8 climate crisis TED talks to inspire you
If you want to do a deep dive into the climate crisis, there is no shortage of information to delve into. It can be overwhelming and, at times, even depressing. Sure, we need to know the hard facts, and then, we need to know what we can do to play our part. What we’ve found is that there’s an abundance of inspiration, too, if you know where to look for it!
Here are our top 8 climate crisis TED talks. You never know, they might even inspire you!
#1 - Why optimism and creativity (not doom) will save the planet - Katie Patrick.
Katie Patrick is an environmental engineer, green building designer, tech start-up founder, and author. In this inspiring talk, she shares her view that shock tactics will not save the world - we need to imagine a beautiful future we want to create.
#2 - How empowering women and girls can help stop global warming - Katherine Wilkinson
Wow, this is a powerful one. “If we gain ground on gender equity, we also gain ground on addressing global warming.” An absolute must-watch.
#3 - How we can curb climate change by spending two percent more on everything - Jens Burchardt
A fascinating talk in which Burchardt talks through the financial impact of using lower carbon products and the case for going net-zero in our supply chains. Can it really be two percent?!
#4 - The most important thing you can do to fight climate change is talk about it - Katherine Hayhoe.
A funny and upbeat presentation about how to talk to people about climate change. Hayhoe says, “The most important thing to do is, instead of starting up with your head, with all the data and facts in our head, to start from the heart, to start by talking about why it matters to us, to begin with genuinely shared values.”
#5 - How to let altruism be your guide - Matthieu Ricard.
Known as “the happiest man in the world”, Ricard is a French writer, translator, photographer, and Buddhist monk. Here, he talks about letting altruism being your guide to life.
#6 - 3 strategies for effectively talking about climate change - John Marshall.
In his short 7-minute talk, Marshall shares his simple yet clever ideas to effectively discuss climate change; what he calls a people-first approach to climate conversation.
#7 - The case for optimism on climate change - Al Gore.
The inspirational Al Gore shares some hard facts as well as some positive news. “We are solving this crisis. The only question is: how long will it take to get there? So, it matters that a lot of people are organizing to insist on this change.”
#8 - How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming - Per Espen Stoknes
We found so many interesting tips and perspective shifts in this talk. If there was one point in particular that we loved, it was, “The idea is, by better choice architecture, we can make the climate-friendly behaviours default and convenient.” This says to us that we can create a choice architecture for ourselves that makes climate-friendly living our default.
So, there you have it - our "8 of the most inspiring and powerful TED talks. What did you think? Did we miss out on your favourite TED talk on the climate crisis? Let us know in the comments below!
And here are two others that we felt needed to be included too.
Bonus talks
10 years to transform the future of humanity or destabilize the planet - Johan Rockström.
In this fascinating talk, Climate impact scholar Johan Rockström shares some big facts that all of us need to know. He reinforces the timeframe that we all need to work within. “Nine out of the 15 big biophysical systems that regulate climate are now on the move, showing worrying signs of decline and potentially approaching tipping points” and that rising sea levels“ will endanger the homes of 200 million people.
Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe - Kenneth Lacovara.
An enthralling talk about dinosaur discovery, and our place in history.