logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
14m 14s

The growing megafire crisis — and how to...

TED Tech
About this episode
Megafires, or fires that burn more than 100,000 acres, are becoming more frequent worldwide, wreaking havoc on landscapes and communities -- and fire experts say the problem is only going to get worse. George T. Whitesides is focused on fighting these devastating natural disasters through innovative technologies and intentional changes to how we build communities. He presents three emerging solutions to this blazing dilemma, calling for us to redefine our relationship with fire in order to build a more resilient and sustainable future. After the talk, Sherrell highlights the importance of looking to Indigenous practices when it comes to curbing wildfires.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 10
How Texas became America’s biggest producer of wind energy
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innova ... Show More
26m 59s
Oct 3
Inside a dark web kill list | Carl Miller
Who pays for an assassin on the internet? Dark web researcher Carl Miller spent years tracking down the answer to this question. In this chilling talk, he shares how he uncovered real kill orders placed online by seemingly ordinary individuals — and gives an unsettling look at wh ... Show More
16m 25s
Sep 26
Interview: The plant-based coating that is eliminating food spoilage | Jenny Du
If food waste were a country, it’d be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions after China and the US, says Apeel Senior VP of Operations Jenny Du. Following her talk at TED2025, Du sits down for a conversation with host Sherrell Dorsey on how her lab is creating pla ... Show More
20m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
The growing megafire crisis -- and how to contain it | George T. Whitesides
Megafires, or fires that burn more than 100,000 acres, are becoming more frequent worldwide, wreaking havoc on landscapes and communities -- and fire experts say the problem is only going to get worse. George T. Whitesides is focused on fighting these devastating natural disaster ... Show More
11m 10s
Jun 2022
Fighting Fire with Fire
Year after year, wildfires have swept through Northern California’s wine and dairy country, threatening the region’s famed agricultural businesses. . Evacuation orders have become a way of life in places like Sonoma County, and so too have exemptions to those orders. Officials in ... Show More
50m 39s
Sep 2020
A Self-Perpetuating Cycle of Wildfires
When many in California talk about this year’s wildfires, they describe the color — the apocalyptic, ominous, red-orange glow in the sky.The state’s current wildfires have seen two and a half million acres already burned.Climate change has made conditions ripe for fires: Temperat ... Show More
24m 24s
Nov 2018
100 solutions to climate change | Chad Frischmann
What if we took out more greenhouse gases than we put into the atmosphere? This hypothetical scenario, known as "drawdown," is our only hope of averting climate disaster, says strategist Chad Frischmann. In a forward-thinking talk, he shares solutions to climate change that exist ... Show More
17m 8s
Aug 2016
Fire: How Climate Change is Altering our Attitudes to Wildfires
As fire risks change due to climate change, how should we deal with fire to protect human health and property without compromising the integrity of our environment? Bridget Kendall asks the geologist Andrew Scott, the fire ecologist Jennifer Balch and the biologist David Bowman.( ... Show More
40m 42s
Oct 2021
Peut-on combattre le feu par le feu ?
L'année 2021 a été marquée par la propagation d'incendies dévastateurs, notamment en Californie. Pour en empêcher le déclenchement, certains plaident pour une solution originale : lutter contre le feu par le feu. Les avantages des feux contrôlés Les partisans de cette méthode anc ... Show More
1m 57s
Jun 2022
This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
30m 49s
Apr 2024
How to live with fire | Oral McGuire
Uncontrolled fire threatens nature — but the right kind of fire can maintain the health and balance of the land, says fire management expert Oral McGuire. As a leader in the Nyungar community of southwestern Australia and a former firefighter, he connects traditional wisdom with ... Show More
10m 42s