Connect with us

Science & Technology

Why You Should Ditch Deadly Fossil-Fuel Appliances | Donnel Baird | TED

In the US, people spend the overwhelming majority of their time inside buildings that burn fossil fuels, which are bad for both the environment and human health. (Think: breathing in air pollution from gas stoves, furnaces and water heaters.) If we’re going to fix this problem, we need to retrofit millions of buildings with all-electric…

Published

on

In the US, people spend the overwhelming majority of their time inside buildings that burn fossil fuels, which are bad for both the environment and human health. (Think: breathing in air pollution from gas stoves, furnaces and water heaters.) If we’re going to fix this problem, we need to retrofit millions of buildings with all-electric equipment, says energy upgrader Donnel Baird. Hear about his ambitious plan to rip the fossil fuel infrastructure out of aging buildings and upgrade it with smarter, cleaner, healthier technology.

Countdown is TED’s global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The goal: to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, in the race to a zero-carbon world. Get involved at

Learn more about #TEDCountdown:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Website:

If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas:

Follow TED!
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

Watch more:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

#TED #TEDTalks #energy

Continue Reading
Advertisement
50 Comments

50 Comments

  1. Louis Lesch

    November 15, 2023 at 1:37 pm

    No. Most people cannot afford to own their own home.

  2. Civil Savant

    November 15, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    Wow. There is so much wrong with this presentation that I had questions for, but he answered all of it at 7 minutes.
    “Most americans can afford to buy a home on their own.”
    This guy does not live in reality and clearly knows nothing at all about the lives of most americans.

  3. triforcelink

    November 15, 2023 at 1:58 pm

    I’m all for electric, but man that’s a fear mongering title

  4. Ian Emory

    November 15, 2023 at 2:04 pm

    The key is getting most homes off of Fossil fuels is nuclear power it’s the only thing that could be done at scale.

    I know you say a 30k can be done over 11 years but even without interest that’s a $220 a month extra expenditure that most Americans can’t take. This would have to be paid for by the government by reallocation tax dollars over the course of years. I’d be fine personally cutting the military budget by half to help this but you’re still looking at a massive financial short.

    I love electric cars in theory, but again how do you get around the battery degradation and the need to replace them every few years and what do you do with them when they are bad?

    Here again funding a fast more robust public transit is a better way forward. While America will never give up its car owning ways I do think high speed electric rail cars could be very tempting as opposed to either the expenses of flying or the painfully long hours in the car during holidays.

  5. The Second to Last Dead Eye

    November 15, 2023 at 2:07 pm

    How to reduce emissions: DON’T HAVE TWO CHILDREN!
    0:09 Opened up with a statement of failure.
    I have zero children and that won’t change, so don’t go telling me how to live when the legacy of my greenhouse emissions stop with me, while you’re multiplying the problem by breeding.

  6. Sally Jones

    November 15, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    There is no climate crisis. It is all made up by the elites trying to control everyone else.

  7. Jim Grant

    November 15, 2023 at 2:26 pm

    Climate change was the ice ages. The ice cap came all the way down to the Dakotas. Man was not responsible. How do these fear mongers explain it? Hate to burst your bubble, but the climate will always change. In the late 1960s and early 1970s it was the new Ice Age that was coming. Now it is global warming. No one is for pollution, but using fear and junk science to scare people is ridiculous. Yes, junk science. ‘Well, 97 percent of scientists agree’ is not the scientific method. Just remember 99% of scientists agreed the earth was the center of the universe. Scientists have a vested interest in pushing climate change. They are paid by institutions who WANT to push that narrative, whether it be a government agency or a think tank. Look back at climate data going back 100 years. Look at studies done on ice core samples from the poles going back 200 years. The climate keeps changing. 30 years ago, they predicted half of Florida would be underwater by 2015. All these doom and gloom predictions never come true. I don’t want an EV that I have to drive 50,000 miles to break even on reducing global emissions based on the environmental impact of the mining of the rare earths and child forced labor.

  8. Brian Michael

    November 15, 2023 at 2:29 pm

    Because you’re having a hard time getting an invitation to join a cult.

  9. Pimple Pony

    November 15, 2023 at 2:31 pm

    Fossil fuels are NOT “dead dinosaurs from the ground”
    This guy has no idea what he’s talking about

  10. Pimple Pony

    November 15, 2023 at 2:36 pm

    Good. Eric Adams and his street rats will create redundant jobs that are completely funded by American banks’ mortgage system. Sounds like a bulletproof plan.

  11. Matt Alley

    November 15, 2023 at 2:44 pm

    I agree that we should be moving in the direction of renewable energy and using less fossil fuels but we are not at the point where we can go cold turkey. As I’m sure everyone knows, some times the power goes out and when that happens battery power won’t last terribly long. At these times, the wood stove in my house (yeah, doesn’t burn petroleum but many of the green types want to see those gone too) will keep working and keep this country boys family warm.

  12. j d

    November 15, 2023 at 2:45 pm

    make it as affordable as those appliances running natural gas and more would switch but right now my house would need electrical work and would cost significantly more to run on electric.

    • K4R3N

      November 15, 2023 at 3:42 pm

      Thanks, yes the economic hurdle is real for families.

  13. MarkushaX

    November 15, 2023 at 3:23 pm

    What crisis? Boiler in Harlem crisis? He just want to make some money, and buy a giant house, that produces a lot of emissions.

  14. Obsessed with Cars

    November 15, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    You can stop using them
    Don’t infringe on my freedom

  15. K4R3N

    November 15, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    Ditch them how? With what money? Everyone is struggling right now. I’ll consider it when my current gas stove dies which be long time from now.

  16. Frances Bernard

    November 15, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    Only housewives and househusbands who are trying to bring up young familes should give up their older household appliances now? What about all of the war crafting equipment some of which is humongous in size nuclear war submarines too? Shouldn’t we be having enough courage to question that first before trying to sell newer products to all of those housewives and househusbands who are now all being expected to be more creative in comming up with workable zero emmision solutions? That is why all of us housewives and househusbands and designers of household appliances should be writing to their politicians often about the military main cause of climate change.

    • freesk8

      November 16, 2023 at 3:59 am

      Nuclear submarines produce no CO2 when cruising on nuclear power. Only if they turn on their diesel generators do they emit CO2 as a result of power.

  17. stoneystannio

    November 15, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    Meanwhile…cruiseships emit more than we can ever reduce 😂

  18. Thomas

    November 15, 2023 at 5:10 pm

    Electric is never going to work, batteries are worse than fossil fuels. You just shift pollution to the less fortunate.

  19. man like man

    November 15, 2023 at 6:18 pm

    Who’s here too to practice listening

  20. Hamza ouaghzi

    November 15, 2023 at 6:18 pm

    Who’s here too to practice listening

  21. DJ Flip-U

    November 15, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    The dislikes on this video are justified.

  22. andybaldman

    November 15, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    Gas stoves are no more deadly than any other powerful thing. Human error is far more deadly. Should we get rid of humans as a result?

  23. andybaldman

    November 15, 2023 at 6:55 pm

    Oh look, another TED talk that’s actually just a sales pitch from a CEO.

  24. Madern

    November 15, 2023 at 7:16 pm

    There – is – not – enough – el ec tri city …

  25. Christopher Steves

    November 15, 2023 at 8:12 pm

    Lost me at “…. Induction stoves can boil hot water in less than 60 seconds…”.

    The best induction stoves on the market aren’t anywhere near boiling usable amounts of water in less than 60 seconds.

    Still agree that electrifying most equipment is ideal.

    • Captain Heat

      November 16, 2023 at 6:38 am

      You can with commercial 3 phase stoves but you need 3 phase power and they cost a few grand

    • TBarker

      November 20, 2023 at 11:47 pm

      Boiling hot water is very easy – it’s already hot!

  26. Matthew Writer

    November 15, 2023 at 9:12 pm

    This might work if we as a society were willing to put solar panels on absolutely every building on Earth…and thus eliminate the need for the electric company.

    • Austin Denotter

      November 15, 2023 at 9:54 pm

      Blah blah utopian

  27. 44punisherable

    November 15, 2023 at 11:15 pm

    Don’t forget there’s always going to be a plant to make electricity for electricity for vehicles and to do that we still need to have fossil fuels to fuel the pumps for electricity. Too many damn people want to much of everything and power houses of corporate and money making mother fuckers don’t make it easier. Heck what do you think powers your stupid Tesla?? A power plant that uses fossil fuels to fuel the plant to charge your batteries. Granted it’s gonna take awhile for everyone to come to terms on what’s best for the planet and it’s future.

  28. freesk8

    November 16, 2023 at 4:03 am

    Eliminating fossil fuels would hurt the poor. A lot. The alternatives are all more expensive per amount of power. You can swap out your furnace, water heater and gas range voluntarily if you like. But you may not use force on those who don’t wish to change. That’s morally wrong.

  29. Maria Antonietta Montella

    November 16, 2023 at 5:09 am

    magnifico

  30. Jolene Pilcher

    November 16, 2023 at 6:25 am

    Stop telling me how to run my life. Who do you think you are?

  31. Samuel Zev

    November 16, 2023 at 8:21 am

    There‘s actually already a model of a sustainable house with environmentally friendly appliances, one of these houses use methane pumped from the sceptic Tank to light the fire on a stove

  32. Hazel Parker

    November 16, 2023 at 10:26 am

    If you are not in the financial market space right now, you are making a huge mistake. I understand that it could be due to ignorance, but if you want to make your money work for you…prevent inflation

    • Isaac Danladi

      November 16, 2023 at 11:27 am

      What are you talking about and how could this be explained? Can someone please explain

    • Elliot jone

      November 16, 2023 at 11:29 am

      Lauren kay is the woman I’ve been trading my coins with for the pass few months I started with her last year

    • Wendi Henry

      November 16, 2023 at 11:30 am

      Lauren kay is the woman I’ve been trading my coins with for the pass few months I started with her last year

  33. Maths friendly coach

    November 16, 2023 at 11:11 am

    This is absolutely what we need to improve on….our performance!❤😊

  34. Brianna Cooper

    November 16, 2023 at 1:27 pm

    The built infrastructure is a place where we can make powerful longitudinal change to our emissions and associated health outcomes. As someone privileged enough to live in a directly fossil free home (not indirectly) I know how much I benefit from the improved air quality and hope that everyone can experience it.

  35. आदित्यAditya मेहेंदळेMehendale #BringBackDislikes

    November 16, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    All talk. No numbers. Vague hand-waving and fear-mongering. I call BS.

    “Bezos earth fund”, Conflict-of-interest “I’m the CEO of ” – Let’s see – how many other red-flags can you spot?

  36. 45°N regenerative homesteading

    November 17, 2023 at 7:46 am

    My plan has been moving to countryside and start a permaculture regenerative property that will last much longer than me

  37. Quân Hoàng

    November 17, 2023 at 9:21 am

    a specific method to reduce emission

  38. Cosmic Okie

    November 17, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    Uses electricty from where? Transports electricity on what power grid? Stores this 300% (wag) increase in what? Take this misdirected effort and properly cap and decommission the thousands of natural gas wells currently no longer used because of “progressive energy measures”.

  39. Elizabeth Davis

    November 17, 2023 at 8:49 pm

    So much of this presentation is out of touch with reality its laughable.

  40. Passenger#17

    November 18, 2023 at 7:18 am

    Thought at first it would be a good talk but it was rather a sales pitch for a go-green company

  41. This Guy Said

    November 19, 2023 at 8:37 pm

    Electricity is kinda pricey RN

  42. Ben Pinter

    November 21, 2023 at 8:36 pm

    Guy shows a picture of an oil boiler with a beckett oil burner clearly visible. Then proceeds to talk about how dangerous gas furnaces are. Why manipulate people like this.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CNET

Using the Language Translator on the Rabbit R1 AI Device

It’s been over 6 months since the Rabbit R1 came out and after updates to the software, let’s see how far the language translator has come. #translation #rabbitr1 #aiassistant #englishtospanish Subscribe to CNET on YouTube: Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉 Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront: Follow us on TikTok: Follow…

Published

on

It’s been over 6 months since the Rabbit R1 came out and after updates to the software, let’s see how far the language translator has come. #translation #rabbitr1 #aiassistant #englishtospanish

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

CNET

Rabbit R1: 6 Months Later

We revisited the Rabbit R1 AI assistant device. While it does have a few updates that improves its usefulness, it still isn’t useful enough to leave your phone behind – especially with AI becoming more relevant on phones. #rabbitr1 #ai #gadgets #aigadgets Subscribe to CNET on YouTube: Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser…

Published

on

We revisited the Rabbit R1 AI assistant device. While it does have a few updates that improves its usefulness, it still isn’t useful enough to leave your phone behind – especially with AI becoming more relevant on phones. #rabbitr1 #ai #gadgets #aigadgets

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

CNET

Best Earbuds of 2024

Take a look at our 5 best earbuds of 2024, along with some honorable mentions. Did your favorites make the cut? Read more on CNET: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2024 Apple Airpods 4 Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Bowers & Wilkens Pi8 Earfun Air Pro 4 *CNET may get a…

Published

on

Take a look at our 5 best earbuds of 2024, along with some honorable mentions. Did your favorites make the cut?

Read more on CNET: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2024

Apple Airpods 4
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Bowers & Wilkens Pi8
Earfun Air Pro 4
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

0:22 Airpods 4
1:12 Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
1:50 Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
2:42 Bowers & Wilkens Pi8
3:17 Earfun Air Pro 4
3:52 Honorable Mentions
4:50 Conclusion

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

#pixelbuds #airpods4 #galaxybuds3pro #earbuds #wirelessearbuds

Continue Reading

Trending