TED Climate

In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping pledged that China would both peak its emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 -- a change that will require action at an unheard-of scale and speed. Can the country actually achieve this ambitious vision? In this forward-looking talk, environmental journalist and analyst Hongqiao Liu explores what the world's largest carbon emitter (and second-largest economy) will need to do to get there.

To fight climate change, we need to clean up the global electricity system by replacing fossil fuel power plants with clean generation -- right? Climate author Solomon Goldstein-Rose thinks we need to do much more than that. Replacement isn't enough, he explains in this compelling talk: we need to rapidly develop a new global system capable of producing 12 times the amount of clean electricity we generate today. He shares four reasons why we need that expansion -- first, to electrify everything in all parts of the world (not just the wealthy ones) -- as well as some intriguing ideas for how we can get there.

We currently have enough fossil fuels to progressively transition off of them, says climate campaigner Tzeporah Berman, but the industry continues to expand oil, gas and coal production and exploration. With searing passion and unflinching nerve, Berman reveals the delusions keeping true progress from being made -- and offers a realistic path forward: the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Learn more about the global initiative for transparency and accountability in phasing out fossil fuels forever, supported by the Dalai Lama, Nobel Prize laureates and many more.

The roadmap to ending pollution from transportation is here, says electrification advocate Monica Araya. In conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Araya introduces Drive Electric: a global campaign to retire the polluting internal combustion engine in time to avoid climate disaster. And she shares some exciting news: a breakthrough funding commitment from the Audacious Project that puts the project well on its way to realizing a billion-dollar plan to supercharge the transition to electric vehicles over the next five years. Learn more about the coalition of 70 organizations powering this global action -- and the role all cities, politicians and citizens can play to secure a zero-emission transport future. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Living in a city means accepting a certain level of dysfunction: long commutes, noisy streets, underutilized spaces. Carlos Moreno wants to change that. He makes the case for the "15-minute city," where inhabitants have access to all the services they need to live, learn and thrive within their immediate vicinity -- and shares ideas for making urban areas adapt to humans, not the other way around.

What does gender equality have to do with climate change? A lot more than you might think. Empowering women and girls around the world is one of the most important ways to combat carbon pollution and is projected to reduce CO2-equivalent gases by a total of 80 billion tons. Entrepreneur, scientist and TED Fellow Rumaitha Al Busaidi looks at why women are more likely to be impacted and displaced by climate catastrophes -- and explains why access to education, employment and family planning for all women and girls is the key to our climate future.

Activism is a tough job, especially for young people yearning for immediate change -- something climate activist Melati Wijsen has learned over ten years of pushing for environmental protection, starting at age 12 in her home on the island of Bali, Indonesia. How can young changemakers acquire the skills they need and keep from burning out? Wijsen offers three pieces of advice for anybody seeking to make lasting, sustainable progress.

Agriculture has enabled the existence of civilization—today, approximately 40 percent of our planet is farmland. So it goes without saying there’s a LOT to cover when it comes to talking about modern food production. Dan starts small with something a little more digestible: which milk is best, for you and for the planet? He’ll teach us how to sip sustainably, then take us on a journey through a “perfect” sustainable farm of the future and what we can do to make it a reality. Find the text transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/TC7

TED Climate is produced and edited by Sheena Ozaki, mixed by Sam Bair, and hosted by Dan Kwartler. This episode adapted two lessons originally produced in animated form by the TED-Ed team: “Which type of milk is best for you?” written by Jonathan J. O'Sullivan and Grace E. Cunningham, with fact-checking by Joseph Isaac. And “Can we create the perfect farm?” was written by Brent Loken, with fact-checking by Eden Girma. Both pieces were produced with editorial support from Emma Bryce and Elizabeth Cox. Special thanks this season to Alex Rosenthal, Gerta Xhelo, Michelle Quint, Banban Cheng, Anna Phelan, Sarah Jane Souther, Alex Segell, Emma Taubner, Will Hennessy, Peter Zwiefel, Jonathan Mallow, Nicole Edine, Valentina Bojanini, Ama Y Adi-Dako, Erin Gregory, Micah Eames and Marie Kim for their work on this season.

If you liked this episode, you can also check out “Is Drinking Milk Essential for Building Strong Bones?” on TED’s new podcast, Body Stuff with Jen Gunter.

Oil: The prehistoric source of fuel that could drive us all into extinction. We need to pivot to renewable sources of energy, like water, wind and solar to save our planet. But is it actually possible to switch ALL energy sources to these renewables? Dan looks at the problems rushing into them can pose, the barriers we currently face, and why we should all have hope for the future.

TED Climate is produced and edited by Sheena Ozaki, mixed by Sam Bair, and hosted by me, Dan Kwartler. This episode adapted two lessons originally produced in animated form by the TED-Ed team. The first, Can 100% renewable energy power the world? was written by Federico Rosei and Renzo Rosei, with support from Emma Bryce and Alex Rosenthal, and fact-check by Francisco Diez. The second, Building the world's largest and most controversial power plant, was written by Alex Gendler with support from me and fact-check by Eden Girma. Special thanks to Alex Rosenthal, Gerta Xhelo, Michelle Quint, Banban Cheng, and Anna Phelan.

Trees have proven to decrease carbon in our atmosphere, keep cities clean, and even reduce anxiety … but how exactly do they do it? Dan takes us behind the bark to understand the anatomy of our gentle green giants and how every root, leaf and twig work together to improve our planet, and what we can do to help support them in the fight against climate change.

TED Climate is produced and edited by Sheena Ozaki, mixed by Sam Bair, and hosted by Dan Kwartler. This episode adapted two lessons originally produced in animated form by the TED-Ed team. “What if there were 1 trillion more trees?" was written by Jean-François Bastin. "What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees?” was written by Stefan Al. Both pieces were produced with editorial support from Alex Rosenthal. Special thanks to Gerta Xhelo, Stephanie Lo, Michelle Quint, Banban Cheng, and Anna Phelan.