This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet
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0:01 - 0:02Hello, everyone.
-
0:03 - 0:06Growing up in my family
gives you a certain sense of history. -
0:06 - 0:11I'm simply the latest in a line
that can be traced back generations. -
0:11 - 0:14This oak tree is close to Windsor Castle,
-
0:14 - 0:18which has been home to my family
for over 900 years. -
0:18 - 0:23Thirty-nine monarchs have lived here
and enjoyed these beautiful surroundings. -
0:24 - 0:27I've walked here many times myself,
-
0:27 - 0:30and it always amazes me
that some of the trees planted here, -
0:30 - 0:35living organisms, dependent
on soil, rain and sunlight, -
0:35 - 0:38were here as they laid
the first stones of Windsor Castle. -
0:39 - 0:43That makes some of the oaks here
almost 1,000 years old. -
0:44 - 0:49These trees germinated during the reign
of William the Conqueror in 1066, -
0:49 - 0:52from a simple acorn like this.
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0:53 - 0:56By the time that Henry VIII lived here,
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0:56 - 0:59they'd grown into mature,
impressive giants. -
1:00 - 1:01And amazingly,
-
1:01 - 1:05some of those very same trees
still survive here today. -
1:05 - 1:08They're a bit gnarled and hollowed-out,
-
1:08 - 1:10but they're still very much alive.
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1:12 - 1:13While these oaks have been growing,
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1:13 - 1:19around 35 billion people
have lived their lives on our planet. -
1:19 - 1:25That's 35 billion lifetimes' worth
of hope, love, fear and dreams. -
1:26 - 1:30In that time, humankind
has invented air travel, -
1:30 - 1:32vaccines and computers.
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1:33 - 1:36We've explored every part of the globe,
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1:36 - 1:38sequenced the human genome
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1:38 - 1:40and even escaped Earth's atmosphere.
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1:41 - 1:44Our speed of innovation
has been incredible, -
1:44 - 1:48but so, too, has
the acceleration of our impact. -
1:49 - 1:53Over my grandmother's lifetime,
the last 90 years or so, -
1:53 - 1:56our impacts accelerated so fast
-
1:56 - 2:01that our climate, oceans, air,
nature and all that depends on them -
2:01 - 2:03are in peril.
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2:04 - 2:07This oak has stood here for centuries,
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2:07 - 2:10but never has it faced a decade like this.
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2:11 - 2:13We start this new decade
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2:13 - 2:16knowing that it is the most
consequential period in history. -
2:17 - 2:19The science is irrefutable.
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2:20 - 2:22If we do not act in this decade,
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2:22 - 2:25the damage that we have done
will be irreversible. -
2:26 - 2:29And the effects felt
not just by future generations -
2:29 - 2:31but by all of us alive today.
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2:32 - 2:36And what's more, this damage
will not be felt equally by everyone. -
2:37 - 2:38It is the most vulnerable,
-
2:38 - 2:40those with the fewest resources
-
2:40 - 2:43and those who've done the least
to cause climate change -
2:43 - 2:45who will be impacted the most.
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2:46 - 2:49These stark facts are terrifying.
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2:49 - 2:53How can we hope to fix
such massive intractable problems? -
2:54 - 2:57It may seem overwhelming,
but it is possible. -
2:59 - 3:04Humans have an extraordinary capacity
to set goals and strive to achieve them. -
3:04 - 3:07I've long been inspired
by President John F. Kennedy's -
3:07 - 3:111961 mission to put a man
on the moon within a decade. -
3:12 - 3:14He named it the Moonshot.
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3:14 - 3:15It seemed crazy.
-
3:15 - 3:18We'd only just launched
the first satellite. -
3:18 - 3:21Putting a man on the moon
that quickly seemed impossible. -
3:22 - 3:25But this simple challenge
encompassed so much. -
3:26 - 3:28He called it a goal
to organize and measure -
3:28 - 3:31the best of our energies and skills.
-
3:32 - 3:35In taking that giant leap for mankind,
-
3:35 - 3:36the team behind the Moonshot
-
3:36 - 3:39united millions of people
around the world -- -
3:39 - 3:43that this crazy ambition
wasn't so crazy after all. -
3:44 - 3:48And along the way, it helped the invention
of breathing equipment, -
3:48 - 3:51CAT scanners and solar panels.
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3:52 - 3:55But now, rather than a Moonshot
for this decade, -
3:55 - 3:57we need Earthshots.
-
3:58 - 4:03We must harness that same
spirit of human ingenuity and purpose -
4:03 - 4:06and turn it with laser sharp
focus and urgency -
4:06 - 4:09on the most pressing challenge
we have ever faced, -
4:09 - 4:11repairing our planet.
-
4:12 - 4:15The shared goals
for our generation are clear. -
4:16 - 4:20Together, we must protect
and restore nature, -
4:20 - 4:24clean our air, revive our oceans,
-
4:24 - 4:28build a waste-free world
and fix our climate. -
4:28 - 4:32And we must strive
to do all of this in a decade. -
4:33 - 4:35If we achieve these goals,
-
4:35 - 4:38by 2030 our lives won't be worse,
-
4:38 - 4:42and we won't have to
sacrifice everything we enjoy. -
4:42 - 4:44Instead, the way we live
will be healthier, -
4:44 - 4:48cleaner, smarter and better for all of us.
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4:49 - 4:52The global response
to the COVID-19 pandemic -
4:52 - 4:56and the funds flowing
into the economic recovery -
4:56 - 4:58demonstrate how much can be achieved
-
4:58 - 5:01when those in positions
of power come together -
5:01 - 5:03and decide to act.
-
5:04 - 5:08We built hospitals overnight,
repurposed factories, -
5:08 - 5:12poured billions into the search
for a vaccine and better treatments. -
5:13 - 5:18And we've been inspired by heroes emerging
in every community across the world. -
5:19 - 5:24Young people no longer believe
that change is too difficult. -
5:24 - 5:27They witnessed the world turn on its head.
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5:27 - 5:32They believe that the climate crisis
and the threat to our biodiversity -
5:32 - 5:35deserves our full attention and ambition.
-
5:35 - 5:36And they're right.
-
5:37 - 5:41So now is the time for each
one of us to show leadership. -
5:42 - 5:44Whether you're a farmer in the US,
-
5:44 - 5:47a tech owner in China,
a politician in Kenya, -
5:47 - 5:51a banker in Britain,
a fisherman in the Maldives, -
5:51 - 5:56a community leader in Brazil
or a student in India, -
5:56 - 5:59every single one of us has a role to play
-
5:59 - 6:01in harnessing whatever
opportunity we have. -
6:02 - 6:06I'm committed to using
the unique position that I have -
6:06 - 6:09to help set those Earthshot goals
and reward people -
6:09 - 6:13across every sector of society
and in every part of the world -
6:13 - 6:16who do their bit to help achieve them.
-
6:17 - 6:20Some people are motivated
to act by a crisis, -
6:20 - 6:21but for many,
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6:21 - 6:26the incentive to act only comes
when they believe that change is possible, -
6:26 - 6:29that it isn't a lost cause.
-
6:30 - 6:32If people really believe
that these challenges, -
6:32 - 6:35these Earthshots, are possible,
-
6:36 - 6:39just imagine all the potential
we will unleash. -
6:40 - 6:44I'm determined to both start
and end this decade as an optimist. -
6:45 - 6:47Whilst our generation
represents just a blip -
6:47 - 6:51in the lifetime of these magnificent oaks,
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6:51 - 6:57we have the power and potential
to ensure that they and all life on earth -
6:57 - 6:59thrive for another
thousand years and more. -
7:01 - 7:05But only if we now unleash
the greatest talents of our generation -
7:05 - 7:06to repair our planet.
-
7:07 - 7:10We have no choice but to succeed.
-
7:11 - 7:12Thank you.
- Title:
- This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet
- Speaker:
- Prince William
- Description:
-
"We start this new decade knowing that it is the most consequential period in history," says Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's "Moonshot," he calls on us all to rise to our greatest challenge ever: the "Earthshot." A set of ambitious objectives for the planet, the Earthshot goals seek to protect and restore nature, clean the air, revive oceans, build a waste-free world and fix the climate -- all in the next decade. To do it, we'll need people in all corners of the globe working together with urgency, creativity and the belief that it is possible to repair the Earth.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:13
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Cissy Yun approved English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
TED Translators admin accepted English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet | ||
Cissy Yun edited English subtitles for This decade calls for Earthshots to repair our planet |