The speaker begins by expressing concern about the rapid climate change and its potential to destabilize our world. They highlight the urgent need for action to avoid runaway warming and the collapse of ecosystems and civilization. They note that while scientists, activists, and younger generations are urging action, many politicians and the fossil fuel industry are not committed to meaningful change.
The speaker then delves into the seriousness of the situation, stating that despite the current dire predictions, there have been positive trends over the years. They mention the increasing global average temperature and the potential impacts of this warming, including extreme weather events, ecosystem collapse, and the inability of many regions to feed their populations.
However, they argue that the situation is not as bleak as it seems. They point out that in the last decade, there has been enough progress that most scientists now believe that we have likely avoided apocalyptic climate change. They also highlight the shift in climate policies and the increasing use of renewable energy, which has made it cheaper than coal or any other fossil fuel.
The speaker emphasizes that the shift towards renewable energy is not just about the energy sector; it's happening throughout the economy. They mention examples of people working on improving current technology to lower emissions, such as replacing old incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, electric or hybrid cars, and better insulation.
They also discuss the increasing use of renewable energy, stating that 25 times more solar and nearly five times more wind electricity is produced today compared to 10 years ago. They mention that battery prices have decreased by 97% in the past 30 years, which will serve all kinds of green technology like electric cars.
The speaker concludes by stating that the situation is still dire and serious, but they hope to have given the audience hope that change is possible. They mention the increasing focus on climate change in free elections, the setting of net zero goals by most governments, and the growing influence of younger people who prioritize climate change and work on new solutions. They also mention the increasing use of carbon capture technology, which costs around $600 to remove one tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Finally, they encourage the audience to keep their optimism and curiosity up, suggesting that learning new things can help maintain this. They mention a website called brilliant.org, which offers interactive courses in maths, science, and computer science, and offers a 20% discount for the first 200 people to use a specific link.
1. The home is burning due to rapid climate change.
2. The world is destabilizing due to rapid climate change.
3. Emissions will not fall quickly enough to avoid runaway warming.
4. We may soon hit tipping points that will lead to the collapse of ecosystems and our civilization.
5. While scientists, activists, and much of the younger generation urge action, most politicians are not committed to doing anything meaningful.
6. The fossil fuel industry still works actively against change.
7. It seems humanity can't overcome its greed and obsession with short-term profit and personal gain to save itself.
8. For many, the future looks grim and hopeless.
9. Young people feel particularly anxious and depressed instead of looking ahead to a lifetime of opportunity.
10. They wonder if they will even have a future or if they should bring kids into this world.
11. It's an age of doom and hopelessness and giving up seems the only sensible thing to do.
12. 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.
13. As of 2022, the global average temperature has risen 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
14. Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees was the most ambitious goal of the Paris agreement but we are not likely to meet it.
15. Already with the warming we have today, hot places will get hotter and wet places wetter.
16. The risk and strength of extreme weather events increase significantly.
17. Warming beyond two degrees makes all of these extremes more extreme.
18. Large-scale natural systems will break down.
19. Some ecosystems will not survive.
20. At three degrees, significant parts of earth, especially in developing countries, might become unable to feed their populations.
21. Heat waves will become a major global issue.
22. Large-scale natural systems will break down.
23. The scale and frequency of hurricanes, fires, and droughts will further increase and cause trillions in damage.
24. Poor regions and subsistence farmers will be hit the hardest.
25. Hundreds of millions of people will need to leave their homes.
26. In the four to eight-degree range, the apocalypse begins.
27. If current climate policies stagnate, we're likely to end up with warming of around three degrees Celsius by 2100.
28. In the last decade, we've seen enough progress that most scientists now think that we have likely avoided apocalyptic climate change.
29. Emissions had grown by 24 percent three times as much as the increase in the previous decade.
30. Subsidies for fossil fuels aimed at promoting economic growth caused a colossal increase in their consumption.
31. For developing countries like China and India, coal was the cheapest fuel for growth while rich countries showed little interest in changing their ways.
32. In 2010, many people expected these trends to continue instead of decreasing fossil fuel use.
33. The next decade turned out to be very different though.
34. Coal burning in developing countries like India has slowed down or leveled off like in China and it's plummeted in rich countries like the UK and US.
35. Since 2015, three quarters of planned coal plants have been cancelled and 44 countries have committed to stop building them.
36. Renewable electricity has shown explosive progress.
37. Wind energy got three times cheaper and solar electricity is now 10 times cheaper than coal or any other fossil fuel.
38. Battery prices have decreased by 97 in the past 30 years and 60 in the last decade alone.
39. We're rapidly replacing old incandescent light bulbs with LEDs that are 10 times more efficient.
40. In 2020, about seven out of ten new cars in Norway were electric or hybrid.
41. In 2021, it was already eight out of ten.
42. The domestic CO2 output of rich countries is falling without a major recession.
4