Speed & Scale

Ten years ago, Indonesia’s forests were being decimated due to a big spike in palm oil production…until two Girl Scouts decided to get involved. Anjali and Ryan uncover the story behind Indonesia's dramatic reduction in deforestation. From grassroots activism to corporate boardrooms, this episode explores the delicate balance of pressuring companies, influencing governments, and empowering local communities to protect our forests. ...

Did you know the UK just closed its last coal plant? Hooray! But after taking a moment to celebrate, Ryan and Anjali reflect on what to do about natural gas – a fossil fuel that the UK isn’t replacing fast enough to meet its climate goals. Fortunately, there are some really smart people coming up with bold solutions. They dive into Amol Fadke's groundbreaking idea to repurpose existing plants – a kind of "Airbnb for the grid" appro...

This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innovative approach that turned Texas into a renewable energy powerhouse. It’s a story about what could get done before partisan politics got in the way of good ...

This is an episode of a podcast we think you'll love, Climate One. A third of Americans say that they've skipped food, medicine, or something else to be able to afford their energy bills. Much of the increase in the cost of electricity is driven by rising demand from artificial intelligence and data centers, industrial on shoring and hotter temperatures.

How does your electricity bill get calculated, and who’s in charge of setti...

Coming September 22nd, 2025: Speed & Scale

TED has a new podcast.

Here’s a new climate story: the biggest solutions to our climate crisis exist all around us, but they’re hiding in plain sight. Join hosts Ryan Panchadsaram and Anjali Grover as they identify the greatest climate wins unfolding across the world. They’ll chat with the people tackling the issues quickly, efficiently, and at a scale that actually makes a diffe...

This is an episode from our friends at the Climate Rising podcast.

This episode in our hard-to-abate series features aviation expert Robin Riedel, a Partner at McKinsey & Company who co-leads the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. Robin describes five approaches to decarbonize aviation: upgrading aircraft, improving operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuel, other novel fuels and aircraft configurations, and carbon...

Exactly when and where did life on Earth begin? Scientists have long thought that it emerged three billion years ago in the ocean — until astrobiologist Tara Djokic and her team made an unexpected discovery in the western Australian desert. Learn how an ancient rock found near a hot volcanic pool is shifting our understanding of the origin-of-life puzzle.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/speed-and-scale-transcrip...

Everyone has the right to a clean environment — but major disparities exist when it comes to who faces the consequences of pollution. Environmental justice leader Peggy Shepard points to the disproportionate impact that hazardous environmental conditions have on Black, brown and Indigenous communities and challenges us to build a truly equitable future that turns "sacrifice zones" — where community health is sacrificed for the sake...

Your closet is likely full of all kinds of materials — leather, cotton, nylon and polyester, to name a few — that contribute to fashion's sustainability crisis. Biomaterials investigator Dan Widmaier explains how we could look to nature for sustainable replacements for these much-used materials and introduces a leather alternative made from mushrooms that looks great and doesn't harm the environment. "We can make fashion sustainabl...

What if you could eat chicken nuggets without harming a chicken? It's possible through "cellular agriculture," says Isha Datar. In a talk about cutting-edge science, she explains how this new means of food production makes it possible to eat meat without the negative consequences of industrial farming — and how it could fundamentally change our food systems for the better. "It's our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a second ch...

From the return of nomadic living to a climate-disrupted world, author and global strategist Parag Khanna has some predictions for humanity. Get a fascinating glimpse at the future as he tackles an urgent question: Where on Earth will eight billion humans live in the uncertain times ahead?

(This conversation, hosted by TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. Visi...

The single most important thing for avoiding a climate disaster is cutting carbon pollution from the current 51 billion tons per year to zero, says philanthropist and technologist Bill Gates. Introducing the concept of the "green premium" — the higher price of zero-emission products like electric cars, artificial meat or sustainable aviation fuel — Gates identifies the breakthroughs and investments we need to reduce the cost of cle...

Today's youth have inherited a big, unprecedented climate problem to solve — and the eco-anxiety to go with it. Gen-Zer and activist Clover Hogan knows the struggle firsthand, but she also understands the path to climate action starts with the one thing you can control: your mindset. She explains why challenging the stories that keep you feeling powerless can help you take the first step to protecting the planet for generations to ...

This is an episode from a show we think you might like: The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast.

Holiday shopping season is upon us, but instead of having a wasteful, plastic-heavy Christmas, why not have a green one? Hosts Candice and Caleigh have tips for how to celebrate sustainable holidays, from your wrapping paper to the menu at your holiday dinner.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/speed-and-scale-transcript

Inter...

The third season of Sold Out examines the intersection of the climate and housing crises. Hosted by Erin Baldassari, the series tells the stories of families and communities throughout California, as they grapple with the ways that climate is challenging the very idea of home. Sold Out shines a light on the solutions that can help us all face the future, highlighting the people who are actively working to protect their communities....

TED Climate will be back soon -- in the meantime here is an episode of another podcast we thought you'd enjoy.

This is the first episode of a five-part series exploring the European energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this season, we ask the trillion dollar question: Will this crisis speed or slow down the energy transition in Europe? And what does that mean for the rest of the world?

Unpacking the history...

Not Too Late, written by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, offers us the tools to tackle this current wave of disinformation, and provides tangible stories of hope. On this episode of Outrage + Optimism, hear how the project aims to invite newcomers to the climate movement, as well as providing climate facts and encouragement for people who are already engaged but weary. Listening to these two incredible women speak abou...

Many people across the world don't have access to healthy food -- while in other places tons of food go to waste. Social entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli thinks we can take bold steps to fix this problem. She lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable food system that nourishes all people and asks us to widen our perspectives before eating our next meal.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/...

"Breathing clean air is every child's human right," says grassroots campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, sharing the heartbreaking story of her seven-year-old daughter, Ella Roberta, whose asthma was triggered to a fatal point by air pollution. Now, Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is on a mission to raise awareness about the harmful effects of unsafe air on our health and the planet. In this moving talk, she details why governments have an urg...