How long has the fossil fuel industry known about global warming? And what can we do about it today? Dr. Benjamin Franta discusses the hidden history of climate science. Writing: Benjamin

How long has the fossil fuel industry known about global warming? And what can we do about it today? Dr. Benjamin Franta discusses the hidden history of climate science. Writing: Benjamin Franta Video: Victoria Jamieson Editing: Chris North Benjamin Franta is a JD-PhD Candidate at Stanford Law School and the Stanford Department of History, where he studies the history of fossil fuel producers and climate change politics. He holds a separate PhD in applied physics from Harvard University, is a former research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and helped to organize Harvard’s internationally-known fossil fuel divestment campaign. He has served as a consulting expert for climate change litigation, and his research and writing have appeared in Nature Climate Change, The Guardian, Project Syndicate, and elsewhere, translated into 10 languages, and cited in the US Congressional Record. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

...

Gerald Torres, Visiting Professor of Law, Yale Law School Treaties, Resource Use, and Environmental Conservation Treaties between tribes and the federal government have long been a source of

Gerald Torres, Visiting Professor of Law, Yale Law School Treaties, Resource Use, and Environmental Conservation Treaties between tribes and the federal government have long been a source of contention. Their exact legal status and the rights that are attendant to them have generated a great deal of tension. This last term, the Supreme Court affirmed, by an equally divided court, the obligation of the states to manage resources consistent with treaty rights held by the tribes. The State of Washington has resisted the requirements derived from the set of treaties that make up the so-called Stevens’ treaties. The legal struggle has gone on for more than a hundred years. Those treaties affirm, among other things, the right of tribes to take salmon in common with non-Indians. The question facing the Court was what additional obligations do the states have to ensure the continued sustainability of the resource? This question, especially in times of climate disruption, is critically important to tribes and their members. Moreover, consistent enforcement of the obligations claimed by the tribes would also work to the benefit non-Indians and would cast a light on the structure of trust duties that are at the heart of a state to its people.

...

During a visit to her homeland, Nepal, as an ethnographic research assistant, Tsechu Dolma learned that the villagers of Geling, in the Upper Mustang region, were worried about how erratic weather

During a visit to her homeland, Nepal, as an ethnographic research assistant, Tsechu Dolma learned that the villagers of Geling, in the Upper Mustang region, were worried about how erratic weather patterns brought on by climate change were impacting their food and water security. When Dolma returned to the US, she consulted with Nepalese expats and academics on how to help make Geling villagers, who are mostly subsistence farmers, climate resilient. With funds from the Rubin Foundation and Columbia University, Dolma went back to Nepal to study the success and failures of past development projects. Based on her findings, Dolma proposed building a community greenhouse with locally sourced material. The villagers unanimously supported the idea. Dolma had also learned that Nepal’s decade-long civil war and environmental degradation had made village youth feel that they had no future. She proposed that the greenhouse be built in a school so that it would provide a platform for intergenerational sharing and collaboration. Dolma hopes the Geling greenhouse will serve as a model of climate resiliency and local ownership in rural communities worldwide.

...

...

...

Chad Frischmann defines Drawdown as a point in time when we can begin to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, effecting global cooling, stopping global warming, and beginning

Chad Frischmann defines Drawdown as a point in time when we can begin to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, effecting global cooling, stopping global warming, and beginning the long process of reversing the climate crisis. Reframing our understanding of climate change as a symptom of a deeper problem can help direct our attention more sharply to the root causes, and therefore the actual solutions. Chad and his team of researchers have measured and described real existing technologies and practices that, when taken together, can achieve the goal of Drawdown. With food waste and loss responsible for roughly eight percent of global emissions, reducing both as part of a system of solutions can play a surprisingly significant role in helping us reach Drawdown – the pivotal point that will set the planet towards a better future. Co-author of Drawdown, vice president of Project Drawdown, works to reverse global warming and help build a new, regenerative future. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

...

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure across central Florida to connect with the giant manatee! This weekend Jeff uncovers the harsh realities manatees face in the wild and works with

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure across central Florida to connect with the giant manatee! This weekend Jeff uncovers the harsh realities manatees face in the wild and works with conservationists who are racing to save this iconic species. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation Video Transcript: Jeff Corwin: Today's conservation mission begins in central Florida, home to the stunningly beautiful Silver River. Jeff Corwin: Just look how clean the water is here. We can see in some cases, right to the bottom 20 plus feet deep. We can see the various fish species milling about, big river turtles and large mouth bass. All of them sharing this vital habitat. Jeff Corwin: I'm here with Liz Neville from Defenders of Wildlife. Their mission is to help protect and restore Florida's wetland wilderness. Jeff Corwin: This is old wild Florida, isn't it? Liz Neville: It is, Jeff. This to me is the reason to come to Florida. It's beautiful. The peace that I feel from being out here is unlike anything else. Jeff Corwin: The Silver River flows into the mighty Ocklawaha River at the heart of the great Florida riverway. This vast 217 mile system of rivers and springs flows north from central Florida to the Atlantic Ocean. It is critical habitat to countless species, including manatees. Manatees are big, typically 10 feet long and weighing around a thousand pounds. They're curious, slow moving, and spend most of the day grazing on seagrass. Jeff Corwin: They're also constantly migrating through Florida's rivers and coastal habitats to survive. The greatest long term threat to manatees is a loss of warm water habitat and restoring more areas of natural warm water habitat will ensure the manatee's future. The beauty about Silver River is that it has a relatively constant temperature. So when we get those very dangerous cold snaps, which happen here in Florida in winter, manatees can come here and survive. Jeff Corwin: Unfortunately, many manatees are cut off from places like Silver River due to manmade barriers. The Kirkpatrick Dam is a good example. It was built in the 1960s and has obstructed the large scale migration of manatees ever since. Restoring a free flowing Ocklawaha River will not only give manatees better access to Silver River and Silver Springs, but will also provide them with essential, warm water winter habitat and many of Ocklawaha's 20 freshwater Springs, which are currently not accessible due to high water levels from the dam. Jeff Corwin: The reality is there are decisions that happened decades ago that are impacting the environmental integrity of Florida today. Liz Neville: Jeff, it's really about coexistence at the end of the day. So much of the appeal of living in Florida is the beautiful natural environment and the wildlife that we have. So the key to continuing a survival of species and also ensuring a good human quality of life is to work with nature and not against her. Jeff Corwin: In recent years, Florida waterways have seen a dramatic increase in harmful algae blooms. These algae blooms are killing other native vegetation that provide food to manatees and other species. Tragically today, more manatees are dying than any other time in Florida's recorded history. Conservationists are racing to save this keystone species before it's too late.

...

In the talk, Mohammed will be focusing on how necessary is it to re-frame the environmental education curriculum while also bringing up interesting topics such as lake studies, environmentally

In the talk, Mohammed will be focusing on how necessary is it to re-frame the environmental education curriculum while also bringing up interesting topics such as lake studies, environmentally hazardous substances, and letting us humans reflect on who wants to be what in the future. He urges a change in the environmental education system, as we have no more spare time to consume the resources and produce carbon footprints as we did in the past. Life-long passionate teacher, educational administrator, molecular biology and conservation biology enthusiast. Growing up under the blue sky with six season in eastern India, Mohammed has found his love for nature since a very young age. Currently, Mohammed is living in UWC Changshu China and still continuing to enhance his knowledge on educational leadership, molecular and conservation biology. From talking about “galvanized slavery” to his recent research and study on the effects of education and the environment, Mohammed is keen on sharing to the younger generations on his thoughts on the effectiveness and importance of environmental education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

...