[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.