What would you do if your job was to save the planet? When Christiana Figueres was tapped by the UN to lead the Paris climate conference (COP 21) in December 2015, she reacted the way many people would: she thought it would be impossible to bring the leaders of 195 countries into agreement on how to slow climate change. Find out how she turned h...

"This decade is a moment of choice unlike any we have ever lived," says Christiana Figueres, the architect of the historic 2015 Paris Agreement. The daughter of Costa Rica's beloved President José Figueres Ferrer, she shares how her father's unwillingness to lose the country he loved taught her how stubborn optimism can catalyze action and chang...

In 2015, Christiana Figueres brokered the historic Paris Agreement to combat climate change. She gives an inside look at the negotiations that led to a commitment from 195 countries to work toward a low carbon future and discusses her current work on COUNTDOWN, an ambitious new initiative from TED aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net...

Witness the unveiling of Countdown, a major global campaign to cut greenhouse gas emissions. TED has partnered with scientists, policy makers, organizations, activists and more to create an initiative that everyone in the world can be part of. Check out http://countdown.ted.com to learn how you can get involved — and help turn the tide on climat...

What is COP26? Here's what you need to know about the crucial UN climate conference set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31-November 12, 2021. Featuring climate advocate Al Gore; Paris Climate Agreement architect Christiana Figueres; minister and activist Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.; UN High Level Climate Action Champion for COP25 Go...

In a panel discussion about fossil fuels and accelerating the trajectory of decarbonization, Christiana Figueres (architect of the Paris Climate Agreement) talks with Chris James (cofounder of the activist fund Engine No. 1), Lauren MacDonald (climate justice activist) and Ben van Beurden (CEO of Royal Dutch Shell). This challenging, enlightenin...

Launching Countdown means asking big questions: What's the state of the climate today? What does climate science know? How are we going to achieve a net-zero future? How do we center climate justice in our work? This opening session of the Countdown Global Launch, hosted by Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle, features Johan Rockström, Angel Hsu, Antón...

The impacts of climate change are growing, but so are the world's attempts to stop them. Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi of the TED Radio Hour, this special TED documentary examines the rapid technological revolution underway — and the real possibility of a better future for all. Featuring urban planner Anika Goss, scientist and carbon expert Julio F...

On his first day as president, Joe Biden signed a letter of acceptance that set in motion the 30-day process for the United States to re-join the Paris Agreement on climate. On the day the US returns to the accord, John Kerry, the US Special Envoy for Climate, sits down with Nobel Laureate Al Gore to discuss the make-or-break decade ahead of us....

Combining new TED Talks with live performances, short films, expert conversations and more, the Countdown Global Livestream event vividly explains the climate crisis, focusing on solutions and calling for leaders and citizens everywhere to step up. Hosted by Latif Nasser, with appearances by AsapSCIENCE, Don Cheadle, TED science curator David Bi...

Climate change is here, it's real, and it didn't happen overnight. Over the past 150 years, human activities like manufacturing, transportation, commercial agriculture and energy production have created a blanket of carbon pollution that's changed the Earth's ecosystems. But even though the climate crisis is deep-rooted and complex, we can't jus...

How do we build a society without fossil fuels? Using her native Costa Rica as an example of positive action on environmental protection and renewables, climate advocate Monica Araya outlines a bold vision for a world committed to clean energy in all sectors.

When it comes to big life problems, we often stand at a crossroads: either believe we're powerless against great change, or we rise to meet the challenge. In an urgent call to action, political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac makes the case for adopting a mindset of "stubborn optimism" to confront climate change -- or whatever crisis may come our w...

Most of us negotiate in one of two ways: either you roll right over the other party, or you just roll over. But great negotiators refuse to believe that we have to choose between results and relationships. Sharpen your negotiation skills for both business and life with evidence and insights from a trio of negotiators who transformed their styles...