To fight climate change, we need to clean up the global electricity system by replacing fossil fuel power plants with clean generation — right? Climate author Solomon Goldstein-Rose thinks we need to do much more than that. Replacement isn’t enough, he explains in this compelling talk: we need to rapidly develop a new global system capable of producing 12 times the amount of clean electricity we generate today. He shares four reasons why we need that expansion — first, to electrify everything in all parts of the world (not just the wealthy ones) — as well as some intriguing ideas for how we can get there.

Countdown is TED’s global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The goal: to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, in the race to a zero-carbon world. Get involved at https://countdown.ted.com/sign-up

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