logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2020
8m 40s

The case for stubborn optimism on climat...

TED
About this episode

"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 change. With an unshakeable determination to fight for the generations that will come after us, Figueres describes what stubborn optimism is (and isn't) -- and urges everyone to envision and work for the future they want for humanity.

Up next
May 2022
The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate | Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
Many people across the world don't have access to healthy food -- while in other places tons of food go to waste. Social entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli thinks we can take bold steps to fix this problem. She lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable fo ... Show More
11m 24s
Feb 2022
The tragedy of air pollution -- and an urgent demand for clean air | Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
"Breathing clean air is every child's human right," says grassroots campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, sharing the heartbreaking story of her seven-year-old daughter, Ella Roberta, whose asthma was triggered to a fatal point by air pollution. Now, Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is on a mi ... Show More
7m 49s
Feb 2022
How wind energy could power Earth ... 18 times over | Dan Jørgensen
Over the last two decades, the wind power industry has grown at a dizzying pace. (Fun fact: a single rotation from one of the world's most powerful wind turbines can generate enough electricity to charge more than 1,400 cell phones.) Building off this exponential growth, Denmark' ... Show More
10m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2020
The case for stubborn optimism on climate | Christiana Figueres
"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 l ... Show More
8m 40s
Apr 2021
The Stubborn Optimist's Guide Revisited — with Christiana Figueres (Rerun)
[This episode originally aired May 21, 2020] Internationally-recognized global leader on climate change Christiana Figueres argues that the battle against global threats like climate change begins in our own heads. She became the United Nations’ top climate official, after she ha ... Show More
59m 56s
May 2021
Optimismo testarudo para enfrentar la crisis climática | Christiana Figueres
Como humanidad tenemos que tomar una decisión histórica: cómo enfrentar la crisis climática. Christiana Figueres es diplomática costarricense y fue artífice del histórico Acuerdo de París de 2015. En su charla en el lanzamiento global de TED Countdown, Christiana comparte cómo ap ... Show More
10m 25s
Nov 2023
Christiana Figueres — Ecological Hope, and Spiritual Evolution
The ecological crisis we are standing before is at once civilizational and personal — intimately close to each of us in the places we love and inhabit, and unfolding at a species level. And as much as anyone alive on the planet now, Christiana Figueres has felt the overwhelm of t ... Show More
1h 19m
Apr 2020
'Our climate crisis is a choice': Christiana Figueres on why we can change the future - books podcast
On our final episode, the diplomat who spearheaded the Paris Agreement discusses why we should feel optimisitic about our ability to tackle the climate crisis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/bookspod 
42m 59s
Dec 2019
Christiana Figueres on how we can solve the climate crisis
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 i ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2022
3 reasons for optimism in difficult times | Kevin Kelly
"Every great and difficult thing has required a strong sense of optimism," says editor and author Kevin Kelly, who believes that we have a moral obligation to be optimistic. Tracing humanity's progress throughout history, he's observed that a positive outlook helps us solve probl ... Show More
10m 25s
May 2020
Climate Mindset
In the past few months, human beings have come together to fight a global threat. This hour, TED speakers explore how our response can be the catalyst to fight another global crisis: climate change. Guests include political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac, diplomat Christiana Figuer ... Show More
49m 56s
Oct 2020
Listen Again: Climate Mindset
Original broadcast date: May 22, 2020. In the past few months, human beings have come together to fight a global threat. This hour, TED speakers explore how our response can be the catalyst to fight another global crisis: climate change. Guests include political strategist Tom Ri ... Show More
50m 17s
Jan 2024
Christiana Figueres and Ellen MacArthur: Closing the loop to fight climate change
In this first episode of our Circling Back season, Christiana Figueres and Ellen MacArthur bring us an inspiring conversation about the role of circular thinking in addressing the causes of climate change and in finding its solutions. Join us as we explore the role of the circula ... Show More
25m 34s