability Awards to recognize individuals, organizations, or enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as scientific research, entrepreneurial innovation, and civil society. In recent years, NST has successfully held sustainability summits in Bergen, Norway (2021), Paris, France (2022), and Munich, Germany (2023). In 2024, NST moved the summit to the innovation center of the U.S. West Coast—the San Francisco Bay Area—for the first time. During this summit, NST held the 2024 Sustainability Awards ceremony. The Executive Leadership Award and Outstanding Research and Development Award were presented to three pioneering scientists: Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, Professor Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, and Professor Qu Jiuhui. Meanwhile, the Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability Medal was awarded to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (represented by Science Minister Rosaura Ruiz) and former UN Secretary-General Dr. Ban Ki-moon (accepted via video).
As a co-organizer of this conference, Nobel DAO, established in early 2024, serves as an innovative cross-disciplinary scientific platform and startup accelerator supported by members of Nobel family. The organization is dedicated to discovering and nurturing young innovators aged 13 to 35, providing comprehensive support through establishing elite talent clubs, global geek centers, and future technology laboratory networks. Nobel DAO’s vision is to become one of the top three global technology innovation ecosystems, with its core mission focused on enhancing global efficiency, conserving resources, and reducing friction costs to improve people’s lives.
Keynote Addresses and Vision Sharing
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons delivered a welcome speech via video, emphasizing that whether through Berkeley, NST, Nobel DAO, or other channels, the passion for innovation and commitment to knowledge discovery and sharing are becoming increasingly important in addressing complex global challenges and improving the world.
U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna congratulated the conference via video and expressed interest in hearing perspectives and solutions regarding AI safety challenges discussed at the event.
Christian Rockefeller, representing one of America’s most influential philanthropic families, expressed heartfelt admiration for Nobel DAO’s vision in his opening remarks, praising the organization’s efforts to drive future development through disruptive technologies and ecosystem building.
Groundbreaking Perspectives Leading Future Development Directions
Innovative Perspectives on Sustainable Development and Climate Change
In the “Vision 2044” session moderated by former Google VP Meagan Pi, renowned science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson presented forward-thinking views. He highlighted the sociological concept of the “Great Acceleration” – since World War II, all indicators of human society have been accelerating, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as an “acceleration of acceleration.” He emphasized that both positive and negative developments are speeding up, placing human society at a critical turning point. He believes one of humanity’s biggest challenges is excessive atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which needs to be addressed through carbon capture methods such as reforestation and regenerative agriculture.
Environmental science professor Gretchen Daily proposed innovative ideas about integrating natural capital into economic systems during a thematic discussion. She proposed new indicators like GEP (Gross Ecosystem Product) to measure development outcomes, stressing that traditional GDP metrics no longer comprehensively reflect social progress, and new assessment systems incorporating ecological values are essential. UN representative Siddharth Chatterjee called for enhanced interdisciplinary cooperation and establishment of carbon market regulations aligned with the 1.5°C target, while emphasizing the unique challenges faced by developing countries in this process.
Breakthrough Energy Solutions
Technology futurist Pablos Holman, in his keynote address, discussed the history of human energy use and asserted that solving global issues requires first addressing energy challenges. He proposed two breakthrough energy solutions:
1. Space Solar Power: By deploying solar panels in space, it is possible to generate eight times more energy than ground-based solar panels, transmitting the energy back to Earth via radio waves. This technology could overcome the limitations of ground-based solar power, providing continuous and stable clean energy.
2. Innovative Nuclear Technology: Small nuclear reactors could be buried one mile underground through manhole covers, achieving unprecedented safety and scalability. This design significantly reduces the risks of nuclear power use while improving reliability in energy supply.
Artificial Intelligence and Future Technology Outlook
Berkeley RDI Center Director Professor Dawn Song and Dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society Professor Jennifer Chayes held an in-depth dialogue about AI safety. Professor Song particularly noted that as a cross-disciplinary center focused on responsible innovation, decentralization, and artificial intelligence intersection, RDI is honored to collaborate with Nobel DAO in bringing together top global talent to solve the world’s most challenging problems. The two experts deeply explored the balance between technological advancement and social responsibility, discussing concrete paths to ensure AI development benefits humanity.
Innovation Ecosystem Building
During the summit, Nobel DAO CEO Erik Finman introduced the organization’s innovation ecosystem vision. The organization, as a startup accelerator and community network supported by members of Nobel family, Nobel DAO is dedicated to discovering young innovators aged 13-35. Finman emphasized that Nobel DAO operates through elite talent clubs, global geek centers, and future technology laboratory networks, implementing incentive mechanisms to accelerate technological breakthroughs.
NST Chairman and Nobel DAO board director Peter Nobel emphasized in the subsequent panel discussion that Nobel DAO represents a new form of scientific development organization in the AI era, demonstrating how to foster innovative scientific development models in the age of artificial intelligence. Two distinguished Nobel DAO members—MIT AI PhD Willie McClinton and UCR Robotics Company co-founder Christopher McQuin—shared specific cases illustrating how their projects achieved accelerated development within Nobel DAO’s ecosystem, effectively demonstrating the model’s practicality.
Furthermore, in previous dialogues, Dean Jennifer Chayes also expressed agreement with Nobel DAO’s ideas. Using her personal experience as an example—her mother couldn’t perform fraction calculations, yet she received the world’s highest award in applied mathematics, and her brother became a world-renowned chemist. These experiences convinced her that there are many undiscovered outstanding talents in the world, and Nobel DAO is committed to discovering and nurturing these talents. She emphasized, “To create real impact, you must have scalability. This requires the synergistic operation of software platforms and talent platforms. Nobel DAO is building such a talent platform.”
Other Highlights
The conference also held multiple specialized workshops and forums. At the “Nature-based Assessment” expert workshop, Pro Natura founder Marcelo de Andrade, Goldman Sachs Global Head of Sustainable Banking John Eleoterio, and Colorado State University Professor Edward Barbie, shared their research findings in natural resource assessment and conservation. The “Companies and Capital Moving Towards a Sustainable Future” forum brought together financial and industry leaders including former French Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, AVAIO Capital’s Anthony Gordon, MVP Partner Rolf Nagel, Veea founder Allen Salmasi, and Ethical Spirits CEO Chikara Ono to explore innovative paths for capital markets to drive sustainable development. The conference also specially arranged Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi’s keynote speech, and the “One Amazon” special discussion hosted by Trump environmental advisor Ed Russo, which invited representatives from CAF and AECOM, the Colombian Ambassador to the U.S., and USAID’s Emily Weeks to explore Amazon rainforest protection issues. In the biomedical field, Nobel laureate Professor Randy Schekman presented his latest research findings on Parkinson’s disease.
Impact and Future Outlook
The summit successfully demonstrated NST’s significant contribution to global sustainable development while highlighting Nobel DAO’s unique value as a new-generation technology innovation platform. Many participants expressed admiration for NST’s efforts in sustainable development, and numerous attendees, including students and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, showed strong interest in Nobel DAO and eagerly signed up to participate.
As a cross-disciplinary technology platform, Nobel DAO brings together top global talent through its genius club and has created a comprehensive ecosystem integrating talent cultivation, startup acceleration, and technological innovation through its innovative incubation system (including the Global Future Technology Family Association, Global Geek Centers, and Future Technology Laboratories). In the coming new era of artificial intelligence, the importance of this platform becomes even more prominent. As Nobel DAO experts state, humanity stands at a pivotal historical turning point—AI may represent the last direct major technological invention by humanity. The next 10 to 20 years will likely witness breakthrough developments in robotics, automation, and longevity technology. With this profound technological transformation, the combination of carbon-based life and silicon-based life may become the main direction of technological and social development. Nobel DAO was established to embrace this transformation, fostering collaboration among brilliant minds to address the challenges posed by AI, ensuring that the benefits of technological advancements are shared equitably.
The successful hosting of this summit marks an important step for NST and Nobel DAO in integrating global innovation resources and promoting sustainable development and technological progress. The conference showcased the integration of cutting-edge technology with sustainable development, harnessing the collective wisdom of top global talents to provide tangible solutions to humanity’s common challenges.
Media Contacts
Nobel Sustainability Trust
Nobel Sustainability Trust, founded by members of the Nobel family and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, has long been committed to addressing global challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and resource overconsumption. The foundation plays a key role in advancing global sustainable development by promoting sustainable production and consumption practices, with a particular focus on non-polluting and renewable technologies.
Contact: Tracy Wang
Website: www.nobelsustainabilitytrust.org
Email: [email protected]
Nobel DAO
Nobel DAO, supported by members of the Nobel family, is an innovation accelerator with the important mission of discovering and supporting the next generation of innovators. By establishing a unique global innovation ecosystem, it provides critical support to outstanding innovators, including access to exclusive events, a prestigious global network, and significant funding opportunities. Nobel DAO places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering breakthrough projects that address real-world challenges by bringing together experts from diverse fields.
Contact: Chrank Chen
Website: www.nobeldao.com
UC Berkeley & Berkeley RDI
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/
https://rdi.berkeley.edu/
Contact: Jocelyn Weber Phipps
Disclaimer: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe expectations, plans, outcomes, or strategies for the future (including product offerings, regulatory plans, and business plans) and are subject to change without prior notice. Please be advised that such statements are influenced by various uncertainties, which may result in future circumstances, events, or outcomes differing from those predicted in the forward-looking statements.
Media ContactCompany Name: Nobel DAOContact Person: Chrank ChenEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: www.nobeldao.com
