TED Theme: A Greener Future?
The environmental debate has traditionally been characterized as a conflict between economic progress and preservation of the planet. Most TED speakers, however, insist that we can have both -- provided we're smart about it. Al Gore, the world's leading voice on the climate crisis, argues ...
The environmental debate has traditionally been characterized as a conflict between economic progress and preservation of the planet. Most TED speakers, however, insist that we can have both -- provided we're smart about it. Al Gore, the world's leading voice on the climate crisis, argues that the simple steps we might take to avert disaster would also fuel the economy. Architect William McDonough shows how the power of great design -- working on entire systems rather than local components -- can foster an abundant, sustainable future. And Majora Carter discusses her work to bring green spaces to the blighted South Bronx. Edward Burtynsky's eerily pretty photographs of environmental damage and economic development document humanity's ever-expanding footprint. And biologist E.O. Wilson shares his grandest wish -- that the human community band together to save life on Earth.
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Jonathan Foley: The other inconvenient truth
A skyrocketing demand for food means that agriculture has become ...
A skyrocketing demand for food means that agriculture has become the largest driver of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction. At TEDxTC Jonathan Foley shows why we desperately need to begin "terraculture" -- farming for the whole planet. (Filmed at TEDxTC.)
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Donald Sadoway: The missing link to renewable energy
What's the key to using alternative energy, like solar and ...
What's the key to using alternative energy, like solar and wind? Storage -- so we can have power on tap even when the sun's not out and the wind's not blowing. In this accessible, inspiring talk, Donald Sadoway takes to the blackboard to show us the future of large-scale batteries that store renewable energy. As he says: "We need to think about the problem differently. We need to think big. We need to think cheap."
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Taylor Wilson: Yup, I built a nuclear fusion reactor
Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our ...
Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of those: When he was 14, he built a working fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 17, he takes the TED stage at short notice to tell (the short version of) his story.
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T. Boone Pickens: Let's transform energy -- with natural gas
The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but ...
The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but as energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens points out onstage, the country has no energy policy to prepare for the inevitable. Is alternative energy our bridge to an oil-free future? After losing $150 million investing in wind energy, Pickens suggests it isn't, not yet. What might get us there? Natural gas. After the talk, watch for a lively Q&A; with TED Curator Chris Anderson.
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James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change
Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his ...
Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future.
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Bilal Bomani: Plant fuels that could power a jet
Algae plus salt water equals … fuel? At TEDxNASA@SiliconValley, Bilal ...
Algae plus salt water equals … fuel? At TEDxNASA@SiliconValley, Bilal Bomani reveals a self-sustaining ecosystem that produces biofuels -- without wasting arable land or fresh water.
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Pavan Sukhdev: Put a value on nature!
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, ...
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature's banker -- assessing the value of the Earth's assets. Eye-opening charts will make you think differently about the cost of air, water, trees ...
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Britta Riley: A garden in my apartment
Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food (in her ...
Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food (in her tiny apartment). So she and her friends developed a system for growing plants in discarded plastic bottles -- researching, testing and tweaking the system using social media, trying many variations at once and quickly arriving at the optimal system. Call it distributed DIY. And the results? Delicious. (Filmed at TEDxManhattan .)
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Justin Hall-Tipping: Freeing energy from the grid
What would happen if we could generate power from our ...
What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that possible, and how questioning our notion of 'normal' can lead to extraordinary breakthroughs.
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Jae Rhim Lee: My mushroom burial suit
Here's a powerful provocation from artist Jae Rhim Lee. Can ...
Here's a powerful provocation from artist Jae Rhim Lee. Can we commit our bodies to a cleaner, greener Earth, even after death? Naturally -- using a special burial suit seeded with pollution-gobbling mushrooms. Yes, this just might be the strangest TEDTalk you'll ever see ...
