TED Climate

About

We get it. You care about the climate crisis—but sometimes thinking about it is just too overwhelming. Well, we’re here to help with that. Host Dan Kwartler unpacks the problems and solutions behind big systemic issues in bite-sized episodes. You’ll find out which bag is best for the planet, imagine our world without humans, and follow the international journey of the very shirt on your back. Yes, we’re going to talk about the bleak stuff—it’s a crisis after all—but we’ll also share little ways you can make changes in your daily life, in your towns and cities, and at your workplaces to help change climate change. Ultimately we’re aiming for some HOPE through a focus on solutions, instead of just, you know, tumbling towards inevitable doom.

You can also get involved by joining Countdown, TED’s global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis in collaboration with Future Stewards. Find out more at countdown.ted.com

The Big Switch, Part 1: A Crisis in the Making
This is the first episode of a five-part series exploring the European energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this season, we ask the trillion dollar question: Will this crisis speed or slow down the energy transition in Europe? And what does that mean for the rest of the world?
Why It's "Not Too Late" with Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua
Outrage + Optimism is another member of the TED Audio Collective. For more episodes that help you understand that you DO have the power to solve this, follow the podcast wherever you're listening to this.
The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate | Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
Many people across the world don't have access to healthy food -- while in other places tons of food go to waste.
The tragedy of air pollution -- and an urgent demand for clean air | Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
"Breathing clean air is every child's human right," says grassroots campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, sharing the heartbreaking story of her seven-year-old daughter, Ella Roberta, whose asthma was triggered to a fatal point by air pollution.
How wind energy could power Earth ... 18 times over | Dan Jørgensen
Over the last two decades, the wind power industry has grown at a dizzying pace. (Fun fact: a single rotation from one of the world's most powerful wind turbines can generate enough electricity to charge more than 1,400 cell phones.)
How to provide cooling for everyone -- without warming the planet | Rachel Kyte
"The way we cool things down is heating the planet even more," says sustainable development expert Rachel Kyte -- and the solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning.
Woolly pigs, high tech and other ingenious ways to take carbon out of the air | Gabrielle Walker
What do woolly pigs have to do with climate change?
How to realistically decarbonize the oil and gas industry | Bjørn Otto Sverdrup
Bjørn Otto Sverdrup leads the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), which gathers the CEOs of twelve of the world's largest oil and gas companies around an ambitious goal: to get one of the sectors contributing most to climate change to drastically lower their own carbon emissions.
Language shouldn't be the barrier to climate action | Sophia Kianni
Most scientific literature is written only in English, creating an alarming knowledge gap for the 75 percent of the world who don't speak it. That's a big problem for climate change -- because it's hard to take action on something you don't understand.
The dreams and details of a green shipping revolution | Jim Hagemann Snabe
As chairman of the world's largest maritime shipping company, Jim Hagemann Snabe thinks a lot about how goods get where they need to go and the impact their journey has on the planet.
A vision of sustainable housing for all of humanity | Vishaan Chakrabarti
By 2100, the UN estimates that the world's population will grow to just over 11 billion people. Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti wants us to start thinking about how we'll house all these people.
Community investment is the missing piece of climate action | Dawn Lippert
There's been explosive investment in new technologies aimed at decarbonizing the planet. But climate investor Dawn Lippert says something key is missing from this strategy: investment in the local people these solutions would most affect.
It's impossible to have healthy people on a sick planet | Shweta Narayan
The doctrine of "first, do no harm" is the basis of the Hippocratic Oath, one of the world's oldest codes of ethics. It governs the work of physicians -- but climate and health campaigner Shweta Narayan says it should go further.
An action plan for solving the climate crisis | John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram
"How much more damage do we have to endure before we realize that it's cheaper to save this planet than to ruin it?" asks engineer and investor John Doerr.
The crucial intersection of climate and capital | Nili Gilbert
The financial sector often talks of decarbonizing investment portfolios as a way to fight climate change. But portfolios can be "cleaned" without having any real impact on the problem, says investment expert Nili Gilbert.
Tracking the whole world's carbon emissions -- with satellites and AI | Gavin McCormick
What we know today about global greenhouse gas emissions is mostly self-reported by countries, and those numbers (sometimes tallied manually on paper!) are often inaccurate and prone to manipulation.
How small countries can make a big impact on climate change | Nicola Sturgeon
When it comes to tackling climate change, the size of a country doesn't matter -- it's their ambition that counts, says First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon.
How to make radical climate action the new normal | Al Gore
A net-zero future is possible, but first we need to flip a mental switch to truly understand that we can stop the climate crisis if we try, says Nobel laureate Al Gore.
Introducing: Guardians of the River
Today we're featuring a preview of a new show you might enjoy: Guardians of the River, the winner of the 2021 Best Narrative Nonfiction Podcast Award at Tribeca Film Festival.
A new perspective on the journey to net-zero | Amina J. Mohammed
Climate action can be a vehicle to deliver dignity, opportunity and equality for all.

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