Must-listen talks about the future of the environment, crime, technology, government and the human race.

Human growth has strained the earth's resources, but as Johan Rockström reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in protecting our planet's many overlapping ecosystems.

The peatlands of Africa's Congo Basin are a vast expanse of swamp and greenery that act as one of the world's most effective carbon sinks -- and they're under threat of environmental destruction. Economist Vera Songwe explains how putting a price on the carbon stored in the peatlands would not only help protect this vital resource but also recog...

Tristram Stuart sounds the warning bell on global food waste, calling for us to change the systems whereby large quantities of produce and other foods end up in trash heaps.

Written by the educators who created Climate Change, a brief look at the key facts, tough questions and big ideas in their field. Begin this TED Study with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material. The greenhouse effect has been detected, and it is changing our climate now. James Hansen, June 24, 1988 The drought that cr...

Uncontrolled fire threatens nature — but the right kind of fire can maintain the health and balance of the land, says fire management expert Oral McGuire. As a leader in the Nyungar community of southwestern Australia and a former firefighter, he connects traditional wisdom with modern techniques to wield fire in a way that promotes biodiversity...

Deepen your understanding of Climate Change with these carefully crafted educational exercises that let you get the most out of this TED Studies subject. Activity 1 Al Gore, James Balog, Lee Hotz, James Hansen and Naomi Klein are all working in various ways to increase the general public's knowledge of and engagement with climate change issues. ...

Conservation champion and TED Fellow Adjany Costa is on a mission to empower Indigenous communities. Instead of imposing pre-designed policy and plans on local people, she says, conservation efforts should center those who know the land best, enabling them to tailor solutions to their unique environmental, social and economic realities. She pres...

"We're not in a clean energy revolution; we're in a clean energy crisis," says climate policy expert Michael Shellenberger. His surprising solution: nuclear. In this passionate talk, he explains why it's time to overcome longstanding fears of the technology, and why he and other environmentalists believe it's past time to embrace nuclear as a vi...

Known for big, attention-grabbing installations -- like his four towering waterfalls in New York's East River -- Olafur Eliasson has scaled down his latest project, Earth Speakr: an art platform for kids designed to spur budding climate activists to lead discussions on nature, conservation, pollution and more.

Marla Spivak researches bees’ behavior and biology in an effort to preserve this threatened, but ecologically essential, insect.

Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.

After weathering two years in Biosphere 2, Jane Poynter is trying to create technologies that allow us to live in hostile environments -- like outer space.

As an investigative journalist and self-described "professional troublemaker," George Monbiot uncovers the complicated truths behind the world's most persistent problems.

Quench your thirst for adventure with these breathtakingly bold talks that explore the Earth’s most spectacular corners, depths and peaks.

Robert Swan is the first person in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. Now he wants to make sure that Antarctica, the world's last great wilderness, is never exploited.

Plastics are everywhere -- they're in our favorite electronic devices, they package our food and insulate our homes. Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet, and it's starting to change the processes that allow the Earth's climate system to work. Plastic pollution researcher Patricia Villarr...

Insects are the world’s most numerous and diverse animals. Even where you’d least expect them in some of Earth’s most extreme environments, there they are. From a scalding volcano, parched desert, to a frigid glacier, insects are living life on the edge. So, how do they do it? Charles Wallace illuminates the incredible survival skills of insects...

Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible -- but because it doesn’t look appealing. Tristram Stuart delves into the shocking data of wasted food, calling for a more responsible use of global resources.

"If we take care of the land, the land takes care of us," says Indigenous leader Valérie Courtois. As climate change continues to devastate the planet, Indigenous guardians are helping to honor our responsibility to the land, monitoring water quality, conducting research and working to restore key species. Courtois invites us all to support the ...

Our planet is a wonder, a perfectly improbable incubator for life. It’s also in danger because of our indifference. Reflections on both those truths.

Humanity's increasingly permanent mark on the planet has spurred a new geological age in earth's history: the Anthropocene. Learn how we got to this point -- and what our footprint means to the future of the planet.

The shipping industry is vital to the global economy, but it's also a huge contributor to the climate crisis. Morten Bo Christiansen, a leader of the energy transition for the global shipping company A.P. Moller – Maersk, talks to TED's Lindsay Levin about the launch of the first-ever cargo ship powered by green methanol, the industry's urgent n...

Technologist and TED Fellow Gautam Shah invites us to imagine how the metaverse could redefine the relationships between humans and other species. By giving individual wild animals a personal identity (such as Fio, a young orangutan in Borneo, or Mweituria, an elephant living in Kenya) and sharing data on their migration, milestones and habitats...

TED Studies, created in collaboration with Wiley, are curated video collections — supplemented by rich educational materials — for students, educators and self-guided learners. In Climate Change, speakers give talks that boldly illuminate the nature and scale of current-day climate science, policy and ethics. They explore the economics and psych...

After watching the collection of talks on Climate Change, read a thoughtful recap of the major points in this TED Study, and learn where experts believe things are headed. For the last quarter century, citizens have turned to climate scientists and policymakers as expert 'claims makers' to make sense of 'what is' and 'what to do about' climate c...

Michael Shellenberger is a global thinker on energy, technology and the environment.

Theater has the power to transform the most pressing issues of our time from news stories into human stories, says director and playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi. Recounting his work on the journey of Little Amal — a 13-foot puppet symbolizing the refugee experience — Zuabi unveils his newest project: "The Herds," a vast theatrical production of anima...

With its air-filtering plants and sustainable architecture, Kamal Meattle's office park in New Delhi is a model of green business. Meattle himself is a longtime activist for cleaning up India's air.

Romulus Whitaker is a scientist and conservationist who slings around the globe to study and protect reptiles.