Why generational pressure is the key to climate change policy? Watch Dan Esty on Big Think New videos DAILY: https://bigth.ink/youtube Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos:

Why generational pressure is the key to climate change policy? Watch Dan Esty on Big Think New videos DAILY: https://bigth.ink/youtube Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos: https://bigth.ink/Edge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DAN ESTY Daniel C. Esty is the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Yale Law School. Known for his innovative policy ideas and commitment to transformative change, Dan served as head of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from 2011 to 2014. He is the editor of "A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future." Purchase "A Better Planet: Forty Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future" here: https://bigth.ink/Esty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT: The key to progress on environment broadly and on climate change in particular is to change values. I think this has to be understood as in some regards an ethical issue, a moral issue and one has to see it as a wrong to contaminate the planet and to put at risk the future of humanity on the planet. And I think that change is coming and curiously but perhaps not really surprisingly it is coming from young people much more from the generation that’s currently in positions of leadership. Greta and other young people are out there saying to the leaders and political positions of power not only in the United States but across the world step up. You need to do more. And I think we have seen again and again that transformational change is often driven by generational change. And I think it’s almost certainly going to be true on climate change. Fifty years ago if we’d had this interview I’d probably be smoking or maybe smoking a pipe as a professor. That’s so unacceptable now you don’t even have to tell me that I can’t come in and light up a cigarette. Norms have changed. Values have changed. We know now that that’s completely unacceptable and a threat to public health. And I think we’re starting to get there on climate change. Things that might have in the past seemed normal, acceptable, even if they seemed a little bad, a little bit of harm are increasingly totally unacceptable and we therefore have I think the foundation for the kind of generational change and change in values that can really drive us more quickly towards climate change solutions. And in our Better Planet book there’s a really beautiful essay by one of the students at Yale, one of several student essays in this case by a guy named Paul Rink spelling out how young people in particular are starting to drive some of these court cases where they take on both the government and the big energy industry companies and say it’s up to you to make our future secure and you’re not doing the job you need to do. ABOUT BIG THINK: Smarter Faster™ Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. S​ubscribe to learn from top minds like these daily. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. ​We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life. Other Frequent contributors include Michio Kaku & Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Michio Kaku Playlist: https://bigth.ink/kaku Bill Nye Playlist: https://bigth.ink/BillNye Neil DeGrasse Tyson Playlist: https://bigth.ink/deGrasseTyson Read more at Bigthink.com for a multitude of articles just as informative and satisfying as our videos. New articles posted daily on a range of intellectual topics. Join Big Think Edge, to gain access to an immense library of content. It features insight from many of the most celebrated and intelligent individuals in the world today. Topics on the platform are focused on: emotional intelligence, digital fluency, health and wellness, critical thinking, creativity, communication, career development, lifelong learning, management, problem solving & self-motivation. BIG THINK EDGE: https://bigth.ink/Edge If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner, Executive Interviews: https://bigth.ink/licensing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Big Think here: 📰BigThink.com: https://bigth.ink 🧔Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook 🐦Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter 📸Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instragram 📹YouTube: https://bigth.ink/youtube ✉ E-mail: info@bigthink.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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On June 25, 2013, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare for climate change impacts, and lead global efforts against it.

Despite the significance,

On June 25, 2013, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare for climate change impacts, and lead global efforts against it.

Despite the significance, Bill Moyers and Marty Kaplan highlighted the media's notable lack of coverage. Kaplan famously quipped, "And they just find climate change a snooze." A video clip of Kaplan's quote is available here.

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Earth Guardians and CREDO Mobile present a video highlighting CREDO's over $100 million in donations to environmental and social justice nonprofits, including Earth Guardians. Since 2017, CREDO has supported Earth Guardians' youth-led climate initiatives and global justice efforts.

The video features Kellie Berns, Earth Guardians' Global Program Director, discussing CREDO's tangible impact on their programs and operations.

Watch the video to learn how you can make a difference. Support Earth Guardians by switching to CREDO Mobile, turning your phone bill into a force for good, or by joining and donating to our movement. Together, we can protect our planet and empower future leaders.

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Changing weather patterns, with stronger storms and droughts, demand land restoration. We need to free land to absorb flooding, recover hydrology, and enhance natural systems for CO2 sequestration.

The automotive age has brought mobility at a steep environmental cost. Gas cars are disastrous, leading to ecosystem loss as paved surfaces cover soil and absorb heat; EVs don't solve this land-use issue. Additionally, three-quarters of arable land converted to animal agriculture compounds this recipe for disaster.

For further insights, consult Bill Selby's The California Skywatcher or visit the FacingFuture Library for more information.

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Pro-athletes are entertainers. Being healthy means something else. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink Up Next ► Harvard professor debunks the biggest

Pro-athletes are entertainers. Being healthy means something else. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink Up Next ► Harvard professor debunks the biggest exercise myths https://youtu.be/n6AwsVGJDOY There's a cost to keeping your body running. For every five breaths you take, one is paying for your brain, one is paying for your liver, and another is paying for your muscles.  On average, your body spends about 1,400 calories per day just keeping you alive, even if you're doing nothing else. This helps explain why we tend to avoid unnecessary physical activity.  For our ancestors, finding food could be incredibly difficult, so they didn't waste energy. Today, even though have energy sources ready at our fingertips, we still naturally protect how we spend that energy. Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/physical-activity/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Daniel Lieberman: Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on physical activity: Do we really need to walk 10,000 steps a day? ► https://bigthink.com/health/10-000-steps-a-day/ This molecule may be the “secret sauce” of exercise — but it won’t work as a pill ► https://bigthink.com/health/lac-phe-exercise-pill/ Does sex count as exercise? Scientists describe the physical demands of intercourse ► https://bigthink.com/health/does-sex-count-as-exercise/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter

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In a preview of Moyers & Company, climate expert Anthony Leiserowitz draws an analogy between small shifts in global average temperature and slight changes in human body temperature. He explains that just as a few degrees can signal serious illness, similar small climate shifts can have profound implications.

For more, explore the Climate Change collection on billmoyers.com.

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America faces undeniable economic inequality. Bill's essay highlights extreme wealth and poverty, exemplified by California's Silicon Valley. There, tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Apple create millionaires, while the region's homeless population has surged 20% in two years, living in tent cities near these companies.

A social equality illustration by Brandon Cripps accompanies this discussion.

This content was originally published on April 11, 2013.

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