From governments to airlines to your favorite eco-friendly clothing brand, tree-planting campaigns are everywhere. Reforesting the planet has become one of the quickest, easiest and most ubiquitous ways to reduce our carbon footprint...but is it actually helping to stop climate change? Ecologist Thomas Crowther speaks with Chris about how planting trees can actually hurt the environment -- unless it's done right. In which case, it can be a pivotal solution in our efforts to end the climate crisis.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have to give a presentation at some point in our lives—on a stage, in a conference room, and, these days, on Zoom. So what makes a good speech? In this episode from How To! science writer David Epstein turns the microphone on Chris to find the answer. Chris breaks down some of the most famous talks of all time and solves an unusual challenge from a 6th-grader named Lucy: can he help her prepare for the biggest speech of her young life?This is an episode of How To!, a podcast from Slate. For more episodes, find it wherever you're listening to this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some believe our world has changed at a rapid pace in recent decades. From the rise of the internet to the proliferation of startups spinning out inventions, it can certainly seem that way. In this episode, though, economist Tyler Cowen argues that none of this has really transformed the ways we live over the last 50 years. But he contends that now that's changing, as new breakthroughs in science and medicine push us out of the so-called "Great Stagnation" into a new era of meaningful innovation.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to persevere and succeed, not just in our careers but in all aspects of our lives? For psychologist Angela Duckworth, the answer can be summed up in one concept: grit. She explains the ingredients in grit and the experiences that make one person persist where another gives up — and offers concrete steps to instill grit early in life and sustain it.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the strikes that transformed the world's view on climate change to the marches that demanded equity and justice for Black lives, there has been a new awakening of people passionate about creating change. As founder and CEO of Acumen, Jacqueline Novogratz decided early on to dedicate her life's work to doing just that. In this episode, Chris talks to Jacqueline (who he also happens to be married to) about the wisdom she gained from abandoning a lucrative career as a banker to start a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating global poverty, and the moral imagination -- and difficult tradeoffs -- she believes are necessary to make a transformative impact on the world.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the pandemic struck, young people everywhere abandoned their classrooms and took to the streets. Xiye Bastida was a driving force among these youth climate activists in the U.S. Xiye grew up in Mexico, moved to New York at 13 and started organizing school walk-outs to demand a future unruined by climate change. That movement led to one of the biggest global marches the world has ever seen. In this conversation, Chris and Xiye explore how a group of young people shifted the cultural zeitgeist for a problem that is often seen as too vast, and too entrenched, to overcome.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Work as we knew it is undergoing seismic shifts as the pandemic in the U.S. wanes. As some businesses reopen, even people lucky enough to work from home face big questions. What lessons do we take from this past year? How should we lead? How should we talk to each other? How should we even relate to work? Chris turns to Simon Sinek, a thinker and writer on leadership, for some candid guidance in this moment of reinvention.This conversation was recorded in front of a live virtual audience of TED Members. To join us for future recordings, access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more, visit go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This past year, scientists racing to stop the novel coronavirus delivered vaccines at a pace and scale the world has never seen before. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University's vaccine research institute, recounts how he and his team developed the AstraZeneca vaccine. He explains why the challenges were as much about logistics as science, and predicts how the rapid creation of all COVID vaccines could change the pace of medical progress—even in realms beyond vaccines. This episode was recorded on March 8, 2021.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new season of the TED Interview, conversations with people who make a case for...optimism. Not some blind, hopeful feeling but the conviction that somewhere out there are solutions that, given the right attention and resources, can guide us out of the dark place we’re in. We share those ideas—and the people propelling them—to light a possible path forward.For the first episode: AI. Will innovation in artificial intelligence drastically improve our lives, or destroy humanity as we know it? From the unintended consequences we've suffered from platforms like Facebook and YouTube to the danger of creating technology we can't control, it's easy to see why people are afraid of a world powered by AI. But in this interview, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman makes a case for AI's potential to make the future better for all of us—and explains how his company is leading that charge with an unusual new business model.Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we're re-sharing a conversation with Christiana Figueres, because we've got a special update for you from TED. On Saturday, October 10, we'll launch Countdown: an exciting new global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action. To get involved, tune in to the global launch which will be live-streamed at youtube.com/ted on October 10 at 11am ET.In 2015, Christiana Figueres brokered the historic Paris Agreement to combat climate change. She gives an inside look at the negotiations that led to a commitment from 195 countries to work toward a low carbon future and discusses her current work on COUNTDOWN, an ambitious new initiative from TED aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.