TO EXPERIENCE CATASTROPHE, AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT
MEANS FOR ALL OF US WHO SHARE
THIS PLANET.
THIS PLANET. FOR THAT I’M JOINED BY THE HOST
OF SCIENCE RULES, BILL NYE THE
SCIENCE GUY.
SCIENCE GUY. [ APPLAUSE ]
BILL, OBVIOUSLY -- OBVIOUSLY
HURRICANES HAVE BEEN DECIMATING
THE CARIBBEAN IN THE GULF OF
MEXICO FOR YEARS.
WE HAVE HISTORICAL RECORDS OF
THESE THINGS HAPPENING.
WHAT DO WE -- WHAT IS THE
SCIENCE SAY, AND WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH CLIMATE
AFFECTS THESE SORT OF EXTREME
EVENTS?
EVENTS? >> WELL, PEOPLE ARE CONTINUALLY
TRYING TO CONNECT EACH EXTREME
EVENT WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
COMPUTER MODELS.
COMPUTER MODELS. BUT IT’S QUITE DIFFICULT TO DO.
BUT THIS WE CAN SAY.
IT’S HOW MUCH BIGGER IS A GIVEN
HURRICANE NOW THAN IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN BEFORE HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. SO THERE IS ALL THIS TROUBLE NOW
WITH NOT ONLY THE SIZE OF
HURRICANES, BUT HOW THE WINDS
ALOFT AFFECT HOW FAST THEY MOVE.
AND AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT BY
MANY PEOPLE OVER THE LAST FEW
DAYS, IT’S NOT THE CATEGORY
NUMBER THAT MATTERS.
IT’S JUST HOW MUCH RAIN DOES IT
DUMP FOR HOW LONG.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> ALONG WITH THE WIND.
IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, THERE WAS
NOT VERY MUCH INFRASTRUCTURE IN
THE BAHAMAS OR OTHER CARIBBEAN
ISLANDS BECAUSE FEWER PEOPLE
LIVED THERE A CENTURY AGO.
BUT NOW ELECTRIFICATION AND THE
WAYS OF THE DEVELOPED WORLD ARE
MAKING THEIR WAY INTO THESE
AREAS.
AREAS. SO WHEN EVERYONE IS TORN UP,
IT’S A MESS.
SO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, OF
COURSE, IT’S VERY TROUBLESOME.
BUT THAT’S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF
OTHER PLACES AROUND THE WORLD
THAT ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED
EVEN MORE STRONGLY, WHERE THEY
HAVE LESS ABILITY TO TRAVEL AND
CHANGE THEIR WAY OF LIFE, AND SO
ON.
ON. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.
THE POOR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE
AFFECTED THE MOST.
BUT LOOK, WE’RE ALL IN THIS
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, NEW YORK, BOSTON,
PARTS OF NOVA SCOTIA ARE BEING
AFFECTED BY DORIAN.
THIS IS A BIG OLD STORM,
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY. >> AND THERE IS ALSO THE WAYS IN
WHICH THOSE AREAS THAT ARE
AFFECTED, LIKE AS YOU’RE SAYING
THIS SORT OF DEVELOPMENT THAT
THEY HAVE CREATES THE CONDITIONS
IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN ADAPT OR
HAVE TO MOVE.
WE THINK ABOUT A PLACE LIKE
BANGLADESH, WHICH IS EXTREMELY
EXPOSED TO SEA LEVEL RISE OR
PLACES THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPED
WORLD WHERE FARMING WILL BE
IMPACTED.
IMPACTED. IT DOES SEEM THAT WE WILL START
TO SEE AND HAVE STARTED TO SEE
BIG MIGRATION MOVEMENTS OF FOLKS
THAT CANNOT LIVE WHERE THEY
CURRENTLY ARE.
CURRENTLY ARE. >> THERE YOU GO.
AND WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO GO
AND WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR IT?
AND SO ON AND SO ON.
WE’VE BEEN SAYING FOR DECADES,
THE SOONER WE GET TO WORK ON
THIS, THE BETTER.
SO ME, CLOYMT CHANGEIMATE CLANGH
WITH ALL THE TROUBLES, FILLS ME
WITH OPTIMISM BECAUSE WE’RE
GOING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT
WE’VE NEVER SOLVED BEFORE.
THE ICON, THE THING THAT HITS ME
SO STRONGLY IS THIS BUSINESS OF
PLASTIC STRAWS VERSUS PAPER
STRAWS, OKAY?
STRAWS, OKAY? A PLASTIC STRAW IS JUST BETTER.
IT JUST WORKS BETTER.
THAN A PAPER STRAW.
>> I AGREE WITH THAT.
>> YOU CAN CHEW ON IT.
IT’S GREAT.
IT’S GREAT. IT HOLDS ITS SHAPE.
A PAPER STRAW, NO, IT’S NOTHING.
SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
BAN PLASTIC STRAWS?
THEY’RE HORRIBLE.
THEY’RE HORRIBLE. HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK OF USING
A PLASTIC STRAW.
YOU’RE A BAD NOT PROGRESSIVE
PERSON.
PERSON. NO.
NO. WE WILL USE THE TECHNOLOGY AND
THE PAPER UTENSIL INDUSTRY TO
CREATE EVEN BETTER STRAWS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND THERE WILL BE A TIME
COMING VERY SOON WHERE PEOPLE
WILL FORGET ABOUT THE WHOLE
PROBLEM BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE
SOLVED IT.
SOLVED IT. AND ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD
APPLY GOVERNMENT MONEY TO MAKE
BETTER STRAWS?
BETTER STRAWS? YEAH.
YEAH. THAT’S KIND OF WHAT I’M SAYING.
>> YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE
ALREADY GONE THROUGH -- WE’VE
ALREADY GONE THROUGH THIS WITH
LIGHT BULBS, BECAUSE I REMEMBER
WHEN YOU HAD REGULATION BACK IN
2006 YOU HAVE TO USE COMPACT
FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULB, AND
THESE LIGHT BULBS WERE TERRIBLE.
YEAH, LOOK AT THAT.
AND NOW YOU GO AND YOU GET LIGHT
BULBS IN HOME DEPOT, AND THEY’RE
INCREDIBLE.
INCREDIBLE. AND THAT WAS JUST FORCED BY
REGULATION, THAT INNOVATION.
>> WELL, YES.
WELL, EVERYBODY BENEFITTED.
AND I REMIND YOU, PERHAPS YOU
KNOW THIS ABOUT THE COW MAN AND
THE FARMER.
THE FARMER. THE COW MAN AND THE FARMER
SHOULD BE FRIENDS.
IT’S IN THE SONG.
>> I JUST SAW "OKLAHOMA" SO
THAT’S TOP OF MIND.
>> SO PEOPLE WHO RAISE FOOD
DEPEND ON THE INTERNET TO PLANT
ALL THEIR SEEDS, TO GET
EXTRAORDINARY MODERN SEEDS THAT
ARE BENEFICIALLY GENETICALLY
MODIFIED, TO FEED FOUR OR FIVE
OR TEN TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE AS
WE COULD TWO CENTURIES AGO
BECAUSE OF IMPROVEMENTS IN
AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY.
AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY. BUT THAT TECHNOLOGY WAS
DEVELOPED WITH GOVERNMENT MONEY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THAT’S NOT A BAD THING.
THAT’S A THING.
AND EVERYBODY WHO DEVELOPS THAT
TECHNOLOGY IN SILICON VALLEY,
I’VE MET THEM.
THEY ALL EAT FOOD.
AND THAT FOOD IS PRODUCED BY
FARMERS, GENERALLY IN THE
BREADBASKET OF THE WORLD, WHICH
IS GENERALLY HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES AND CANADA.
SO THE FARMER AND THE COW MAN
SHOULD BE FRIENDS, AND WE SHOULD
ALL BE GETTING ALONG AND WORKING
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. NOW I THINK ALL THE TIME.
ABOUT HOW WE JUST CELEBRATED THE
50th ANNIVERSARY OF LANDING ON
THE MOON.
THE MOON. IN $2010, THAT’S ABOUT $150
BILLION
BILLION BILLION.
BILLION. SOMEWHAT MORE IN MODERN DOLLARS.
OKAY.
OKAY. YOU CAN GET A LOT DONE WITH $150
BILLION, OKAY.
BILLION, OKAY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I’M NOT SAYING
THIS IS THE ANSWER, I’M SAYING
FOR EXAMPLE.
FOR EXAMPLE. THERE IS A COMPANY TRYING TO DO
VERY, VERY HOT FUSION.
THIS IS NOT COLD FUSION.
THIS IS VERY HOT FUSION.
SINCE I WAS A KID, SINCE I WAS
IN ENGINEERING SCHOOL, PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO FUSION BY
SHOOTING A BEAM OF HIDE DERONS.
IT HAS NOT WORKED.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE BORON AND
HYDROGEN.
HYDROGEN. >> YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE IT.
>> TO PRODUCE THREE ALPHA
PARTICLES, THE SAME ALPHA
PARTICLES WE GET INSIDE THE SUN.
AND THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN DO IT
FOR $30 BILLION.
AND THEY HAVE THIS SCHEME TO
RAISE THE $30 BILLION WITH
DERIVATIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT
THEY’VE GOT BY THIS NEW BATTERY
STORAGE THING AND THIS NEW
CAPACITOR AND THIS NEW STUFF.
NO.
NO. IF WE SPENT FIVE TIMES THAT KIND
OF MONEY, WE COULD SEE WHETHER
OR NOT THIS TECHNOLOGY WORKED.
AND IF IT DID, IT WOULD CHANGE
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SO THIS WHOLE IDEA OF JUST
RINGING YOUR HANDS WHAT WE CAN’T
DO, WE CAN’T EAT MEAT, WE CAN’T
DO THIS, NO.
LET’S GO, PEOPLE.
THIS IS THE UNITED STATES.
LET’S INNOVATE.
LET’S INNOVATE. [ APPLAUSE ]
>> SAY YES.
>> AIR TRANSPORTATION HAS TO BE
SOLVED.
SOLVED. GROUND TRANSPORTATION HAS TO BE
ADDRESSED.
ADDRESSED. WE HAVE TO ELECTRIFY ALL GROUND
TRANSPORTATION.
TRANSPORTATION. WE HAVE TO PROBABLY ELECTRIFY
AIR.
AIR. LET’S GO!
LET’S GO! >> YES.
>> YES. AND I WILL SAY ONE MORE THING ON
THAT NOTE, WHICH IS WE ALSO HAVE
TO THEN TRANSFER THAT TECHNOLOGY
AND MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE TO PLACES
LIKE THE BAHAMAS AND THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND
BANGLADESH.
BANGLADESH. >> WHEN YOU GO, WHEN YOU GO TO
THE DEVELOPING WORLD.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> EVERYBODY HAS A MOBILE PHONE.
>> YEP.
>> YEP. >> BECAUSE THAT TECHNOLOGY
BECAME CHEAP ENOUGH.
BUT BEAR IN MIND IT WAS STARTED.
>> HERE.
>> HERE. >> WITH LARGELY INVESTMENT IN
THE MILITARY.
THE MILITARY. THAT’S WHAT LED TO THE INTERNET.
THAT’S WHAT LED TO ALL THIS
EFFICIENCY OF DATA TRANSMISSION.
IT’S NOT A BAD THING.
IT’S A THING.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER, YOU