TED Talks Daily How we’re turning pollution into toys, toothpaste and more | Xu Hao
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Oct 9, 2025 
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Science Isn't Enough For Rapid Change
- Scientific discovery alone took alcohol 200 years to become industry-scale, illustrating slow tech diffusion.
- Xu Hao argues we cannot wait that long to deploy climate solutions and must accelerate adoption now.
We Already Have The Science
- Many necessary low-carbon scientific discoveries already exist today, from solar to carbon conversion.
- Xu Hao frames this as saving '100 years' if we industrialize existing science quickly.
CRISPR Bacteria Turning CO2 Into Plastics
- Xu Hao describes GasGin using CRISPR-modified clostridium to feed on CO2 and produce butanol.
- He links butanol to many everyday plastics that today rely on fossil feedstocks.