From “Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices About Giving Back” by William Macaskill
When Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, the committee suggested that he’d saved one billion lives. Was he a politician? Or a military leader? Or a superhero? No, he was a fairly regular guy from Iowa who worked in agricultural research. He wasn’t a typical academic: his credentials were limited, and he used techniques that had been available to the Victorians. Moreover, the innovation that made his name was rather boring – a new type of short-stem disease-resistant wheat. That wheat, however, was able to radically increase crop yield across poor countries. It helped to cause the “green revolution.” Even after taking into account the fact that similar innovations may have happened even if he hadn’t done his research, Borlaug’s impact should be measured in the prevention of tens of millions of deaths.