[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was a boy, My parents sometimes
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would take me camping in California.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We would camp in the beaches,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the forests, in the deserts.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some people think that deserts are
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,empty of life.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my parents taught me to see
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the wild life all around us,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The hawks, the eagles, the tortoises.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One time when we were staying up at camp,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We found a baby scorpion with its sting around,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I remember thinking how cool it was
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that something could be both so cute
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also so dangerous.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After college, I moved to California,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I started working on a number of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,environmental campaigns.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got involved in hoping to save
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the state's last ancient redwood forest.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And blocking a proposed radioactive waste
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,repository set for the desert.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And surely after I turned 30,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I decided that I wanted to dedicate
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a significant amount of life to solving
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,climate change.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was worried that global warming would
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,end up destroying many of the natural
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,environments that people had worked
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so hard to protect.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought the technical solution were
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretty straight forward,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar panels on every roof,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,electric cars in the drive way,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the main obstacles were political.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I hoped to organize a coalition
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the countries biggest labor unions
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and biggest environmental groups.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our proposal was for a 300 billion dollar
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in renewables.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the idea was not only we would prevent
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,climate change but, we would also create
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,millions of new jobs in a very fast
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,growing high tech sector.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our efforts really paid off in 2007,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when then presidential candidate
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Barack Obama embraced our vision.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And between 2009 and 2015,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the US invested a 150 billion dollars
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in renewables and other kinds of clean tac.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But right away, we started to encounter
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some problems.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So first of all, the electricity from
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar roof tops in some costs about twice
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as much as the electricity from solar farms.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And both solar farms and wind farms
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,require a cover of pretty significant
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,amount of land with
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar panels and wind turbines,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And also building very big transmission lines
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to bring all that electricity from the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,country side into the city.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both of those things were often very
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,strongly resisted by local communities,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as by conservation biologists who
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were concerned about the impacts on
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wild birds species and other animals.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, there was a lot of other people
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,working on technical solutions at the time
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the big challenges of course is
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just the intermediacy of solar and wind.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They only generate electricity about
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,10 - 30 % of the time during most of the year
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, Some of the solutions that were
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being proposed were to convert hydroelectric
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dams into gigantic batteries.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The idea was that when the sun was shining
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the wind was blowing, you would pump
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the water uphill, stored for later and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then when you needed electricity you run
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it over the turbines.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In terms of wild life, some of these
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,problems just didn't seem like
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a significant concern.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, when I learned that house cats
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,killed billions of birds every year.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it put into perspective that hundreds of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thousands of birds that are rather killed
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by wind turbines.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Basically seemed to me at the time that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most if not all of the problems of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scaling up solar and wind could be solved
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through more technological innovation.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as the years went by, these problems
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,persisted, and in many cases grew worse.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, California is a state that is really
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,committed to renewable energy.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we still haven't converted many of our
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hydroelectric dams into big batteries.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some of the problems are just geographic,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is just, you have to have a very
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,particular kind of formation to build
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and do that.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And even in those cases, it's quite
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,expensive to make those conversions.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Other challenges are just that, there is
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other uses for water like irrigation,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe this is the most significant
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,problem is just that, In California,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The water in our rivers and reservoirs
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is growing increasingly scarce and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unreliable due to climate change.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In term of the situation of reliability,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a consequence of it, we have actually
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had to stop the electricity coming from
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the solar farms into the cities because
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are just have been too much of it
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at times, or, We have been starting to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pay out neighboring states as Arizona to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,take that solar electricity, The
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,alternative is to suffer from blowouts of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the grid.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in turns out that,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when it comes to birds and cats,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Cats don't kill eagles, Eagles kill cats.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What cats kill are the small common
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sparrows and jays and robins,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Birds that are not endangered and not at
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,risk of going to extinct.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What do kill eagles and another big birds
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the skite, as well as owls, and condors.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And other threatened endangered species
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are wind turbines.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, they are one of the most
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,significant threats to those big birds
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,species that we have.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We just haven't been introducing the air
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,space with many other objects like we have
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wind turbines over the last several years.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in terms of solar, you know,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,building a solar farm is not like building
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,any other kind of farm, you have to clear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the whole area of wild life.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so, this is a picture of one third of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the biggest solar farms in
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,California called ivanpah.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In order to build this, they had to clear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the whole area of desert tortoises.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,literally, pulling desert tortoises and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their babies out of borrows,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,putting them on the back of pickup trucks
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and transporting them to captivity where
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,many of them ended up dying.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And currently, the current estimates are
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that about 6 thousand birds are
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,killed every year.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually, catching on fire above the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar farms and bulging to their death.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over time, it gradually struck me that,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was really no amount of technological
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,innovation that was gonna make the sun
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shine more regularly or wind blow more
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reliably.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, you could make solar panel
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cheaper, you can make wind turbines bigger
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, sunlight and wind are just really
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dilute fuels, and in order to produce
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,significant amount of electricity,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you just have to cover a very large land
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mass with them.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, all of the major problems
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with renewables aren't technical,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are natural.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, dealing with all of this unreliability
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the big environmental impacts obviously
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,comes that a pretty high economic cost.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, we have been hearing a lot
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about how solar panels and wind turbines
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have come down in cost in recent years.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that cost has been significantly
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out waid by just the challenges of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,immigrating all of that unreliable power
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on to the grid.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just take fringe since what happened
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in California.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the period in which solar panels have
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,come down in price very significantly
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and same with the wind.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have seen our electricity crisis go up
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,5 times more than the rest of the country
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is not unique to us.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can see the same phenomenon
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,happen in Germany.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is really the world's leader in
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar, wind and other renewable technologies
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their price has increased 50 percent
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during their big renewable energy push.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now,You might think.. well
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dealing with climate changes just gonna
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,require that we all pay more for energy,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's what I used to think.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, consider the case of France,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,France actually gets twice as much if its
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,electricity from clean zero emissions
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sources than does Germany.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, France pays half as much..
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost half as much for its electricity.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How can that be?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We might have already anticipated the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,answer, France gets most of its electricity
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from nuclear power, That's 75 percent
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in total, and nuclear just ends up being
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a lot more reliable, generating power,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for about 90% of the year.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We see this phenomenon
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,show up at global level.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, for example, there has been a natural
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,experiment over the last 40 years,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or even more than that.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in terms of the deployment of nuclear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the deployment of solar,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can see that, at a little bit higher
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cost, we got about half as much electricity
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from solar and wind than we
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,did from nuclear.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, What does all this
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mean for going forward.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think one of the most significant
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,findings today is this one.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Had Germany spend 580 billion dollars
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on nuclear instead of renewables?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It would already be getting a 100% of its
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,electricity from clean energy sources and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of its transportation energy.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now I think, you might be wondering and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is quite reasonable to ask,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is nuclear power safe?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what do you do with the waste?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well those are very reasonable questions,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Turns out that there has been scientific
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,studies of this going for over 40 years.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is just the most recent study that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was done by the prestigious british
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,medical journal and says find the nuclear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,power is the safest.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is easy to understand why, according
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the world's health organization,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,About 7 million people die annually
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from air pollution and nuclear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plants don't emit that.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a result, the climate scientist
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,James Hansen looked out and he calculated
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that nuclear power has already saved
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost 2 million lives today.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Turns out that even wind energy is
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more deadly than nucleur.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a photograph taken of two
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,workers in the Netherlands.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shortly before one of them fell to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his death to avoid the fire.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the other one was engulfed in flames.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, what about environmental inmpact?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, I think a really easy way to think
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about it is that uranium fuel which is
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we use to power nuclear plants
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is just really energy dense.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,About the same amount of uranium as this
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rubik's cube can power all of the energy
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you need in your entire life.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a consequence, you just don't need that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,much land in order to produce the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,significant amount of electricity.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here we can compare the solar farm I just
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,described ivanpah to California's last
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nuclear plant diablo canyon.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It takes 450 times more land to generate
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same amount of electricity as
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it does from nuclear.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You would need 17 more solar farms like
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ivanpah in order to generate the same
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,output as diablo canyon and of course,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it would then be unreliable.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, what about the mining and the waste
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the materials that you put?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, this has been studied pretty closely
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well and it just turns out that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar requires 17 times more materials
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than nuclear plants do.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the form of cement, glass, concrete,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,steel and that includes all the fuel used
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for those nuclear plants.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The consequences that what comes out at
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the end, since that materials through put
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is just not a lot of waste from nuclear.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of the waste from the Swiss nuclear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,program fits into this room.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nuclear waste is actually the only waste
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from electricity production that safely
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,contained and internalized.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every other way of making electricity emits
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the waste into the natural environment
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,either as pollution or as material waste.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We tend to think of solar panels as clean,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the truth is that there is no plan to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,deal with solar panels at the end of their
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,20 or 25 year life.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A lot of experts are very concerned that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,solar panels are just gonna be shipped to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Poor countries in Africa or Asia with the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rest of our electronic wastes frame to be
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,disassembled often exposing people to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really high levels of toxic elements
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including lead, cadmium and chromium.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Elements that...
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because these elements their toxicity
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,never declines over time.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think we have an intuitive sense nuclear
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a really powerful strong energy source
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that sunlight is really dilute and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,diffuse and weak which is why you have to
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,spread solar collectors and wind collectors
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over such a large amount of land.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe that's why nobody was surprised when
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the recent science fiction remake of
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,blade runner, the film opens a very dark
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dystopian scene where California deserts
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have been entirely paved with solar farms.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of which I think raises a really
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uncomfortable question.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the effort to try to save the climate,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are we destroying the environment?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, the interesting thing is that over
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the last several hundred years, human
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beings been actually trying to move away
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from what you considered matter- dense fuels
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards energy- dense ones.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means really from wood towards coal,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,oil, natural gas and uranium.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a phenomenon that has been going
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on for a long time.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,poor countries around the world are in the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,process and still are moving away from wood
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as their primary energies.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for the most part, this is a positive thing
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you stop using wood as your major
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,source of fuel.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It allows the forest to grow back, and
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the wild life to return.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As you stop burning wood in your home,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you no longer need to breathe that toxic smoke
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as you go from coal to natural gas
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and uranium as your main sources of energy
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it holds up the possibility of basically
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,eliminating air pollution all together.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is just this problem with nuclear it
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has been very popular to move from dirtier
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to cleaner energy sources from energy
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,diffuse to energy dense sources.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nuclear is just really unpopular for a
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bunch of historical reasons.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as a consequence, in the past I
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think of a lot of others have sort
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of said well, in order to deal with
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,climate change, we are just gonna need
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of the different kinds of clean energy
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we have.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the problem is that is just turns out not
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be true, you remember I discussed
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,France a little bit ago, France gets most
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of its electricity from nuclear.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if France were to try the significantly
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scale of solar and wind, it would also
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have to significantly reduce how much
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,electricity it gets from nuclear.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's because an order to handle the huge
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very ability of solar and wind on the grid
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they would need to burn more natural gas.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,think of it this way, it is just really
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hard to ramp up and down a nuclear plant
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were all pretty familiar with turning
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the natural gas up and down on our stove
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a similar process works in managing the
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grid. of course, cause without saying that
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,oil and gas companies understand this
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretty well which is why we have seen them
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,invest millions of dollars in recent years
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in promoting solar and wind.