Ideas change everything

Sorry, this talk has not yet been translated into: Galician|Want to help translate this talk? Become a TED Translator.

The case for optimism

588,925 plays|

Larry Brilliant |

Skoll World Forum 2007

• January 2007

We've known about global warming for 50 years and done little about it, says Google.org director Larry Brilliant. In spite of this and other depressing trends, he's optimistic and tells us why. From Skoll World Forum, Oxford, UK, www.skollfoundation.org

We've known about global warming for 50 years and done little about it, says Google.org director Larry Brilliant. In spite of this and other depressing trends, he's optimistic and tells us why. From Skoll World Forum, Oxford, UK, www.skollfoundation.org

This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Larry Brilliant

Epidemiologist, philanthropist

See speaker profile

TED Prize winner Larry Brilliant has spent his career solving the world's biggest problems, from overseeing the last smallpox cases to saving millions from blindness.

Learn more

Sometimes Brilliant

Larry Brilliant | HarperOne (2016)

Larry Brilliant - Sometimes Brilliant

Larry Brilliant's TED Prize wish

In 2006, the epidemiologist wished for a global system that would detect diseases as soon as they emerge. See the impact of this idea.

The eradication of smallpox

Larry Brilliant's autobiography tells the story of the end of the 10,000-year-old disease.

About Best of the Web

Best of the Web, like the rest of TED.com, involves compelling people and ideas. But unlike TED Talks, these videos don't come from TED or our partner conferences: they're curated from around the internet, drawing on freely available videos from creators with an idea worth spreading.

This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.