TED Talks
A small nation’s surprising solution to unemployment | James Mnyupe
New ReviewHow did a small, economically vulnerable country become a trailblazer in sustainable industry? Clean economy builder James Mnyupe explores how Namibia is teaming up with partners from around the world to turn sun, wind and water into...
Crash Course
Conservation Biology: Sixth Mass Extinction?: Crash Course Biology #10
New ReviewSome scientists believe we are in the middle of Earth’s sixth mass extinction: a big, precarious game of Jenga that involves every ecosystem on the planet. In this episode of Crash Course Biology, we’ll see how conservation biology aims...
TED-Ed
What would happen if the Amazon Rainforest disappeared? | Anna Rothschild
As of 2022, humans have deforested 17% of the Amazon, and scientists warn that we may be approaching a tipping point. It’s like removing bricks from a house: take a few and the house remains standing; remove too many and the whole thing...
TED-Ed
How are microchips made? | George Zaidan and Sajan Saini
Globally, we produce more than a trillion computer chips every year. Which means about 20 trillion transistors are built every second— and this process is done in fewer than 500 fabrication plants. How do we build so many tiny,...
TED-Ed
Rocks could save the world (Yes, rocks) | Elise Cutts
Mount Teide is one of the world’s largest active volcanoes, and there may be a way to use the basalt rock inside it to save humanity. Obviously, destroying an ancient volcano would cause catastrophic and unpredictable ecological fallout....
TED-Ed
The century-old technology that could change the world | Rachel Yang
Industrial manufacturers spend a huge amount of energy generating heat to make everyday materials and objects, like cement, steel, and paper. And since most companies use fossil fuels to reach these high temperatures, industrial heat...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: This mushroom will kill you before you know what’s happening | Michael Beug
Humans have known about the toxicity of death cap mushrooms for millennia. Yet they continue to pose a significant threat to unsuspecting foragers and mushroom hunters throughout the world. Today, death caps are responsible for more than...
TED Talks
TED: The fight over minerals for green energy — and a better way forward | Saleem Ali
To transition to clean energy and green technology like electric cars, the world needs massive amounts of essential minerals. Environmental peacemaker Saleem Ali explains the conflicts already arising between countries rushing to mine...
TED Talks
TED: A bold plan to rewild the Earth — at massive scale | Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
The first step to saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds, says conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. With an unwavering commitment to protecting ecosystems, she and her late husband Douglas...
TED Talks
TED: The unsung heroes fighting malnutrition | Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju
The pastoralists in Africa sustainably produce meat and milk to help feed the continent. But their way of life — and work — is under threat. Food systems advocate Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju explains how best to preserve these vital...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The largest river on Earth is actually in the sky | Iseult Gillespie
The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, exists between two rivers — but not in the way you might think. At ground level, the Amazon River and its tributaries weave their path. But above the canopy, bigger waterways are on the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The one thing stopping jellyfish from taking over | Mariela Pajuelo and Javier Antonio Quinones
Over the past two decades, jellyfish have begun to overwhelm our oceans. If things stay on their current trajectory, we could be headed for a future where the entire ocean is thick with jellyfish. So, is there anything that can keep...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Which is better for you: "Real" meat or "fake" meat? | Carolyn Beans
In 2021, a survey of over 1,000 Americans found that nearly two-thirds had eaten plant-based meat alternatives in the past year. Many cited potential health and environmental benefits as their motivation. But are these alternative meats...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How the water you flush becomes the water you drink | Francis de los Reyes
In 2003, Singapore's national water agency launched an unprecedented program to provide more than 50% of their nation's water supply by recycling wastewater. The program had been planned for decades to ensure the island nation never ran...
TED Talks
TED: This country runs on 98 percent renewable energy | Ramón Méndez Galain
Fifteen years ago, Uruguay was experiencing an energy crisis brought on by its reliance on fossil fuels; today, the nation produces 98 percent of its electricity from renewable sources (and even exports extra energy to neighboring...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why your phone battery gets worse over time | George Zaidan
Almost all batteries, even single-use batteries, are theoretically rechargeable. That's because the metals and other chemicals are still there in the battery. So chemically speaking, a dead battery is actually not that different from a...
SciShow
What Our Buildings Will Look Like in the Future
Ever wondered what our buildings might look like in the future? Right now, the construction industry heavily relies on concrete, but it isn't great for the earth. Join Hank Green for a new episode of SciShow and take a look at what the...
TED Talks
TED: The natural building blocks of sustainable architecture | Michael Green
If we're going to solve the climate crisis, we need to talk about construction. The four main building materials that humans currently use -- concrete, steel, masonry and wood -- have a heavy environmental impact, but what if we had a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 1816: The year with no summer | David Biello
In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted and its emissions spread across the globe, blotting out the sun for almost an entire year. This wreaked havoc on agriculture, leading to famines all across the Northern hemisphere. It was the year without...
TED Talks
TED: How to harness the ancient partnership between forests and fungi | Colin Averill
If we want to better understand the environment and combat climate change, we need to look deep underground, where diverse microscopic fungal networks mingle with tree roots to form symbiotic partnerships, says microbiologist Colin...
PBS
Salton Sea Lithium Deposits Could Help EV Transition, Support Economically Devastated Area
The demand for electric vehicles is surging in the U.S., sparked in part by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and the subsidies it offers. But a looming supply shortage of lithium threatens to stall the EV transition....
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees? | Stefan Al
By 2050, it's estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering...
TED Talks
TED: The real hotbed of innovation (hint: it's not big cities) | Xiaowei R. Wang
To see and understand the countryside is a crucial part of moving towards a more livable future for everyone, says coder, artist and organizer Xiaowei R. Wang. They've observed that some of the most careful, thoughtful innovation is...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The true cost of gold | Lyla Latif
In 2020, Mali produced over 71 tons of gold— an amount worth billions of dollars. But Mali saw only $850 million dollars from that gold. And this situation isn't unique: a number of other gold-rich countries in Africa aren't seeing the...