We WILL Fix Climate Change!

Summary

The video discusses the urgent threat of climate change, highlighting the fear of runaway warming and ecosystem collapse. While past predictions painted a grim future, recent trends show that humanity has made significant progress in reducing emissions, especially through renewable energy and technological innovations. Despite the slow pace of political action and fossil fuel industry resistance, there is hope. The video emphasizes that we are not doomed, and continued efforts can prevent the worst outcomes. It warns against climate doomerism, urging viewers to remain hopeful and take meaningful action to mitigate climate change.

Takeaways

• 🔥 Rapid climate change is destabilizing our world, and emissions are not falling fast enough to avoid dangerous warming.
• 😨 Warming beyond 2°C will severely impact ecosystems, increase extreme weather, and strain food production.
• 🌍 Warming beyond 4°C could lead to widespread societal collapse, though this apocalyptic scenario is less likely now.
• 📉 Fortunately, progress has been made over the last decade, with coal use declining and renewable energy technologies becoming cheaper and more widespread.
• 💡 Wind energy is now three times cheaper, and solar energy is ten times cheaper than a decade ago.
• 🔋 Battery prices have dropped significantly, improving energy storage and the viability of renewable energy sources.
• 📈 Emissions are decoupling from economic growth, with some countries reducing emissions while still growing their economies.
• 🚗 Green technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy, and more efficient devices are being rapidly adopted.
• 🔄 Hope is essential to continue driving climate action; giving in to climate doomerism only serves those resisting change.
• 🌱 While progress is being made, much more work is needed to meet climate goals, and we must continue to push for faster, more comprehensive solutions.

Q & A

What is the main message conveyed in the video about climate change?

The video emphasizes that while climate change is a serious and urgent issue, humanity is not doomed. Significant progress has been made in renewable energy and reducing emissions, offering hope for achieving climate goals and mitigating the worst effects of climate change.

Why does the video argue that humanity is not doomed despite current climate challenges?

The video points out that in the last decade, there have been positive developments such as the decline of coal, rapid advancements in renewable energy, and global commitments to reduce emissions. These trends provide a path forward, suggesting that catastrophic climate scenarios are less likely than once feared.

What has caused many people, especially the younger generation, to feel hopeless about the future?

Young people feel anxious and depressed due to the potential collapse of ecosystems, the risk of extreme weather events, and the lack of decisive political action. This sense of hopelessness is exacerbated by the ongoing influence of the fossil fuel industry and the perception that humanity is driven by short-term profit.

What positive trends in climate change mitigation does the video highlight?

The video highlights the decline of coal, rapid growth in wind and solar energy, significant reductions in battery prices, and the adoption of green technologies like electric cars and LED lighting. Additionally, several countries have made substantial cuts in emissions while growing their economies.

Why does the video mention that coal is dying, and how has this impacted climate goals?

Coal is no longer competitive due to the plummeting costs of renewable energy like wind and solar power. Over the last decade, 75% of planned coal plants were canceled, and 44 countries committed to stop building new ones, marking a significant shift in global energy production.

What role does technology play in combating climate change, according to the video?

Technology plays a crucial role in reducing emissions through innovations like cheaper renewable energy, improved energy storage, electric vehicles, and low-carbon production of materials. As these technologies become more affordable and widespread, they are helping to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions.

How has the perception of climate change shifted over the last two decades?

Initially, the outlook for climate change was very pessimistic, with fears of a 4+ degree warming scenario. However, recent progress in reducing emissions and the adoption of renewable technologies have shifted the perspective, with most scientists now believing that apocalyptic climate change is less likely.

What are the four phases of public debate about climate change described in the video?

The four phases are: 1) Climate Change is not real, 2) Climate Change is real but not caused by humans, 3) Climate Change may be caused by humans but it’s not that bad, and 4) Climate Change is unavoidable and we are doomed. The video argues that we are currently in the fourth phase, which fosters apathy.

Why does the video warn against 'climate doomerism'?

The video warns that 'climate doomerism'—the belief that nothing can be done to prevent catastrophic climate change—leads to apathy. This mindset benefits industries that resist change and undermines efforts to address climate change. Hope is necessary to inspire action and continue progress.

What examples does the video give to show that economic growth is possible without increasing emissions?

Countries like the Czech Republic, France, and Romania have reduced their emissions while growing their economies. For instance, France reduced CO2 emissions by 14% while growing GDP by 15%, and the USA decreased emissions by 4% while growing GDP by 26%, showing that decarbonization is compatible with economic prosperity.

Outlines

00:00

🔥 Humanity's Urgent Climate Crisis

This paragraph discusses the grave and immediate threat of climate change, driven by human emissions and corporate interests that resist change. It highlights the fear that tipping points could lead to the collapse of ecosystems and human civilization. Despite the despair, there is a shift towards hope, with the emergence of positive trends in climate action. The introduction of the Ted talk suggests that there is a path to preventing the worst-case scenarios if action is taken.

05:04

⚡ Climate Catastrophe and Warming Threat

The second paragraph delves into the specific threats posed by climate change, from rising temperatures to the increased severity of extreme weather. A global temperature rise beyond 2°C will escalate these risks dramatically, causing massive ecological and humanitarian crises. Although it was once predicted that humanity could face a 4+°C warming apocalypse, progress in climate policy over the past decade suggests that we may avoid the worst-case scenario. However, a 3°C warming by 2100 remains a significant danger.

10:05

🌱 The Invisible Shift Towards a Greener Future

This section outlines the significant but often overlooked progress in combating climate change, despite a lack of comprehensive policies. Over the last decade, fossil fuel consumption has slowed, especially coal usage in countries like India and China. The paragraph celebrates the rapid advancement of renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind power, which have become much cheaper. Battery storage has also improved, supporting these renewables. The paragraph ends with optimism about emerging green technologies and the role of human innovation in reducing emissions.

🔋 Innovations and the Decarbonization of Economies

Here, the focus shifts to concrete examples of technological progress in reducing emissions, such as the rise of LED lighting and electric vehicles. Notably, some countries have managed to grow their economies while reducing emissions, showing that economic growth does not have to come at the expense of the climate. This suggests that developing countries may also benefit from adopting green technologies more cheaply, thanks to the advancements funded by wealthier nations.

🌍 The Reality Check: Much More Work to Do

While there has been significant progress, this paragraph emphasizes that current efforts are still far too slow. Humanity needs to adopt more sustainable resource use, better infrastructure, and more eco-friendly cities. Political and financial support must be improved to accelerate these positive trends. However, the emerging alignment of economic incentives with climate action signals a potential turning point if society can scale these efforts.

💡 The Hopeful Future Amidst Climate Anxiety

This final section addresses the psychological impact of climate change, particularly the feelings of hopelessness and apathy. The fossil fuel industry has weaponized this hopelessness to delay action, but the paragraph argues that there is still time to change course. Despite the daunting predictions, real progress is being made, and younger generations, who prioritize climate change, are moving into leadership positions. By believing that change is possible, humanity can prevent the worst-case scenarios and ensure a future for the coming generations.

Keywords

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term alterations in global temperatures and weather patterns, primarily due to human activities like burning fossil fuels. In the video, climate change is presented as a central existential threat to civilization, with rapid warming destabilizing ecosystems. The narrative discusses how unchecked emissions lead to extreme weather events and the collapse of ecosystems, emphasizing the urgency for action.

💡Tipping Points

Tipping points are critical thresholds in the climate system where small changes can lead to dramatic and irreversible consequences, such as the collapse of ecosystems or ice sheets. In the video, the concern is raised that we may soon hit these tipping points, causing runaway climate change and making it difficult for humanity and the planet to recover.

💡Renewable Energy

Renewable energy refers to power sources like wind, solar, and hydropower that are sustainable and do not deplete natural resources. The video highlights significant progress in making renewable energy more affordable and accessible, particularly noting the decrease in costs of solar and wind energy, which is a positive development towards reducing emissions and moving away from fossil fuels.

💡Fossil Fuel Industry

The fossil fuel industry involves companies that extract and sell coal, oil, and natural gas. In the video, this industry is depicted as a major obstacle to climate action, actively working to delay change and preserve its business model. The industry is criticized for lobbying against environmental policies, despite the growing evidence of the harm caused by fossil fuel consumption.

💡Carbon Emissions

Carbon emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, primarily from burning fossil fuels. The video focuses on how these emissions contribute to global warming, and the need to drastically reduce them in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change. There is hope, however, as emissions in several developed countries have been decreasing.

💡Technological Innovation

Technological innovation refers to the development of new technologies that can help mitigate or adapt to climate change. The video emphasizes the rapid advancements in renewable energy, electric cars, battery storage, and carbon capture, showing that human ingenuity is making progress towards addressing climate issues, even without full political backing.

💡Carbon Capture

Carbon capture is a technology designed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere or prevent it from being emitted during industrial processes. The video discusses this as a growing field, with the potential to become a key part of the solution to climate change. Although it is currently expensive, the video notes that costs are expected to decrease as the technology matures.

💡Apathy and Hopelessness

Apathy and hopelessness describe the emotional states of feeling indifferent or defeated by the overwhelming nature of climate change. The video warns that these feelings, if widespread, serve the interests of the fossil fuel industry by delaying action. It encourages viewers to reject this mindset, showing that there is still hope and meaningful progress can be made.

💡Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty signed in 2015 to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with efforts to stay below 1.5 degrees. The video mentions the Paris Agreement in the context of the failure to meet its most ambitious target (1.5 degrees), while still acknowledging progress in efforts to combat climate change globally.

💡Doomerism

Doomerism is a term used in the video to describe the belief that climate change is an unavoidable disaster, leading people to give up on taking action. The video argues that this mindset is dangerous and serves those who oppose climate action, as it prevents people from pushing for change. It presents a more hopeful outlook, showing that while the situation is serious, it is not hopeless.

Highlights

Rapid climate change is destabilizing our world, and emissions may not fall quickly enough to avoid runaway warming.

There are fears that we may soon hit tipping points leading to ecosystem collapse and the potential downfall of human civilization.

While younger generations and activists urge action, many politicians and the fossil fuel industry continue to resist significant change.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, there are positive trends and a clear path towards achieving climate goals.

Global average temperatures have risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius, with risks of more extreme weather events as temperatures rise further.

Warming beyond 2 degrees will make extreme weather more common, with many ecosystems unable to survive the pressure.

At 3 degrees of warming, parts of the Earth could become uninhabitable, particularly in developing regions, leading to mass displacement.

A decade ago, a 4+ degree increase was considered likely, but today, most scientists believe apocalyptic climate change is less likely.

Current climate policies could result in 3°C warming by 2100, which is still concerning but shows progress compared to earlier predictions.

Coal is becoming less competitive, with coal plant cancellations and the rapid rise of cheaper renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

Battery prices have decreased by 97% in 30 years, enhancing the potential for renewable energy and electric vehicle adoption.

CO2 emissions in rich countries are falling, with examples like the EU, the UK, and the US showing significant reductions while growing GDP.

The trend of decoupling economic growth from emissions means countries can increase prosperity while reducing their carbon footprint.

Developing countries can adopt green technologies more cheaply, as rich countries bear the initial development costs.

The urgency to combat climate change remains high, but the last decade's progress shows that change is possible and happening.

Transcripts

Our home is burning. Rapid climate  change is destabilizing our world.  

It seems our emissions will not fall quickly  enough to avoid runaway warming and we may  

soon hit tipping points that will lead to the  collapse of ecosystems and our civilization.

While scientists, activists and much  of the younger generation urge action,  

it appears most politicians are not  committed to do anything meaningful  

while the fossil fuel industry still works  actively against change. It seems humanity  

can’t overcome its greed and obsession with short  term profit and personal gain to save itself.

And so for many the future looks grim and  hopeless. Young people feel particularly  

anxious and depressed. Instead of looking  ahead to a lifetime of opportunity they  

wonder if they will even have a future or  if they should bring kids into this world.  

It’s an age of doom and hopelessness and  giving up seems the only sensible thing to do.

But that’s not true. You are not  doomed. Humanity is not doomed.  

Despite the seriousness of the situation, for  years positive trends have accumulated and there  

is finally some good news and a clear path towards  our collective climate goals. Welcome to our Ted  

talk, please watch this video to the end – check  out our detailed sources afterwards to learn more.

Ok! Let’s start with the scariest things.

Canceling the Apocalypse

Some of the most widely shared stories about  Climate Change are that it is an existential  

threat – the end of human civilization and  maybe even our own extinction event. And  

that it is basically unavoidable now.  But what does science actually say?

As of 2022 the global average temperature  

has risen 1.2 degrees celsius  compared to preindustrial times.  

Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees was the  most ambitious goal of the Paris agreement  

but we are not likely to meet it. Already with the  warming we have today, hot places will get hotter,  

wet places wetter and the risk and strength of  extreme weather events increase significantly.

Warming beyond 2 degrees makes all of these  extremes more extreme, extreme weather events  

more common with more ecosystems under  major pressure. Some will not survive.

At 3 degrees significant parts of earth,  especially in developing countries,  

might become unable to feed their populations.  Heat waves will become a major global issue.  

Large scale natural systems will break  down. The scale and frequency of hurricanes,  

fires and droughts will further increase and cause  trillions in damage. Poor regions and subsistence  

farmers will be hit the hardest. Hundreds of  millions of people will need to leave their homes.

In the 4-8 degree range the apocalypse begins  – the hothouse earth, where things change  

so quickly, that it may become unable  to support our large human population  

and billions may perish, leaving  the rest on a hostile alien planet.  

A decade ago, for lack of action and perspective,  many scientists assumed a 4+ degree world was our  

future and a lot of public communication  focused on exactly this future path.  

Luckily, it's much less likely that this  version of the apocalypse will come to pass.

If current climate policies stagnate, we’re  likely to end up with warming 3 °C by 2100.  

Which is scary and tragic and far from acceptable.  But this is actually good news – how? In the last  

decade, we have seen enough progress that most  scientists now think that we have likely avoided  

apocalyptic climate change. Although substantial  risk still remains, we can pretty confidently say  

that humanity isn’t going anywhere. Civilization  might have to change, but it will endure.

Which begs the question: What has changed over  the last ten years and is this really good news?

## The Invisible Shift

You probably know this story: The  last decade has been an immense  

failure for climate policies around the world.  

Instead of passing comprehensive, binding  bills that would meaningfully reduce emissions  

we mostly did: nothing. A lost decade with one  negative record after another. And this story  

is true and it is one reason why so many people  are giving up. But it is not the whole picture.

Despite the lack of climate policies and ongoing  

lobbying and misinformation campaigns  from the fossil fuel industries,  

there was a lot of progress. Let us go back  20 years to see why today is so different:

Between 2000 and 2010, greenhouse  gas emissions had grown by 24%,  

three times as much as the increase in the  previous decade. Subsidies for fossil fuels  

aimed at promoting economic growth, caused  a colossal increase in their consumption.  

For emerging countries like China and  India coal was the cheapest fuel for growth  

while rich countries showed little  interest in changing their ways.

In 2010, many people expected these trends  to continue. Instead of decreasing fossil  

fuel use its consumption would rise. The next  decade turned out to be very different though.

First of all, coal burning in emerging countries  like India has been slowed down or leveled off,  

like in China. And it has plummeted  in rich countries like the UK and US.  

Since 2015 three-quarters of planned coal  plants have been canceled and 44 countries  

have committed to stop building them. Ten years  ago that would have seemed like wishful thinking,  

but today we can say with confidence: Coal  is dying. It is just not competitive anymore.  

Because technologies we thought would remain  expensive matured rapidly instead. Renewable  

electricity has shown explosive progress. In a  mere decade wind energy got three times cheaper.  

Solar electricity is now ten times cheaper!  Cheaper than coal or any other fossil-fuel burning  

power plant, despite the massive subsidies and  global infrastructure propping up fossil fuels.

25 times more solar and nearly 5 times more wind  electricity is produced today compared with ten  

years ago, which is of course not nearly enough.  One of the biggest obstacles is the variability  

of their power output. Renewables need a lot of  energy storage to be a reliable power source,  

like expensive batteries. Amazingly battery  prices have decreased by 97% in the past 30 years,  

60% in the last decade alone – which will serve  all kinds of green technology like electric cars.

You might say, well that’s great but  didn’t Kurzgesagt’s last climate video  

say that while wind and solar are nice, we need  nothing less than a fundamental transition of  

our global industrial system? Yes but luckily  the shift goes beyond just the energy sector.  

Throughout the economy people are working on  improving current technology to lower emissions.

We’re rapidly replacing old incandescent light  bulbs with LEDs that are ten times more efficient.  

In 2020 about 7 out of 10 new  cars in Norway were electric  

or hybrid – In 2021 it was already  8 out of 10. And the list goes on,  

from electric heating and better insulation  to ships traveling at half speed to save fuel.

Wherever you look you find scientists,  

engineers and entrepreneurs trying to  solve some aspect of climate change.  

Enormous amounts of human ingenuity are  being brought to bear on this problem  

with more and more people deciding to prioritize  preventing rapid climate change. Solutions for  

low-carbon production of cement, electronics and  steel, and innovations like artificial meat and  

carbon capture are in the works. The more of  these technologies we deploy; the cheaper new  

and better technology gets. The cheaper they  get, the more people use them. And so on.

We can see the impact already:  

The domestic CO2 output of rich countries  is falling without a major recession.  

Since the year 2000, the EU as a whole shows a  21% decrease, Italy 28%, the UK 35%, Denmark 43%.

But the best news may be that emissions are no  longer necessarily coupled with economic growth.  

In the past this was an inconvenient truth  – to get richer, you had to emit more. Which  

led to fierce arguments between developing  and developed countries about the fairness  

of reducing emissions while their populations  were still poor. But in the last decade we have  

seen that it IS possible to increase prosperity  without increasing emissions. Emissions in the  

Czech Republic dropped 13% while their GDP grew  by 27%! France reduced their CO2 emissions by 14%  

while increasing GDP by 15%! Romania saw  an 8% decrease and 35% growth! And even the  

largest economy on earth - the USA - decreased  emissions by 4% while growing their GDP by 26%!

Some of you may call this a numbers trick. That  rich countries are just exporting emissions to  

poorer nations by moving the dirty parts of  their economies like manufacturing. But even  

when we account for all of our imported goods,  the numbers still look positive! It’s no longer  

a matter of having to choose between prosperity  and the climate as it seemed to be a decade ago.

Developing countries will profit from  that because as rich countries pay for  

the expensive development of green technologies,  they can adopt them more cheaply. They can skip  

most of the high emission phase that  today's rich countries went through.  

We are at the point where not  decarbonizing is a bad business decision.

And we haven’t even really talked  about solutions like carbon capture.  

In 2000 it didn't really exist. In 2022 that  technology does exist and costs around $600 to  

remove one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. As  investment pours in and the technology matures  

and begins to scale, it is likely that these  costs will plummet over the next few decades.

So everything's fine then? Well let us not get  carried away here - all of these processes are  

great but not nearly fast enough. We are still  doing way too little and technology will not  

magically solve everything. We need to use  fewer resources and use them longer, design  

consumer goods that are repairable and durable  and decrease our energy requirements. We need  

much better infrastructure, agriculture  and cities. It will still be hard work,  

especially to get the right  policies passed and enacted.

But for the first time ever,  

there are a few trendlines pointing  solidly in the right direction.

And now imagine – If all of this was achieved  without proper financial and political support  

and despite fossil fuel lobbying  – just think what humanity can do  

when climate change finally gets the  political attention and funding it needs.

So is it ok to feel hopeful again? The  situation is still dire and serious,  

so what is the point of focusing  on this side of the story?

The Trap of Hopelessness

Climate change can feel overwhelming and  make your future seem bleak. The sadness  

and hopelessness that many people feel is real  and very destructive because it causes apathy.

Apathy that is only serving the fossil  fuel industry that is still delaying  

change however it can. In a sense  they have weaponized hopelessness.  

We are now in phase 4 in the public  debate about rapid climate change action:

Phase 1 was: Climate Change is not real.

Phase 2 was: Climate Change is  real but not caused by humans.

Phase 3 was: Climate Change may be  caused by humans but it’s not that bad.

Phase 4 is: Climate Change is no longer avoidable.  We are doomed and it doesn’t matter what we do.

If we want the world to change, we first need  to believe that change is possible. And we have  

an abundance of evidence that it is. Changes  to our industrial system are gaining momentum,  

technology gets better and cheaper, climate change  has become a key issue in most free elections.  

As more and more younger people  move into influential positions,  

they prioritize climate change and work on  new solutions. In 2022 most governments not  

only acknowledge it but set their own net zero  goals – in democratic and autocratic countries.  

The results of years of fighting a steep  uphill battle are now clearly visible. The  

pressure needs to keep increasing, to make sure  that the promises made today are actually kept!

Climate doomerism is the equivalent of giving up  even though you can still prevent not just the  

worst case but also mitigate most of the bad  things, make changes in time to adapt better  

and prevent the poorest from suffering. That is  why hopelessness and apathy are so dangerous.

If the last, in many ways wasted  decade, has shown anything,  

then it’s that progress is being made and that  dire scenarios are just predictions – not our  

sealed fate. As of 2022, based on current global  policies, we will end up in a 3 degrees world.  

Now it is our job to yet again prove the  predictions wrong – despite how serious and  

urgent things are. To turn that 3 degrees into a  2 degrees and then see where we can go from there.

For that we need hope. And we hope we gave you  that today, at least a little. That you feel  

that things are serious but also that you have  a future. That you can have kids without dooming  

them or the world. That taking action today is  worth it. And that despite powerful industries  

doing everything to delay it, society is changing.  If you need a more concrete roadmap of what you  

can do personally – we are working on a follow  up video to talk about that in greater detail.

Doomerism, inactivity and weaponized hopelessness  

are the only trump cards left for the powers  that don’t want change. Don’t let them win.