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[Citizens of the world]
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[We face a global crisis of unprecedented scale]
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[Please stand by for a message from ... ]
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[the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres]
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The climate emergency is the defining crisis of our time.
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We are in a race against time, and we are losing.
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There is a growing tide of impatience, especially among young people,
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with global inaction.
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We need more ambition from all:
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governments, cities, businesses, investors and people everywhere.
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So I'm pleased you are launching TED Countdown.
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Your influence and ideas can help accelerate momentum
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for a carbon-neutral world by 2050.
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That is the only way to avert the worst impacts of global heating.
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We have the tools, the science and the resources.
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Let us now get into this race with political will and energy.
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To do anything less will be a betrayal of our entire human family
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and generations to come.
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Thank you.
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Announcer: And now, please welcome
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one of the architects of the Paris Climate Agreement
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Christiana Figueres
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and the head of TED, Chris Anderson.
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(Applause)
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Chris Anderson: Welcome, welcome.
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Something remarkable is going to happen in the next hour.
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The world's single most alarming challenge,
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which looks something like this ...
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is about to go head-to-head
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with some of the world's most amazing minds
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and courageous hearts,
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which look something like you.
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The extraordinary audience we have here in New York and around the world.
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Christiana, it's quite the crowd we get to hang out with this morning.
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Christiana Figueres: It sure is, no kidding.
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It's a good thing that everyone is here together,
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because actually, this initiative that we're just about to launch
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needs everyone to participate.
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And here it is.
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Countdown.
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CA: Countdown is a global initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
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It's seeking bold solutions in five big areas,
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imagining what could be achieved
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if different groups broke out of their silos and acted together.
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Starting today, you can go to countdown.ted.com
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and sign up to join the Countdown.
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Early in 2020,
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we'll be sharing plans on how you can connect
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with others in your company, your city or your school
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to engage in this issue.
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It's all leading up to global gatherings
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on 10.10.2020.
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Everyone in the world is invited to participate.
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CF: And so that's why,
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although I've been part of many initiatives along the years,
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I'm really excited about this one.
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Because Countdown is an invitation to everyone, everyone,
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to play their part in saving our planet
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and creating an exciting future.
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Politicians and citizens,
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CEOs and their customers,
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their employees, their investors,
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old and young,
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north and south.
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CA: (Laughs) I see what you did there.
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(Laughter)
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But look, our goal is not to plunge in
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with something new that is competitive
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with the amazing initiatives already out there.
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No.
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It's to identify the best solutions that have already been worked on,
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to cross-fertilize them, to amplify them
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and then activate them
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by bringing together these different groups.
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CF: And if that happens,
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we believe there is a way out of the climate crisis.
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That's what we want to facilitate.
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But now, Chris, question:
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Why are you and TED interested in participating
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and actually activating the climate agenda,
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when I thought you were all about spreading ideas?
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CA: Well, indeed, that has been our focused mission for the last 15 years,
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Ideas Worth Spreading.
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But last summer,
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we concluded that the urgency of some issues,
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and especially climate,
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demanded that we try to do more than just spread ideas,
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that we actually try to activate them.
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Now, we're just a relatively small nonprofit --
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that would not amount to anything if we fail to bring other people on board.
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But the amazing thing is that that has happened.
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Everyone we've spoken to about this has got excited about participating.
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And one of the key moments, frankly, was when you came on board, Christiana.
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I mean, you were key to the Paris Agreement.
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And the world was stunned at the consensus that emerged there.
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What was the key to creating that consensus?
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CF: I would say it was to really challenge and change people's assumption
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about what is possible if we set a shared intention
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and then collectively pursue it and achieve it.
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So our mantra then, and continues to be:
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"Impossible is not a fact,
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it's an attitude."
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In fact, only an attitude,
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and that is something we can change.
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CA: Well, that mantra, certainly, we're going to have to hold onto
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in the months ahead,
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because the scientific consensus is actually worsening.
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For a quick report from the front lines,
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here's the head of the thousands of scientists
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who make up the IPCC, Dr. Hoesung Lee.
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(Video) Hoesung Lee: We recently released three special reports
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that show the damage and risks of past and future climate change.
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They also show that stabilizing climate
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would imply a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
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in the near term.
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Society will have to go through unprecedented changes
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to meet this goal.
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Even limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius
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will bring more extreme weather,
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rising sea levels
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and water shortages in some regions,
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and threats to food security and biodiversity.
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Higher temperature will bring more of these damages,
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threatening lives and livelihoods
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of millions of people all around the world.
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CA: We're lucky to have with us another world-leading scientist,
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Johan Rockström here.
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He was responsible for creating the Planetary Boundaries framework.
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Johan, how serious is our situation?
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(Video) Johan Rockström: Last week, we released in "Nature"
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the 10-year update of the risk of crossing tipping points,
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irreversible tipping points, in the Earth system.
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We know 15 such tipping points,
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including the Greenland and West Antarctic ice shelf,
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and the permafrost in the Siberian tundra, for example,
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and we today have observational evidence,
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I mean, empirical evidence,
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that nine of the 15 have woken up and are on the move.
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We haven't crossed the tipping point yet,
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the window is still open,
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but they are warning us that now is the time to truly move,
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because the moment we cross them,
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like, for example, approaching a tipping point in the Amazon rain forest,
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we would risk losing the battle,
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because the planet will be taking over its self-reinforced warming.
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So that is why this initiative is so incredibly important.
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Let's go.
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CA: Well said.
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(Applause)
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So, both are very clear there that this agenda of cutting emissions
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is absolutely crucial.
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How has that been going?
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CF: Not very well, because despite what we know,
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despite everything that science has told us,
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despite everything that we have done,
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including adopting the Paris Agreement,
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we've actually been increasing greenhouse gases consistently
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over the past few decades,
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to the point where we're now at 55 gigatons
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of carbon dioxide equivalent
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that we are collectively, as humanity, emitting every year.
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And as we have heard, we have one path,
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there is one path that we have to follow, and that is:
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Start now to decrease emissions,
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instead of going up, go down --
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reverse the trend, bend the curve.
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Reduce emissions, starting in 2020,
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to the point where we will be at one half the current level of emissions by 2030,
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and then continue decreasing them, until we are at net zero by 2050.
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It's the only path that we can accept.
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CA: How do you even begin to start tackling a goal as daunting as that?
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CF: Well, we could starting by breaking
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the simple, yet daunting, challenge
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into its constituent pieces,
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five main areas.
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CA: And so these five together are actually all huge,
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and if we can find compelling solutions in each of them,
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they would actually add up to an action plan
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that matches the scale of the problem.
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Well, here are the five.
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CF: Power.
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How rapidly can we move to 100 percent clean energy?
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CA: The built environment.
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How can we re-engineer the stuff that surrounds us?
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CF: Transport.
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How do we transform the ways we move -- ourselves and goods?
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CA: Food.
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How can we spark a worldwide shift to healthier food systems?
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CF: And certainly, nature.
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How extensively can we re-green the earth?
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Now, it's worth noting that the answers to these questions
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and the measures that we would undertake
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don't just reduce net emissions --
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they do that, certainly, together, to zero --
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but they also point the way to a future
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that is much better and genuinely exciting.
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So, think about cool new forms of transport,
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clean air, healthier food, beautiful forests
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and oceans bursting with life.
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So, you know, solving the climate crisis
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isn't about sacrificing and settling for a mediocre future,
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it's about the exact opposite.
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It's about co-creating a much better future for all of us.
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CA: So how do we tackle these questions?
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(Laughter)
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CA: Let's take this question here and think about this.
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How extensively can we re-green the earth?
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I mean, there are obviously many responses to this question,
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many proposals.
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It's fundamentally about,
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"How do we increase the amount of sustainable photosynthesis
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on planet Earth."
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Photosynthesis sequesters carbon.
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There could be proposals around giant kelp forests or seagrass,
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or about forms of plants that have deeper roots
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and can sequester across the planet.
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But suppose a major proposal that came out was about reforestation.
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A massive, global reforestation campaign.
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I mean, a single organization, no matter how big,
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cannot take that on.
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The key is for everyone to join forces,
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for governments (with zoning),
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businesses to invest,
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investors to do that investing,
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environmental groups and philanthropists who support them,
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and just a massive movement among citizens everywhere,
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transforming their lawns, their cities, their neighborhoods,
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going on trips together.
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That is where, suddenly, you can dream about something really big.
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CF: So can we test that theory?
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Because we are fortunate to have with us today
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someone who grew up inside a tree-planting movement,
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probably the most well-recognized tree-planting movement.
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And she is the daughter of the Nobel Prize winner
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Wangari Maathai,
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and she heads up the Wangari Maathai Foundation today.
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So can we invite our very dear friend Wanjira Mathai?
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(Applause)
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(Video) Wanjira Mathai: Thank you very much,
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Christiana and Chris, for doing this.
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Trees have been, indeed, a part of my life for as long as I can remember,
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but we also know that for centuries,
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trees and forests have cushioned us against the harsh impacts
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of climate variation
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for very many years.
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In my lifetime, my mother,
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through the Green Belt Movement, as you mentioned,
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inspired the planting of 50 million trees and counting
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through the work of the Green Belt Movement, one organization.
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But the world now needs us
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to plant 100 times more trees than we did then.
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And the only way to do that is for all of us to come together --
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cities, citizens, governments, companies, environmental organizations --
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and we must believe, therefore,
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in the capacity for each of us to be potent agents of change.
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And that together, we are a force.
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And I hope you will all join us.
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(Applause)
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CF: So together we are a force.
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I think Wanjira really hits it right there on the head,
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because it's all about collaborating
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across a pretty broad spectrum of people.
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And happily, there are representatives from all of those groups here today.
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And we will be inviting you toward further engagement.
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But we wanted today to introduce you to a couple of those people,
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speaking from their own perspective.
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So we would like to start with the voice of a politician.
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We are incredibly honored to have with us today
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the former prime minister of Bhutan,
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and I will have you know that Bhutan is the only country in the world
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that actually absorbs more carbon than what it emits.
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Our good friend, Tshering Tobgay.
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(Applause)
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Tshering Tobgay: My country is typical of the global south,
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in that we have not caused this climate-change crisis.
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Indeed, we are blessed
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with lush forests and many bountiful rivers
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that have enabled my country, Bhutan, to remain carbon-negative.
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And yet, climate change threatens to destroy our forests.
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And to turn those very rivers
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into terrible dangers for our people,
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as the Himalayan glaciers melt and threaten both near-term flooding
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and the longer-term loss of our natural water reserves.
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So, I'm proud to join
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this Countdown initiative
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and work with all of you and with you, and with you,
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(Laughter)
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constructively, to find solutions that are both powerful and just.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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CA: Thank you.
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(Applause)
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CA: Business, of course, has a crucial role to play,
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and so do those who control the world's vast pools of investment capital.
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I was pleased to make the acquaintance recently
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of the chief investment officer
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of Japan's 1.6-trillion-dollar government pension fund.
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It's actually the world's largest pension fund.
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He's willing and interested to come with us on this journey
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and to bring others with him.
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So, somewhere is, I believe, Hiro.
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Hiro Mizuno.
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And you're live. Welcome, Hiro.
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(Video) Hiro Mizuno: Great.
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Thanks, Chris and Christiana, and the staff of TED,
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for making this possible.
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As a person in charge of the largest pension fund in the world
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and responsible for securing pension benefits for multiple generations,
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it is a hugely important issue, how to manage climate risk.
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We recently analyzed our global portfolio,
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how it's aligned with the Paris Agreement.
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It was diagnosed,
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our portfolio is on the path for more than three degrees.
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Far away from the Paris Agreement goals.
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Our portfolio is not only sizable
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but also one of the most globally diversified portfolios.
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So that means, the world is on that path.
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I'm tired of hearing the same comment repeatedly
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from our portfolio companies and, obviously, investment professionals:
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"We are realistic."
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Sorry, but being "realistic" is no longer an option.
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We are fully aware of our responsibility as the world's largest asset owner
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to inspire changes in the capital market.
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We will be actively engaging with all actors in the capital market
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to move the needle.
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I look forward to participating in this crucial dialogue with you all.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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CF: I'm sure all of you know that throughout the past 12 to 18 months,
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what has really been new and powerful and exciting
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is the amazing voices of so many young people,
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millions of young people who are out there on the streets,
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with anger, with outrage, with despair,
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and also, asking us to do our thing.
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And they have been inspired by Greta Thunberg
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but by so many other fantastic young people
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in almost every country of the world.
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And today, we are delighted to have four young activists
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come join us today.
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(Applause)
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(Cheers)
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(Applause)
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Alexandria Villaseñor: This Friday,
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I'll have been on climate strike for 52 weeks.
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That's an entire year.
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During that time,
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I found that many people don't know about climate change
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or how serious the climate crisis is.
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So I founded Earth Uprising International
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to teach young people about climate change,
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because when they know the science and the impacts,
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they want to take action.
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Being an activist means making change happen.
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Jamie Margolin: I became a climate activist
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because my life depends on it.
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I'm applying to colleges right now,
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trying to plan for my future.
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There will be nothing to look forward to
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if we don't take urgent action to stop the climate crisis now.
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I started the youth climate justice movement called Zero Hour back in 2017,
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because this is zero hour to act on climate change.
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We have no more time.
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It became clear to me
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that our leaders were not going to take real action
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unless the people stood up and demanded it,
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so that's exactly what we did.
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Natalie Sweet: I became a climate-justice activist
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because if I don't fight for the rights of the people today,
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and for the people in the future,
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who will?
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Xiye Bastida: I became a climate justice activist
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when I realized that the climate crisis impacts marginalized communities the most,
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including my town in Mexico.
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I strike with Fridays for Future
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every Friday,
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because our movement is not about gaining momentum
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but about igniting cultural change.
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But the fact that thousands of students strike for climate
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means that we are already implementing climate justice
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into every aspect of our lives,
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which is already redefining the world.
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JM: Over the course of our lifetimes,
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we've seen the Earth deteriorate at a rapid speed
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and groups of people traumatized and displaced
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by an ever-increasing number of natural disasters.
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In 2030, I'll be 28 years old.
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AV: I'll be 24 years old.
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XB: I will be 27.
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NS: I'll be 26.
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We want to be able to hand the planet over to our children
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and our children's children,
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just like many of you have been able to do.
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AV: So unless everyone --
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governments, companies, schools, scientists and citizens --
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make a united commitment to reversing the damage that we've caused,
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it will be too late.
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XB: We are not only asking you to take care of our future,
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we are also asking you to take care of our past.
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Indigenous people have been taking care of the Earth for thousands of years,
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which is why indigenous philosophy is crucial
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when implementing climate action.
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JM: This climate crisis can feel like an impossible thing to fix.
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But it's not.
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And it can't be,
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because failure is simply not an option.
|
|
|
Failure means losing everything we love
|
|
|
and everything that matters.
|
|
|
So many of us are already working to save the future of our world,
|
|
|
but it can't just be on the next generation to fix.
|
|
|
This is too much of a burden to just put on young people's shoulders.
|
|
|
It is time for you to go all hands on deck
|
|
|
and do everything within your power to save everything before it's too late.
|
|
|
Are you with us?
|
|
|
Audience: Yes.
|
|
|
(Applause and cheers)
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CA: Thank you. Thank you, thank you.
|
|
|
And then, of course,
|
|
|
there's a crucial role to be played by the world's storytellers,
|
|
|
and those with influence on social media platforms.
|
|
|
Each of the following has expressed excitement
|
|
|
to be part of this project.
|
|
|
They've lent us their names and support.
|
|
|
We have some of them here today.
|
|
|
Thank you so much for being here.
|
|
|
And let's hear from one of them, actually.
|
|
|
Jimmy Kimmel: Hi, I'm Jimmy Kimmel,
|
|
|
and I was asked to explain why I'm passionate about climate change.
|
|
|
And the reason I'm passionate about climate change
|
|
|
is the same reason people who are drowning are passionate about lifeguards.
|
|
|
I care about this planet, because I live on it.
|
|
|
I don't want to move to Mars,
|
|
|
Mars seems terrible.
|
|
|
I want my kids and their kids to be able to live on Earth,
|
|
|
with air they can breathe and water they can drink.
|
|
|
That's why I care about climate change.
|
|
|
And also, I have a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CF: So with all these people coming together,
|
|
|
we have an opportunity to explore a new space of possibility
|
|
|
for solutions based on working together,
|
|
|
challenging each other
|
|
|
and inspiring one another.
|
|
|
So in October next year,
|
|
|
we will be inviting more or less 1,000 people
|
|
|
from different constituencies to meet in Bergen, Norway
|
|
|
to align on specific answers to our five big questions.
|
|
|
CA: It will certainly be an epic event.
|
|
|
But even more significant than what happens in Norway
|
|
|
is what happens elsewhere in the world.
|
|
|
Because on the final day of that conference,
|
|
|
we're planning a major activation of our global TEDx community.
|
|
|
TEDx allows initiatives to organize local events,
|
|
|
and there are now 4,000 such events annually.
|
|
|
Here's what they look like.
|
|
|
They take place in more than 200 different countries,
|
|
|
generate more than a billion views annually on YouTube.
|
|
|
We're expecting to see events in hundreds of cities.
|
|
|
We'll be connecting our TEDx organizers
|
|
|
with city mayors committed to a clean future for their cities.
|
|
|
This is the key to this.
|
|
|
It's this connection between the powerful,
|
|
|
who usually own the conversation,
|
|
|
and millions of people around the world.
|
|
|
Because of the zeitgeist shift that's happened in the last year or two,
|
|
|
suddenly, ignition can happen here,
|
|
|
because there's enough critical groundswell.
|
|
|
If we can give people visibility of each other,
|
|
|
connection to each other,
|
|
|
let's dream a little here,
|
|
|
and give each other permission to dream.
|
|
|
CF: So our goal here is to build connections
|
|
|
with and among all of the other organizations that are working on climate.
|
|
|
For example,
|
|
|
the Solutions Project is a wonderful initiative
|
|
|
founded by Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle.
|
|
|
And let's hear from some of the leaders that they have supported.
|
|
|
CA: Welcome, you're live.
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
(Video) Wahleah Johns: Hi, my name is Wahleah Johns,
|
|
|
I'm with Native Renewables,
|
|
|
and we are working to provide solar power for tribes
|
|
|
throughout the world.
|
|
|
We have over 15,000 Native American families
|
|
|
that don't have access to electricity,
|
|
|
and we are working to provide solar plus battery storage for these families
|
|
|
in the United States
|
|
|
that don't have access to electricity.
|
|
|
And they are located on my reservation,
|
|
|
the Navajo Nation.
|
|
|
Anna Lappé: Hi, everyone,
|
|
|
I am Anna Lappé with Real Food Media,
|
|
|
and we work to uplift the stories of farmers and ranchers
|
|
|
as a key solution to the climate crisis.
|
|
|
The global food system right now is a huge contributor to this crisis,
|
|
|
but it doesn't have to be.
|
|
|
Farmers and ranchers we really see
|
|
|
as on the front lines of being part of solving the crisis.
|
|
|
So we try to share the stories of the millions of farmers
|
|
|
from Andhra Pradesh, India to the highlands of Oaxaca
|
|
|
that are using regenerative agriculture to build healthy, carbon-rich soil,
|
|
|
grow good food
|
|
|
and foster the kind of resilient communities that we need.
|
|
|
Rahwa Ghirmatzion: Hello from PUSH Buffalo -- my name is Rahwa --
|
|
|
where every day, residents are visioning, planning and designing
|
|
|
an equitable, holistic and sacred neighborhood,
|
|
|
like where I'm phoning in from, School 77,
|
|
|
a renovated vacant school building
|
|
|
that has the first 100 percent affordable community solar array
|
|
|
in New York state
|
|
|
installed by local residents.
|
|
|
It's also serving 30 affordable senior apartments
|
|
|
and a mix of intergenerational spaces
|
|
|
that serves as a community hub,
|
|
|
where we're practicing new economy strategies
|
|
|
towards a livable planet.
|
|
|
CF: Thank you.
|
|
|
CA: Bravo.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CA: It's so great.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CF: So you see, this is about everyone.
|
|
|
It's about cities,
|
|
|
it's about grassroots organizations,
|
|
|
but it's also, of course, about business.
|
|
|
And so we're inviting all companies --
|
|
|
underlined "all" --
|
|
|
to join this initiative,
|
|
|
to engage with your employees on how you can best protect the planet
|
|
|
and your future, at the same time.
|
|
|
So early next year, we'll be sharing a toolkit
|
|
|
that can guide companies
|
|
|
toward moving quickly towards science-based targets,
|
|
|
which gets them then to net zero emissions
|
|
|
by 2050 at the latest.
|
|
|
CA: So think about this,
|
|
|
because as an individual,
|
|
|
many individuals feel powerless on this issue.
|
|
|
But if you were to team up with others in your company,
|
|
|
you might be amazed at how much power you actually have.
|
|
|
Almost all emissions come from a company somewhere on the planet.
|
|
|
And the thing is, many CEOs today
|
|
|
are actually eager to help solve the problem.
|
|
|
We just heard this morning from Anand Mahindra,
|
|
|
who heads India's biggest business group,
|
|
|
that he is personally committed on this issue
|
|
|
and wants to be part of this journey with us --
|
|
|
he's a supporter of Countdown.
|
|
|
CEOs will be able to move much faster
|
|
|
if there's a group of employees there to brainstorm with, to support them,
|
|
|
to keep that sort of sense of urgency on the topic.
|
|
|
Our website will help you connect with others in your company
|
|
|
and give you guidance on smart questions to ask,
|
|
|
initiatives to suggest,
|
|
|
because if companies can be persuaded to do the right thing,
|
|
|
suddenly, this problem seems to become solvable.
|
|
|
CF: So all of these efforts are building toward one fantastic day:
|
|
|
Saturday, October 10, 2020 --
|
|
|
that is, "10.10.2020." -- easy to remember --
|
|
|
when this fantastic gathering will take place around the world.
|
|
|
And we hope to have, by then,
|
|
|
thrilling news of the report of the very specific solutions
|
|
|
that nations, cities, companies, citizens
|
|
|
are actually already collaborating on by then.
|
|
|
It's a day when every citizen of the planet
|
|
|
is invited to participate.
|
|
|
Your one ticket of entrance is you are a citizen of the planet.
|
|
|
CA: Key to the success of the event is for this to happen at scale.
|
|
|
We want to make it easy for anyone and everyone
|
|
|
to find out about the initiative and to play an active part in it.
|
|
|
But how do you do that?
|
|
|
You know, the world's a noisy place.
|
|
|
I mean, the TED platform can help a bit, maybe,
|
|
|
but there's a much bigger content platform out there.
|
|
|
It's called YouTube.
|
|
|
And we're delighted to be working with them on this endeavor.
|
|
|
We'll be inviting many of their top creators
|
|
|
to be part of Countdown.
|
|
|
Collectively, they could reach an audience in the many millions.
|
|
|
In fact, let's meet one of them,
|
|
|
Dr. Joe Hanson of "Hot Mess,"
|
|
|
a new web series about the impact of climate change on all of us.
|
|
|
(Video) My name's Joe Hanson,
|
|
|
and I am a YouTube educator.
|
|
|
And you can count me in.
|
|
|
I work with tomorrow's scientists, inventors and leaders,
|
|
|
and they deserve to know the truth of what the science says,
|
|
|
so that they can help us invent a better future for everyone.
|
|
|
CA: Imagine that multiplied by many others --
|
|
|
it's very, very exciting, honestly.
|
|
|
CF: And of course, when it comes to spreading the word,
|
|
|
every one of you in this room can actually play your part.
|
|
|
So if you have any way of reaching anyone
|
|
|
who is concerned about building a better future --
|
|
|
and that should be every single one of us --
|
|
|
please, invite them to join Countdown.
|
|
|
CA: There's one more card up our sleeve.
|
|
|
We're excited to unveil a global media campaign.
|
|
|
This is a campaign with a difference.
|
|
|
Just as TEDx exploded
|
|
|
by being allowed to grow as a grassroots phenomenon,
|
|
|
this campaign is designed to be co-opted everywhere on the planet.
|
|
|
If you happen to own a billboard company,
|
|
|
or a TV station, or a radio station,
|
|
|
or a website,
|
|
|
or a social media account,
|
|
|
we invite all of you to take the images you're about to see
|
|
|
and to just spread them far and wide.
|
|
|
Our website will make this easy.
|
|
|
We actually plan to translate them into many languages,
|
|
|
courtesy of our volunteer army of more than 20,000 translators worldwide.
|
|
|
Some of them are with us here.
|
|
|
If you're a TED translator, would you wave, please?
|
|
|
CF: There we go.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CA: Your work carries powerful ideas to every corner of the earth.
|
|
|
We're so proud of you, so grateful to you.
|
|
|
So this campaign's designed to grab attention
|
|
|
and to communicate, yes, urgency
|
|
|
but also a little smidgen of hope.
|
|
|
We think it might be that combination is what is needed to really drive action.
|
|
|
We'd love you to let us know what you think of these.
|
|
|
CF: Right now.
|
|
|
[Choose your future.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Turn fear into action Join the countdown.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Action inspires action
|
|
|
Join the countdown. The Earth will thank you.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[10.10.2020 Climate's Day of Destiny. You're invited.]
|
|
|
CF: Remember the date.
|
|
|
[Mass destruction. No biggie. (If we prevent it.)]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Giant asteroid heading our way The common enemy that can unite us.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[We love natural disasters anyway -- said no one ever.
|
|
|
So why are we causing them?]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Relax, there's nothing you can do about the climate
|
|
|
Unless you work for a company. Or live in a city.
|
|
|
Or own a phone. Or a brain.]
|
|
|
[Cause of death: Apathy. But there's an antidote.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Stop f*cking everything up
|
|
|
Inaction on climate is obscene. We can fix this.]
|
|
|
CA: Too much?
|
|
|
CF: No, not too much, yay, go for it.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Have you gotten any action lately?
|
|
|
Here's your chance. Help turn the tide on climate.]
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
CA: I didn't like this one, but my team, you know --
|
|
|
CF: Apparently, there are many who do like it.
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
[We give up. Sincerely, TED.
|
|
|
Spreading ideas isn't enough. It's time to act. Join us?]
|
|
|
CA: This is, unfortunately, truer than you know.
|
|
|
[Some things matter more than partisan politics
|
|
|
Come fight the enemy that can unite us.]
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
[Stop burnout
|
|
|
Your company can help save the earth.]
|
|
|
[Give the planet more than you take from it
|
|
|
Join the countdown.]
|
|
|
[Despair, meet hope
|
|
|
We can avoid climate catastrophe if we take urgent action now.]
|
|
|
CA: That's it.
|
|
|
(Applause and cheers)
|
|
|
CF: To bring this full circle,
|
|
|
we would like to bring someone very special in.
|
|
|
(Video) Hi, I'm Claire O'Neill.
|
|
|
I am the COP president-designate for next year's Conference of the Parties,
|
|
|
the annual UN climate change talks, which will be in the UK,
|
|
|
and we're looking forward to welcoming you there.
|
|
|
But right now, I'm in Spain, in Madrid,
|
|
|
at COP25, this annual event
|
|
|
where we send negotiators and activists from all over the world
|
|
|
to see what we can do to reduce CO2 emissions.
|
|
|
But the problem is this: emissions are going up, not down.
|
|
|
And what I'm feeling is that 2020 is the year of action,
|
|
|
the year where we have to stop talking
|
|
|
and we have to start acting.
|
|
|
And not just here, in these conference centers,
|
|
|
but everybody.
|
|
|
And so the value of the TED process,
|
|
|
the value of what we're all doing together
|
|
|
is that we're spreading out the conversations
|
|
|
and the solutions from inside this space
|
|
|
out to everybody.
|
|
|
And I'm really looking forward to working with the TED group
|
|
|
over the next year.
|
|
|
2020, for me, will be the most important year for climate action,
|
|
|
and we're all going to deliver this together.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CF: OK, friends, so we're nearly there
|
|
|
but just a few more very special snippets.
|
|
|
First, a word from one of the many great minds
|
|
|
who will be accompanying us on this journey.
|
|
|
A message from the great author, historian and futurist
|
|
|
Yuval Harari.
|
|
|
Yuval Harari: Climate change is about inequality.
|
|
|
Inequality between the rich, who are mainly responsible for it,
|
|
|
and the poor, who will suffer the most.
|
|
|
Inequality between us, Homo sapiens,
|
|
|
who control this planet,
|
|
|
and the other animals, who are our helpless victims.
|
|
|
Inequality between the scientists,
|
|
|
who painstakingly search for the truth,
|
|
|
and the professional deceivers,
|
|
|
who spread falsehoods at the click of a button.
|
|
|
Climate change is about making a choice.
|
|
|
What kind of planet do we want to inhabit,
|
|
|
and what kind of humans do we want to be?
|
|
|
A choice between greed and compassion,
|
|
|
between carelessness and responsibility,
|
|
|
between closing our eyes to the truth
|
|
|
and opening our hearts to the world.
|
|
|
Climate change is a crisis,
|
|
|
but for humans, a crisis is always also an opportunity.
|
|
|
If we make the right choices in the coming years,
|
|
|
we cannot only save the ecosystem,
|
|
|
but we can also create a more just world
|
|
|
and make ourselves better people.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CF: So isn't that a powerful framing of what we have ahead of us,
|
|
|
and honestly, I think it is tragic
|
|
|
that the power of transformation that we have ahead of us
|
|
|
is so severely diminished by those who would want to politicize the issue
|
|
|
and separate it into partisan politics.
|
|
|
It cannot be a partisan issue,
|
|
|
it cannot be a politicized issue.
|
|
|
Happily, there are some who are working against that.
|
|
|
Today, we have one of those people,
|
|
|
a fantastically courageous climate scientist,
|
|
|
who is a committed Christian,
|
|
|
and who has been working on this issue
|
|
|
with conservatives and with the religious and spiritual communities for years,
|
|
|
with incredible courage.
|
|
|
Katharine Hayhoe.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
Katherine Hayhoe: When someone says climate change, we often think,
|
|
|
"Oh, that's just an environmental issue.
|
|
|
People who are tree huggers or scientists care about it,
|
|
|
or maybe people who are on the left hand-side of the political spectrum."
|
|
|
But the reality is, whether we know it or not,
|
|
|
we already care about climate change, no matter who we are.
|
|
|
Why?
|
|
|
Because climate change affects everything we already care about today.
|
|
|
It affects our health,
|
|
|
it affects the food we eat,
|
|
|
the water we drink, the air that we breathe.
|
|
|
Climate change affects the economy and national security.
|
|
|
I care about a changing climate because it is, as the military calls it,
|
|
|
a threat multiplier.
|
|
|
It takes issues like poverty and hunger,
|
|
|
disease, lack of access to clean water,
|
|
|
even political instability,
|
|
|
and exacerbates or amplifies them.
|
|
|
That's why, to care about a changing climate,
|
|
|
we don't have to be a certain type of person.
|
|
|
A thermometer isn't blue or red,
|
|
|
liberal or conservative --
|
|
|
it gives us the same number no matter how we vote.
|
|
|
And we are all affected by the impacts of a changing climate.
|
|
|
So to care about a changing climate,
|
|
|
all we have to be is one thing:
|
|
|
a human, living on planet Earth.
|
|
|
And we're all that.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CF: And finally,
|
|
|
the man who brought this issue so powerfully to everyone's attention
|
|
|
years ago
|
|
|
and has continued tirelessly to work on that issue ever since.
|
|
|
The one and very only, Al Gore.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
(Video) Al Gore: Thank you.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
Thank you so much, Christiana,
|
|
|
and thank you for your outstanding leadership,
|
|
|
and thank you, Chris Anderson and the entire TED community,
|
|
|
YouTube and all of the others who are joining
|
|
|
in this fantastic initiative.
|
|
|
I have just three messages.
|
|
|
Number one, this crisis is incredibly urgent.
|
|
|
Just yesterday, the scientists gave us the report
|
|
|
that emissions are still going up.
|
|
|
Every single day,
|
|
|
we're putting 150 million tons of man-made global warming pollution
|
|
|
into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet.
|
|
|
The accumulated amount now traps as much extra energy every day
|
|
|
as would be released by 500,000 first-generation atomic bombs
|
|
|
exploding every single day.
|
|
|
And the consequences are increasingly clear --
|
|
|
all that mother nature is telling us,
|
|
|
the fires, and the sea-level rise,
|
|
|
and the floods, and the mud slides,
|
|
|
and the loss of living species.
|
|
|
But the second message that I have is the hope is very real.
|
|
|
We actually do have the solutions available to us.
|
|
|
It is unfortunately true at this moment,
|
|
|
that the crisis is getting worse faster than we are mobilizing these solutions.
|
|
|
But renewable energy and electric vehicles
|
|
|
and batteries and regenerative agriculture,
|
|
|
circular manufacturing,
|
|
|
and all of these other solutions are gaining momentum.
|
|
|
The late economist Rudi Dornbusch,
|
|
|
in articulating what's known as Dornbusch's law, said,
|
|
|
"Things take longer to happen than you think they will.
|
|
|
But then, they happen much faster than you thought they could."
|
|
|
We can pick up the pace.
|
|
|
We are gaining momentum
|
|
|
and soon, we will be gaining on the crisis.
|
|
|
But it is essential that everyone join --
|
|
|
of every political persuasion,
|
|
|
every ideological persuasion,
|
|
|
every nationality,
|
|
|
every division has to be obliterated, so that we, humanity,
|
|
|
can join together.
|
|
|
And in closing, I would just say that for anyone who doubts
|
|
|
that we as human beings
|
|
|
have the ability to rise to this occasion,
|
|
|
when everything is on the line,
|
|
|
just remember that political will is itself a renewable resource.
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
CA: Thank you so much.
|
|
|
Thank you so much, Al, for your leadership on this issue
|
|
|
for so many years.
|
|
|
None of this would be possible
|
|
|
without an extraordinary and fast-growing list of partners.
|
|
|
I'd like to acknowledge them.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
If you're watching this,
|
|
|
you believe your organization should be part of this,
|
|
|
you can help in some way,
|
|
|
join us, email me, [email protected]
|
|
|
This is going to take everyone.
|
|
|
OK, before the Q and A,
|
|
|
I just want to ask you a question personally, Christiana.
|
|
|
Like, what do you really think?
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
No, you've been in so many of these.
|
|
|
Does this initiative have a chance?
|
|
|
CF: Well, first of all,
|
|
|
we are at the point where everything plays.
|
|
|
Everything plays.
|
|
|
And I'm really excited about this,
|
|
|
because it has been very painful to me to see how over the past 12 to 18 months
|
|
|
because of the tragically insufficient response
|
|
|
that we have had to climate change,
|
|
|
how that zeitgeist has been changing from where we were in Paris,
|
|
|
which was pretty positive and optimistic,
|
|
|
to, now, despair, helplessness, anger.
|
|
|
That's what is out there, roaming on the streets.
|
|
|
And I don't blame them, and I have the same feelings.
|
|
|
But the point is,
|
|
|
we have to be able to transform that into making the difference.
|
|
|
And I think this is what this initiative is actually potentially ready to do,
|
|
|
which is to give every single person who feels helpless --
|
|
|
give them a tool to do something.
|
|
|
Some will contribute small efforts,
|
|
|
some will contribute large efforts --
|
|
|
depends on what your influence area is.
|
|
|
And to those who feel angry and despairing,
|
|
|
well, give them also an opportunity to channel that energy --
|
|
|
which is very powerful energy --
|
|
|
into solutions.
|
|
|
And finally, what is very exciting about this
|
|
|
is the scale, Chris, right?
|
|
|
I mean, just look at those partners that are going to be there.
|
|
|
We have attempted many, many things to bring to scale.
|
|
|
But this, I think, is the most promising initiative that I have seen,
|
|
|
to be able to bring people to scale,
|
|
|
to bring efforts and solutions to scale.
|
|
|
And speed.
|
|
|
Because if there's one thing that we cannot, cannot fail on,
|
|
|
is addressing climate change,
|
|
|
but not only that,
|
|
|
to do so in a timely way.
|
|
|
CA: Thank you, that is eloquent.
|
|
|
And thank you.
|
|
|
That's it.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
OK, we have many members of the world's leading media here.
|
|
|
We're going to have a Q and A,
|
|
|
they should probably have priority on questions.
|
|
|
If it all goes deathly silent, someone else can ask a question.
|
|
|
If you're a member of the media here,
|
|
|
please feel free to put your hand up -- we'll throw a mic to you,
|
|
|
and we'll do the best we can.
|
|
|
Rachel Crane: Hi, Rachel Crane from CNN.
|
|
|
My question for you is about more specific action
|
|
|
that will come out of Countdown.
|
|
|
We heard a lot today
|
|
|
about how this is mobilizing the globe on this issue,
|
|
|
breaking people out of their silos, companies out of their silos,
|
|
|
but I'm curious to know, paint a picture for us,
|
|
|
of what the action that will come out of this initiative
|
|
|
could potentially look like.
|
|
|
I'm sure it's all in early phases,
|
|
|
we won't hold you specifically to this.
|
|
|
CA: There's an intense process going on between now and October,
|
|
|
where we're trying to engage
|
|
|
all of the world's best thinking on climate
|
|
|
around those five big areas.
|
|
|
What we're hoping to have there is multiple proposals in there
|
|
|
that collectively take a huge bite out of those issues.
|
|
|
Some of them, there may be one big one that dominates.
|
|
|
You know, so transport, for example.
|
|
|
Could we accelerate the end
|
|
|
of the internal combustion engine, somehow?
|
|
|
What would that take?
|
|
|
That would be a classic problem made for this approach,
|
|
|
because what governments decide right now
|
|
|
depends on what they see happening elsewhere.
|
|
|
Would the decisions of auto executives be shifted
|
|
|
if they saw millions of people on social media saying,
|
|
|
"I will never buy a combustion engine"?
|
|
|
Would they be shifted by the market signal of a few hundred mayors, saying,
|
|
|
"We are creating a carbon-zero zone in our city,
|
|
|
and we're going to expand it,
|
|
|
and we're doing that soon"?
|
|
|
Would they be shifted by a visionary auto CEO taking the risk
|
|
|
and coming forward and saying,
|
|
|
"You know when we said we were going to continue this till 2050?
|
|
|
No. We can see the writing on the wall,
|
|
|
we want to be on the right side of history,
|
|
|
we're doing this in 2030."
|
|
|
We think there might be a pathway to that.
|
|
|
So on some of these issues,
|
|
|
it's going to depend on a massive amount of discussion, bringing people together,
|
|
|
showing -- this is what you're so masterful at --
|
|
|
is showing that other people don't have the attitudes
|
|
|
that you think they have.
|
|
|
They're actually shifting, you better shift.
|
|
|
And so it's mutually raising everyone's ambition level.
|
|
|
And that is a cycle that happens,
|
|
|
and we've already seen it happening.
|
|
|
And so, on each of these issues, that's what we're looking for.
|
|
|
The biggest, boldest things.
|
|
|
Dream bigger than we normally do,
|
|
|
because there are more people at the table than there normally are,
|
|
|
i.e. millions of citizens engaged in this.
|
|
|
That's the process, and while that is happening,
|
|
|
there'll be multiple other engagements in companies and cities around the world.
|
|
|
We hope that it all comes together in a thrilling manner in October
|
|
|
and we have something to celebrate.
|
|
|
Dominique Drakeford: My name is Dominique Drakeford
|
|
|
with MelaninASS, or social media as a form of media.
|
|
|
In understanding the inherent correlation
|
|
|
between the accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere
|
|
|
and the cumulative exploitation
|
|
|
and extraction, extractivism economy,
|
|
|
which creates sacrifice zones for black and indigenous communities,
|
|
|
how do we plan to,
|
|
|
or how do you guys plan to mitigate those systems of oppression
|
|
|
as part of your strategies within those five various components,
|
|
|
so that we can really begin to reduce emissions?
|
|
|
CF: If the transformation in our economy and our society
|
|
|
does not include inequality closing and social justice issues,
|
|
|
then we're doing nothing.
|
|
|
Because all of those things will come back to bite us.
|
|
|
So we have to put our arms around the entire package.
|
|
|
That is not easy, but it is entirely possible.
|
|
|
And that's one of the things that I am so excited about climate change,
|
|
|
because it is at the front of this transformation,
|
|
|
but it will bring many of the other issues
|
|
|
that have been relegated to nonattention.
|
|
|
It will bring those issues to the fore as well.
|
|
|
So the transformation has to be an integrative transformation.
|
|
|
Ellen Maloney: Hi, Chris, hi, Christina.
|
|
|
My question is, are individual efforts,
|
|
|
like ditching plastic straws or going vegan,
|
|
|
making a difference
|
|
|
or are they just tokenistic drops in the ocean?
|
|
|
CF: Good question.
|
|
|
CA: It's a good question.
|
|
|
CF: They are totally important.
|
|
|
Absolutely important.
|
|
|
Because it's not just about the one straw that I use.
|
|
|
It's about me not using that straw,
|
|
|
going to a restaurant and telling the waitress,
|
|
|
"Excuse me, I don't want a plastic straw, because --"
|
|
|
and giving her a little lesson,
|
|
|
then she goes up to the manager, the manager comes to the table and says,
|
|
|
"Excuse me, could you explain that to me?"
|
|
|
Then you go through the lesson.
|
|
|
And sooner than you think,
|
|
|
you have that restaurant, plus the other ones.
|
|
|
Actually, information is contagious.
|
|
|
And wanting to do the right thing is also contagious.
|
|
|
So don't look at it as just simply, you know, "What is a straw?
|
|
|
Am I using the straw or am I not using plastic bags,
|
|
|
I have my plant-based bags to go shopping," etc., etc.
|
|
|
All of that counts.
|
|
|
It counts for you, first of all,
|
|
|
because it is a personal reminder of who you are and what you stand for,
|
|
|
but it is also a very important tool
|
|
|
to educate everyone around you.
|
|
|
CA: Right, and I think the core of our initiative is,
|
|
|
all that stuff matters -- what you eat,
|
|
|
how you transport yourself, etc., it matters a lot.
|
|
|
But there is another piece of power that individuals have
|
|
|
that they don't think about as much, perhaps,
|
|
|
and that we think that they should, we invite them to,
|
|
|
which is what they can do as an employee
|
|
|
and what they can do as a member of a city.
|
|
|
There's a coming together here,
|
|
|
where by getting organized, by connecting with others,
|
|
|
we think there is a direct route to changing decisions
|
|
|
that will have an even bigger impact on the problem.
|
|
|
So it's yes, all of that, but more as well.
|
|
|
(Laughter)
|
|
|
CF: There is an online [question], from a classroom of children.
|
|
|
CA: From a classroom of children?
|
|
|
CF: "What can students do?"
|
|
|
Yay, I love that question, totally love that question.
|
|
|
So first of all,
|
|
|
Fridays, 11 o'clock, go strike.
|
|
|
I mean, honestly, right?
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
Let's go, let's go.
|
|
|
And that pressure has to be maintained.
|
|
|
I'm totally delighted that there's some people here
|
|
|
who've been here doing it for 52 weeks.
|
|
|
The problem with this is, folks,
|
|
|
this is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
|
|
|
So you better get ready for many more 52 weeks, right?
|
|
|
And get more people involved,
|
|
|
because this is not easy.
|
|
|
If it were easy, we would have done it.
|
|
|
This is going to be a long-term effort.
|
|
|
But fantastic to be out there in the streets,
|
|
|
you are getting so much more attention from the media,
|
|
|
from us stupid adults who have not done our job --
|
|
|
it is fantastic.
|
|
|
So, you know, get your voices out there.
|
|
|
Also, in school,
|
|
|
you can definitely go and improve --
|
|
|
The question that you just asked to TED,
|
|
|
that's the question every student should be asking their school:
|
|
|
"Where's my energy coming from?"
|
|
|
Let's get with it, right?
|
|
|
Students in colleges --
|
|
|
how is it possible that we still have colleges and universities
|
|
|
that are not 100 percent clean energy
|
|
|
and that haven't shifted their capital and their endowment
|
|
|
over to low carbon?
|
|
|
I mean, it's just incredible.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
And finally, the most important thing that young people can do
|
|
|
is ask your parents,
|
|
|
"What the hell are you doing about my future?"
|
|
|
Because here is an amazing thing.
|
|
|
I have spoken in -- I was thinking how many --
|
|
|
I've spoken to at least three if not four CEOs from the oil and gas industry.
|
|
|
I've spoken to three or four major investors,
|
|
|
heads of their investment firms,
|
|
|
who come up to me, usually in private,
|
|
|
and say, "Christiana, the reason why I'm changing what I do in my business
|
|
|
is because my daughter, or my son,
|
|
|
asks me at night, 'What the hell are you doing about my future?' "
|
|
|
That is a very powerful question,
|
|
|
and only young people can ask that question.
|
|
|
Use that tool --
|
|
|
ask your parents what are they doing about your future.
|
|
|
Sorry about the h-word.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
Jo Confino: Hi, I'm Jo Confino, the HuffPost.
|
|
|
Christiana, a question for you,
|
|
|
which is one of the things that didn't come out so much
|
|
|
and this is about the spiritual traditions
|
|
|
and the role they play,
|
|
|
because what we're seeing
|
|
|
is that, actually, old wisdom is coming out
|
|
|
in terms of interdependence
|
|
|
and nothing is separate from anything else.
|
|
|
What is the spiritual tradition we can bring to this
|
|
|
that will make, also, a difference?
|
|
|
CF: What I think is very powerful about understanding,
|
|
|
whether you happen to be a spiritual person
|
|
|
that pursues meditation and mindfulness
|
|
|
or whether you're a religious person or not,
|
|
|
what I think is very powerful
|
|
|
about the spiritual understanding of the human presence on this earth,
|
|
|
is to understand that we are not separate.
|
|
|
It's not like, "Over there is planet Earth,
|
|
|
and then humans are over here."
|
|
|
And we are totally interconnected with all other species
|
|
|
and with all other living beings,
|
|
|
and doing the responsible thing by them,
|
|
|
does the responsible thing by us.
|
|
|
And vice versa.
|
|
|
And so that interconnectedness
|
|
|
is one that comes from the spiritual traditions,
|
|
|
but you don't have to be religious or spiritual to understand that.
|
|
|
You know, the fact is,
|
|
|
every single drop of water that we drink comes from nature.
|
|
|
Every single morsel of food that we eat
|
|
|
comes from nature.
|
|
|
And we've got to heal that connection.
|
|
|
CA: We would welcome engagement.
|
|
|
(Applause)
|
|
|
Kaley Roshitsh: Hi, Kaley Roshitsh from Women's Wear Daily.
|
|
|
Obviously, the fashion industry is responsible for a lot
|
|
|
of the carbon output,
|
|
|
so I wondered what is your perspective on conscious consumption?
|
|
|
CA: The key goal here is to align, at the same time,
|
|
|
to change opinion on what companies do,
|
|
|
what employees do, what consumers do.
|
|
|
It's the shifts all happening at the same time that can make change.
|
|
|
Right now, someone else is always the problem.
|
|
|
"Our investors wouldn't allow us to do that."
|
|
|
"There is no market for this better, more sustainable product."
|
|
|
And so, all the pieces need to happen at the same time.
|
|
|
That's our hope.
|
|
|
And so the lead on this is not us,
|
|
|
it's employees and CEOs and leadership teams
|
|
|
working in that industry.
|
|
|
Get together, make something happen.
|
|
|
And ride the tide of the zeitgeist shift that is happening --
|
|
|
it's going to work out from the business point of view as well.
|
|
|
CF: Can I jump on that as well?
|
|
|
Because for years, for centuries,
|
|
|
we have been on a consumer extract-and-consume mentality.
|
|
|
They way we go about our life
|
|
|
and the way that businesses are created
|
|
|
is extract, use, discard, extract, use, discard.
|
|
|
That's a simplification, but honestly, it's about as simple as that.
|
|
|
And to understand that that linear extraction to discard
|
|
|
can no longer be the case, that it needs to be circular now,
|
|
|
we have to go into a circular economy
|
|
|
that uses every single resource that we extract --
|
|
|
because we will continue to extract --
|
|
|
that uses it not once but two, three, four, five, 10 times,
|
|
|
around and around in circles.
|
|
|
That's a circular economy.
|
|
|
And we have to get to that point,
|
|
|
because frankly, we're running out of resources to continue to extract.
|
|
|
Jodi Xu Klein: Hi, my name is Jodi Xu Klein.
|
|
|
I'm with the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong publication here in the US.
|
|
|
So, we've been reporting on trade war for more than a year,
|
|
|
and we're actually living in a world
|
|
|
where countries are decoupling from each other.
|
|
|
How do you overcome that trend and bring everyone together?
|
|
|
CA: We don't know,
|
|
|
these are really challenging issues.
|
|
|
What we do know is that we have to bring everyone to the table
|
|
|
and have the discussion.
|
|
|
There are so many people in China,
|
|
|
including, on many occasions,
|
|
|
the Chinese government has made bold steps
|
|
|
to tackle this issue.
|
|
|
There's a lot that the West can learn from what's happening in China.
|
|
|
CF: I would say,
|
|
|
in a world in which we're seeing a wave of nationalism and populism,
|
|
|
the way we go at this is actually to expand
|
|
|
the breadth of engagement,
|
|
|
so not to let the responsibility of engaging on climate
|
|
|
be in national government hands only.
|
|
|
Yes, they have an important role,
|
|
|
but we can bring it down as well
|
|
|
to a different level of engagement which is every single human being.
|
|
|
And once we understand that we're all human beings
|
|
|
and that we all have a common future,
|
|
|
there's no such thing as all of us being in a boat
|
|
|
and only the one closest to the hole in the boat are going to sink.
|
|
|
No.
|
|
|
Either we all sink or we all float together.
|
|
|
Justine Calma: My name is Justine Calma, I'm with The Verge,
|
|
|
thanks so much for this.
|
|
|
My question is about TED and YouTube's own carbon footprint.
|
|
|
Streaming video eats up a huge amount of energy,
|
|
|
and I'm curious what TED and YouTube
|
|
|
might be doing to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions
|
|
|
connected to that.
|
|
|
CA: I can't speak for YouTube, obviously.
|
|
|
I will say that, to quote a line from George Monbiot,
|
|
|
all of us are hypocrites in this movement.
|
|
|
If you've ever bought something
|
|
|
or you're wearing clothes, or you're eating food,
|
|
|
you're a hypocrite, you're creating emissions.
|
|
|
It's part of life.
|
|
|
And I think perfection is --
|
|
|
There's a risk that perfection,
|
|
|
that an overpursuit and focus on that
|
|
|
and the judging that comes with it can slow everyone down.
|
|
|
We want this to be a coalition of the willing who accept
|
|
|
that they're not perfect but are willing to act.
|
|
|
Now, this whole process has sparked a huge conversation in TED
|
|
|
about how we act more responsibly,
|
|
|
and that will continue.
|
|
|
We're certainly not going to stop streaming videos.
|
|
|
At some point you have to do math,
|
|
|
it's like that -- give to the planet more than you take from it,
|
|
|
I think is the golden rule that I personally really believe in.
|
|
|
And so if an idea, powered by a little bit of electricity,
|
|
|
can ignite in someone's brain,
|
|
|
I would bet on the idea over saving the electricity.
|
|
|
But there's no perfection in this.
|
|
|
And we definitely have a lot that we need to improve on.
|
|
|
Let's go here and then back.
|
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Lane Florsheim: Hi, I'm Lane Florsheim from the Wall Street Journal Magazine
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and Chris, I really liked what you were saying
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about the fashion industry and what they can do to change
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and how it requires employees and CEOs to meet together
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because who understands an industry better than the people in it
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and their processes and infrastructure,
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but I'm wondering, what about companies with huge footprints,
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and two that come to mind first are Amazon and Zara,
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where, by all accounts,
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the workers, the employees there don't have very much power
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and the CEOs don't have very much incentive to change right now.
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What would you say about those kinds of companies?
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CA: So this is going to be such an important conversation going forward,
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because we're in the ironic position
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where the people who can do the most to solve this problem
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are the people who are currently the worst offenders.
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So what do we do?
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Do we make them part of the conversation or not?
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I say we make them part of the conversation,
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so long as we see serious engagement.
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So take Amazon.
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Jeff Bezos has actually listened to what many of his employees have said --
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they've been very vigorous, the employee base there,
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about carbon footprint --
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has listened, has engaged with you and with others.
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And they have announced, I think it's correct to say announced --
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CF: Yes, they have.
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CA: ... an acceleration of their own commitment
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to go to, basically, a net zero track by 2040, if I have it right.
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It's the companies with the thousands, the tens of thousands of trucks
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and the packaging and all the rest of it.
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That is how this problem will get solved.
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So I say we invite these CEOs to be part of this,
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and urge them to take it seriously
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and to go fast and maybe even faster than they're completely comfortable doing.
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But that's, I think, what we have to do.
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Not to defame, denounce,
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before we've at least had a serious conversation about,
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"It's time,
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your employees want to do this,
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your customers want to do this,
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your investors increasingly want to do this, let's do this."
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That's our hope.
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CF: And the wonderful thing about companies the size of Amazon,
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or Walmart when they did it,
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is that they have a huge trickle-up effect.
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Because when Jeff Bezos came out and said,
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"I'm going to make Amazon climate-neutral by 2040 -- "
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Paris Agreement says 2050,
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of course he wants to do everything better than that,
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so 2040 is for Amazon.
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Well good, we're going to keep him to it.
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Now, the amazing thing about that
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is that in order for Amazon to be climate-neutral by 2040,
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they have to work with all their supply chain going up.
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They have to work with all of those companies
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that deliver services and goods to them
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for them to also be climate neutral ASAP.
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Because otherwise, they can't meet their own commitment.
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So large companies are actually very, very key and instrumental to this,
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because it's not just about their footprint,
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it's about the embedded footprint that they inherit in their supply chain.
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And the transformation of that is really huge.
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CA: Last question.
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Jackie Padilla: My name is Jackie with NowThis News,
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and every day, I work with young climate activists
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like the ones we've heard today,
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but when we do stories on them,
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you know, including Greta Thunberg,
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I see fierce criticism that they face
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and largely, it's because of a generational gap.
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I don't know if you're familiar with the phrase "OK Boomer,"
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but it seems like there's a lot of guilt or accountability
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that some are looking for,
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and on the other end, we're looking at a lack of education
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or just ignorance on the issue.
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So what is your advice to young people to respond to that criticism
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to foster constructive conversations?
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CF: We should probably ask them.
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XB: Hi, thank you for your question.
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CA: Come here.
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(Applause)
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XB: It is true that we increasingly face criticism,
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and it's not only when we speak to people, with climate deniers
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or things like that,
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but also on social media.
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It is as much a tool to spread information
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and organize our strikes
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and get the information out there,
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but it's also a tool for people who want to undermine us,
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to personally attack us.
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And the way in which we stay resilient
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is when we build community with each other,
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when we organize,
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we mimic the world we want to see.
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There is no hierarchy in our organizing,
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we are all working towards the same goal constructively,
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choosing our passions towards making the strike the best it can be.
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We got 300,000 people striking in New York,
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we put together a whole concert,
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people called it "Climchella," it was great.
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(Laughter)
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But the point is that it's not going to stop us.
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The criticism is not going to stop us.
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And even though we know that we are kids,
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and we are not here to tell you all the solutions
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that already are out there.
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We are going to do it,
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because every kid who cares about the climate crisis
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is going to grow up to study through an environmental lens
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and to change the world through that.
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So we are here to tell you,
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personally, climate activists that I know don't use "OK Boomer,"
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because we strive for intergenerational cooperation.
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And I think that blaming and dividing each other
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is not going to get us anywhere,
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which is why we don't use it,
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and I don't think it should be used,
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and I actually want to thank everybody who is doing something,
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because action inspires action.
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And you inspire us,
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and we're glad that we inspire you as well.
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(Cheers and applause)
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(Applause)
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CA: Wow.
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(Applause)
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CF: There you have it.
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(Applause and cheers)
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(Applause)
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CA: There is no better note on which to end this.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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