What is this?

More Good, Less Harm makes the case for harm reduction as a cause area to the effective altruism (EA) community. In particular, it focuses on tobacco harm reduction (THR) as an extension of the EA world’s long-standing interest in death and disease caused by smoking.

How did it start?

I originally published a shallow investigation of THR as part of Open Philanthropy’s 2022 Cause Exploration Prizes. As one of the prize winners, I was encouraged by the positive feedback from the EA community to dig deeper into the subject.

Have you received funding from anyone?

Yes. This work is supported by the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme (THRSP), delivered by Knowledge·Action·Change and funded by Global Action to End Smoking. GAES has received funding from the tobacco industry (Philip Morris International specifically) in the past, but pledged in 2023, before I applied for their support, not to accept funding from any tobacco or nicotine industry source going forward. To help judge the level of bias for yourself, you can also check out the work of some other projects that have received support.

On the EA side, I’ve received money from Open Philanthropy in the past, both as a recipient in the cause exploration prizes and as a job applicant.

The views expressed are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect the positions of THRSP or its funders. I’m also under no formal or informal obligation not to say mean things about THRSP, GAES, PMI, OP, or anyone else, now or in the future.

I want to help - how can I learn more?

If my writing has convinced you that this is a cause area you’d like to be more involved in, please reach out by leaving a comment, sending a message, or emailing me directly at kristof@coderedcode.com! As I delve deeper into the topic, I’ll also be highlighting specific projects and organizations already working in the space.