Science & Technology

Al Gore: How to make radical climate action the new normal | TED Countdown

A net-zero future is possible, but first we need to flip a mental switch to truly understand that we can stop the climate crisis if we try, says Nobel laureate Al Gore. In this inspiring and essential talk, Gore shares examples of extreme climate events (think: fires, floods and atmospheric tsunamis), identifies the man-made systems…

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A net-zero future is possible, but first we need to flip a mental switch to truly understand that we can stop the climate crisis if we try, says Nobel laureate Al Gore. In this inspiring and essential talk, Gore shares examples of extreme climate events (think: fires, floods and atmospheric tsunamis), identifies the man-made systems holding us back from progress and invites us all to join the movement for climate justice: “the biggest emergent social movement in all of history,” as he puts it. An unmissable tour de force on the current state of the crisis — and the transformations that will make it possible to find a way out of it.

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81 Comments

  1. Ziemniak Pospolity

    December 2, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    He wrote once about my country: “We learned, for example, that in some areas in Poland, children are regularly taken underground into deep mines to gain some respite from the buildup of gases and pollution of all sorts in the air. One can almost imagine their teachers emerging tentatively from the mine, carrying canaries to warn the children when it’s no longer safe for them to stay above the ground.” – I was growing up exactly in the region he mentioned and I’ve never heard a bigger fake news. I can’t check the rest of his ‘knowledge’, but for me it’s truly difficult to believe in what he says.

    • Nathan Johnson

      December 3, 2021 at 12:56 am

      Source/link?

    • Ziemniak Pospolity

      December 3, 2021 at 1:22 am

      @Nathan Johnson It is from his book “Earth in the Balance”, should be around page 81, it depends what version you would find.

  2. Zenn Exile

    December 2, 2021 at 9:19 pm

    Everything Al Gore has to offer is 40 years old and was mostly as wrong then as it is now. Remember how hard this man pushed for the recycling scam where we just sold all our plastic to China and they just turned around and dumped it off on other countries or straight into the Ocean? Yeah Al Gore helped make that happen. And he knew the ENTIRE time that it was a 25 year farce that would collapse the instant Chinese GDP went up and they stopped buying our mountains of trash. And this idiot doesn’t even know the Rhizosphere is a global carbon battery that can easily erase human’s impact on climate change. He’s still pushing commercial nonsense and fearmongering.

  3. mattyu1818

    December 2, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    He’s super, duper cereal

  4. Chris

    December 2, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    “Global warming pollution”. A biologist would rather call CO2 “The most fundamental gas for ALL life on earth”. All plants, both in the oceans and on land, takes CO2 from the air to produce sugars. They inhale CO2 and exhale O2. Humans and all animals inhale O2 and exhale CO2, so beware people – according to AG you’re exhaling “global warming pollution”. To think that an increase of CO2 in the atmosphere from roughly 0,03% to just over 0,04% constitute a crisis and a catastrophe is a joke. Either Al Gore is one of stupidest man on earth, or he is driven by some other agenda making a career of this climate alarmism nonsense. This man is dangerous and should be prosecuted for fraud.

  5. suicune2001

    December 2, 2021 at 9:55 pm

    Stop eating animal products and that would help considerably. AND it’s something everyone can do today.

    • Zenn Exile

      December 2, 2021 at 10:31 pm

      no it actually would do no good to stop eating animal products. In fact, if we stopped eating animals today, the global economy would collapse tomorrow. But thankfully there is a real solution that requires absolutely no modifications to the average human life experience. And you can find it in the soil. The Rhizosphere itself is a giant global carbon battery that we can pump full of carbon. More carbon than humans have ever emitted 5x over. And we kinda need all those cows and livestock animals to do it, and in order to keep those populations healthy and doing their job, we need to eat them.

      So you couldn’t be more wrong. I know this is hard to accept, and you think that because I am saying eat animals and eat more of them, you will dismiss what I am saying as “the other team” trying to trick you. But you are just wrong. You were manipulated into believing what you think was your own idea. So your brain is probably deficient on top of you being completely and utterly wrong.

      I know that hurt, but the carbon density of soil isn’t a debate. It’s well known and highly accepted scientific fact. When you are doing feeling sorry for yourself. Google it.

    • suicune2001

      December 2, 2021 at 11:34 pm

      @Zenn Exile Can you please point out what deficiency I have on a vegan diet? What essential nutrient I am not getting that can only be found in animals?

      After I got done sucking my thumb while petting kale and crying in a corner for 20 minutes, I looked up what Rhizosphere is. All I see about it at a glance is it has to do with plants and roots. I don’t see any mention about animals needing to be involved. Explain, please.

  6. Tibo

    December 2, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    Hey Al, how much $ have you made from your lectures?

  7. Harry Ballzonya

    December 2, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    You guys need to take him cereal!!!

  8. Culo Prieto

    December 2, 2021 at 10:41 pm

    this radical climate action is going to be a new normal until republicans regain the control again. No president or political party in the history of the USA has survived or won an election period with an inflation over 4%……….the change is coming whatever the world liked or not🤷‍♂️😁💥💥

  9. Flava

    December 2, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    Great video.

  10. armed alone depressed

    December 2, 2021 at 11:00 pm

    Al Gore is such a loser!

  11. MAX

    December 2, 2021 at 11:01 pm

    i thought this was about AI creating gore or something…

  12. Samuel Brunkow

    December 2, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    I don’t think it’s fair to paint nuclear as non-viable. It IS a key to our most prudent path forward. That minimal increase in cost is because the rules and regs around it have TIGHTENED, making it safer. That is a GOOD thing.

    • David Sanchez

      December 3, 2021 at 12:45 am

      In fact, nuclear energy is the BEST alternative for a system to generate enough electricity with less climate impact. Energy production cost is NOT the only factor to consider. What happens when there is not enough Sun? or Wind? Currenlty lot of the Systems based on solar panels use Fossil fuel plants to generate enough electricty at night…. Storage capacity at city or country level is not yet well developed..

  13. David Lloyd

    December 2, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    We could just dump all our sewage into rivers…oh hang on…!

  14. mt89

    December 2, 2021 at 11:31 pm

    Who cares about the environment lol, stop enforcing restrains in my free life

  15. John Jones 2nd

    December 2, 2021 at 11:37 pm

    I guess he hasn’t read any of the scientific papers that have come out over the last year.

  16. John Jones 2nd

    December 2, 2021 at 11:39 pm

    And so much has changed, during covid when people were locked up in their houses and nobody was driving but it got hotter. So the more we drive the cooler it was actually making it.

    • For An Angel

      December 2, 2021 at 11:56 pm

      That is completely incorrect. The temperature has been increasing the whole time cars have been on the road going back a hundred years.

    • George Sintra

      December 2, 2021 at 11:57 pm

      Do you ever take the time to read back what you write before you post it? Because you should start doing that.

    • بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن

      December 2, 2021 at 11:57 pm

      Do you not know how the greenhouse gas effect works?

  17. Darth Revan

    December 2, 2021 at 11:45 pm

    Goddammit….I waited 15 minutes for Al Gore to start talking about the real issue on this planet……. ManBearPig

  18. Detek Uden Bohlen (Kord)

    December 2, 2021 at 11:48 pm

    👍 Agreed within reasonable expectations 👌…

  19. Stefan Nikola

    December 3, 2021 at 12:32 am

    A man with a net worth of $300M, who has multiple homes, and who flies all over the world in airplanes is sounding the alarm on pollution and climate change. Irony. Painful irony.

  20. Cormac Dublin

    December 3, 2021 at 12:37 am

    If only he had won in 2000 😥

    • Levi Efrauim

      December 3, 2021 at 12:53 am

      And… what?

    • Cormac Dublin

      December 3, 2021 at 1:05 am

      @Levi Efrauim He would of started the transition back then

  21. David Sanchez

    December 3, 2021 at 12:42 am

    No, Al, you are wrong if you think we can keep Capitalism AND fight against Climate Change. The same Capitalism that allowed Wealth enormous acumulation in hands of few, the same Capitalism that push to consume more and more and put profits over ANY thing else.
    But before that, why should we beleive in someone that, 20 years ago, predicted that by NOW Cities like NYC or Miami would be UNDER water?

  22. Levi Efrauim

    December 3, 2021 at 12:51 am

    How anyone can continue to listen to this fraud, this charlatan, is beyond me. He’s made kazillions selling this nonsense and yet folks keep lapping it up and rewarding this chump. You bunch of simpletons.

  23. ابو رامي

    December 3, 2021 at 12:55 am

    I am a Syrian refugee in Jordan living a very difficult life
    I need money to pay the rent and buy food for my children
    Is there anyone to help me?

  24. Kim Senior

    December 3, 2021 at 12:58 am

    There is no climate crisis this is bullshit to introduce the new world order & Al Gore is part of that move. As for temperatures rising I’m freezing here in the U.K.! Do some research & stop listening to this charlatan!

  25. THATMOFODIRT

    December 3, 2021 at 1:00 am

    Giving another dislike 👎

  26. Giordano Bruno

    December 3, 2021 at 2:20 am

    How to make radical climate action: hopscotch around the world in a gas-guzzling private jet while posturing about what we need to do.

  27. Robert Moulds

    December 3, 2021 at 2:44 am

    You can bore and gore but Al is still a snore bore go nuclear.

  28. ADVmark

    December 3, 2021 at 2:50 am

    Look up sun cycles, 11 year high frequency to 800 year low frequency. I had posted NASA evidence but they deleted my comment. Climate change is normal, earth has always had climate change and will always and we are arrogant and stupid if we think we can stop it.

  29. Krunoslav Stifter

    December 3, 2021 at 2:55 am

    This communist piece of fraud, again. He should permanently in room with stripped sunlight.

  30. Mike Cummings

    December 3, 2021 at 2:57 am

    I wonder how Big Al got to this thing that he fly coach or did he fly in a big fancy private jet God the big fat footprint he must have left hypocrite all day long they all are nevermind Liars nails done pretty good with this global warming Global change global cooling Global whatever it is

  31. Paul Brooks

    December 3, 2021 at 3:00 am

    Nuclear is viable for a period of time. It’s too polemic to say it isn’t. Nuclear isn’t a permanent solution, nor is it a solution for unstable or dangerous nations (due to the ability to produce weapons), but it’s a *very good* solution for the next 75-100 years where we can finally move to a fully sustainable energy generation capability. Said another way: it’s the absolute best choice we have for now and we should just do it and also plan for its retirement.

    However, that makes for a complex statement and it’s difficult to get people to buy into planned obsolescence—except in this case, the future of the planet depends upon us having enough time to move to 100% green energy that has no negative byproducts. We just don’t have the storage capability to handle power loads at night time, for now. It’s just going to take time to get the battery and energy storage market up to speed, more time than we have.

    Right now, we have dips in energy generation at night and when the wind isn’t strong. We have to spin up gas turbines to make up the deficit due to that unreliability—because we have no real way to store excess electricity and thus nothing to pull from when there’s a deficit. We have to use nuclear to make consistent power until the time comes that we can store the green energy for access during low production times.

    • Dimitar

      December 4, 2021 at 12:01 am

      But doesn’t Nuclear face the same problem that you mentioned? A lack of time? Building NPP’s is very time-consuming, mining uranium is filthy, and finally, if war is to break out – due to climate change as the Pentagon prognosticates – then we’d be sitting on potentially the death blow to all life on earth. Shouldn’t we hold back on Nuclear fission just to give other beings that might arise on this planet in the far future a chance?

      Also, ITER is under construction, and is scheduled to be operational in less than 10 years (the first Fusion power plant, look it up they have a YT channel).

  32. bear paw

    December 3, 2021 at 4:33 am

    This man had the presidency stolen from him. Had he won the world would be a different place.

  33. Ali Syed

    December 3, 2021 at 4:50 am

    Can’t help but imagine how much better things would be if Al Gore became President in 2000. Iraq wouldn’t have been invaded, which would mean no ISIS. We would certainly be in a much better position now regarding Climate Change.

  34. 45°N regenerative homesteading

    December 3, 2021 at 6:26 am

    If we don’t fix clinate change, nothing else will matter.

  35. Lillian Graham

    December 3, 2021 at 7:31 am

    the more we shut down nuclear plants ,the more of a future we can have

    • thebanaap

      December 3, 2021 at 1:21 pm

      Why do you think nuclear energy is dangerous?
      It is the most reliable and safest form of energy and produces 0 carbon emissions in operation.

  36. TheDucklets

    December 3, 2021 at 7:33 am

    Nuclear might be the only chance we have

  37. X Z

    December 3, 2021 at 8:35 am

    😂😂😂😂

  38. Lakersn1nation

    December 3, 2021 at 9:30 am

    Al gore by not fighting the 2000 true stolen election your are the to blame for the mess we are in, imagine no 8 years of bush, wished u had balls to fight

    • Glen levenhagen

      December 5, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      But he did invent the internet. This is all hot air. All he is saying is marketing bs. Tired of talking heads, inflation, influence of business on direction of future based on the almighty (fill in your own currency)

  39. DrDestroy

    December 3, 2021 at 11:39 am

    He’s super cereal this time 🤭

  40. MrKnister368

    December 3, 2021 at 12:09 pm

    Things would be so much better if al gore became president back then

  41. Richard W

    December 3, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    The new religion of climate change. The religion of humanists. So many eloquent words, yet such deception. When man turns to himself and his intellect for all the answers.

  42. Dan Inbari

    December 3, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    Great talk, we need more people like him, advocating for our survival.
    I love sci-fy films, When i was young most was about aliens or space travel, now they are mostly post apocalyptic…
    younger generations need hope for the future. I hope Covid gave egomaniac rich suits / politicians a chance to self-reflect and learn from mistakes made.

  43. faydu laksono

    December 3, 2021 at 3:45 pm

    the largest source of climate exchange : PLASTICS

  44. Zed Games

    December 3, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    Isn’t this guy under water yet?

  45. Wandering T

    December 3, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    He says that solar and wind are cheaper, please note that what he doesn’t say and show on charts government has decrease taxes for solar and wind and extremely increase for nuclear.
    That’s why he’s chart is wrong about prices. If they wore honest show on a fair chart and remove taxes. Then show your presentation witch one is cheaper.
    How about efficiency and long term cost in fairness. They have made extreme better over the years nuclear plants and they are better for envoirment its much better vs vind power that hurts birds only power it’s makes is distrusted back to repairing wind panels all the time.

  46. John Petan

    December 3, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    Talking about it ain’t gonna fix the issue. We’ve been talking about it my entire adulthood life, 39 years I’ve been hearing the same story & every year things are getting worse, sigh.

    Like millions of people, I’ve just switched off, because i really don’t care anymore.

    I’ve seen the ugliness of humanity for far too many years, to care anymore.

    We deserve what we get, because the majority of humans are assholes, greedy, selfish, ignorant, arrogant, living in our bubbles.

    We have become so disconnected with the natural world & possessed by the comforts of technology.

    I feel sad & upset mostly for the wild animals, because they didn’t participate in all of this insanity, yet are suffering because of our stupidity.

    I don’t feel sorry for Earth, because she will survive our stupidity once we humans are extinct & trust me, that day is coming.

    Planet Earth will survive us after we are gone.

    Trying to educate humans & the filthy rich, is like giving a teenager your credit card & hoping they will spend wisely lol sigh

    A foolish fantasy

    Perhaps Neil Armstrong should have said “one small step for man, one giant disaster for mankind “

    • Gerveson Dessalines

      December 6, 2021 at 9:54 am

      I both agree and disagree with your belief because your use of foul language but I respect it at the same time because it’s your opinion

  47. Antikythera Mechanism

    December 3, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    Wasn’t Gore wrong about predictions in his book, bad for not accepting the legitimacy of is opponent’s (Bush) election, and hypocritical for using the resources of 50 American families to manage himself and his needs for jets, houses and the like?

  48. RuyLopezQB6

    December 3, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    Well, we can start by stopping social media pushing rampant consumerism – but then social media platforms only exists to farm data to sell us products we don’t want or need. And then we can stop replacing our phones, computers, cars every year, and stop buying fast fashion and having all our goods delivered and shipped nationally and internationally.

  49. Luke Mackie

    December 4, 2021 at 7:45 am

    I thought this man was fictional up until this video was recommended to me, damn you South Park.

  50. Kevin Wells

    December 4, 2021 at 8:55 am

    I’ll show how old I am. Mr. Al spoke about rising sea waters, global warming, and land being eaten up in Florida by rising seas… where he seems to have a number of properties. Anyway, I know he’s smart, etc. but I don’t feel he represents many of us, and I never will. Nobel Laureate… I always respected that title, but Mr. Gore makes me question it at least a little bit… albeit, I probably have more media facts than actual ones. I’m just tired of the rhetoric I guess at this point.

  51. William, Willy Walter Wirz

    December 4, 2021 at 10:38 am

    Sorry, but we need Love and a wide range of Sciencies. Stop all these Religious Infected Mass Manipulations. We must hard work and have and give RESPECT H. R. 1-30, 1948, stop too much BAD POLITICS and Untolerant RELIGIONS. I CRY…

  52. chyfields

    December 4, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    In conclusion, humanity and other species in the same food chain, are doomed unless change is implemented today.

  53. david d

    December 4, 2021 at 5:41 pm

    Al Gore: how to tell people to be environmentally responsible while having a larger carbon footprint than 97% of humanity through multiple vacation homes and cars.

  54. MìGói

    December 4, 2021 at 6:07 pm

    Thanks

  55. HatRatt

    December 4, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    Flip the mental switch? I did just that! I was teetering and fretting…. but now I switched! The Republican Platform better switch too or they are not getting my vote. I vote my priorities and oxygen is one of them.

  56. Yeti to ride

    December 4, 2021 at 11:36 pm

    I wish every person was forced to watch this with an open mind

    • Matthew Dyer

      December 6, 2021 at 1:55 am

      “Forced to watch this with an open mind”.

      Kim Jong-Un doesn’t see the contradiction there either.

  57. Diego Rmz

    December 5, 2021 at 6:27 am

    hes super cereal guys

  58. Reema Gul Sha Ali khan

    December 5, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    You are right 👍💕👍💕👍

  59. Janet Gray

    December 5, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    Great example of an extreme psyop. He’s getting richer while you are getting poorer. Meanwhile serious pollution is not being addressed.

  60. Grutgger Schmidtz

    December 5, 2021 at 5:59 pm

    He is the internet creator

  61. Invox

    December 5, 2021 at 11:48 pm

    6:38 Nothing says better that the World is doomed than the OCEAN BEING ON FIRE!

  62. Matthew Dyer

    December 6, 2021 at 1:59 am

    Hey Al, I noticed Florida isn’t under water yet.

  63. Travis Richey

    December 6, 2021 at 7:52 am

    Man, I love passionate Al Gore. I wish he’d gotten to be President.
    ~Trav

  64. Russell Maier

    December 6, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Funny, I haven’t seen any young people chanting “We want multi-stakeholder capitalism!” To be clear, Gore does a good surveying our current ecological situation. But in failing to mention how indigenuous nations have enriched ecosystems for thousands of years, it’s clear he doesn’t understand the fundamental shift in world view that is called for. It’s definitely not more capitalism– in fact it’s the polar opposite of the “nature-vs-human” worldview that he’s putting forth here.

  65. nitemare khawk

    December 6, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    I agreed with everything he said to be honest

  66. Y Matsu

    December 6, 2021 at 11:53 pm

    In ancient Japanese traditional merchant’s culture, they said ” three direction good”; good for seller, buyer and environment.
    They haven’t harm the environment and kill small retailers, ecosystem. We need to re-consider the importance of “three direction good”, not only for one, or share stake holders but also for invisible multi-stake holders.

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