Xixi Wang

View TED-Ed’s new climate education resource

.“TED Explores: A New Climate Vision” is a 60-minute film that brings to life the groundbreaking ideas shared at the 2023 TED Countdown Summit in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi of the TED Radio Hour, this special TED documentary examines the rapid technological revolution underway — and the real possibility of a better future for all.

Through a collaboration between TED-Ed and TED Countdown, we created a suite of engaging activities around the film that empower educators and students to dive into climate challenges — and explore their own role in creating solutions.  The documentary is broken down into 7 film chapters, each with relevant quizzes, discussion questions, and additional resources, students are guided toward further learning, actionable steps, and will gain a deeper understanding of the climate crisis they will inherit.

Join us in inspiring a generation that is well-informed, resilient, and ready to build a sustainable future. We’re excited for your classrooms to embark on this journey with us!

Facilitator Guide overview

The Facilitator Guide breaks down the film into seven key segments. Each includes:

— Video clips (5-11 mins each).

— Quiz & discussion questions: Multiple-choice and open-ended questions adaptable for middle school and older.

— Deep dive resources: Additional links and a vocabulary word bank to support comprehension of key concepts and further learning.

— Action and empowerment tools: Suggestions for how students and educators can take action in their local communities, such as hosting screenings or giving TED-style talks.

Learning objectives

This tool aligns with Next Generation Science Standards, enhancing students’ understanding of climate science and critical thinking skills. Through engaging quizzes, discussions, and creative activities, students will:

— Explore human impacts on Earth’s ecosystems – and how to mitigate them.
— Evaluate scientific evidence of climate change and forecast future impacts.
— Analyze climate solutions and conservation strategies.
— Connect expert insights with their own experiences and communities.
— Practice effective climate communication and advocacy.
— Apply local and global perspectives to pressing environmental challenges.

We can’t wait for you to join us in creating a cleaner, greener world. Let’s begin!

— Learn more about bringing TED Countdown’s documentary into the classroom

— Explore the documentary video clips and customizable lesson plans

— Dive into the Facilitator Guide materials for educators

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In 2018, then 11-year-old Haaziq Kazi delivered his first TED Talk at TED-Ed Weekend and unveiled his prototype invention: a ship called Ervis that cleans plastic from the surface of the ocean. The homemade prototype he created in his bathtub has become the Ervis Foundation, a coalition of young people mobilizing their fellow youth to help clean our world’s oceans.

We spoke with Haaziq Kazi and Priyanka Prakash, Program Director at Ervis Foundation, about how a bathroom prototype grew into a global movement, and how the Ervis Foundation is using the TED-Ed Student Talk program to encourage young people to create Talks about their ideas, just like Haaziq did.

What inspired your original TED-Ed Talk?

HAAZIQ KAZI (HK): My very first TED-Ed Talk was about a ship I conceived to clean the ocean of the plastic waste crisis. It started with a documentary I saw on National Geographic around 5 years ago on the impact of the plastic waste crisis on marine life and ecosystems. The enormity of the problem and impact it had horrified me, and I dreamt of making a ship to clean it.

When we throw our plastic waste away, we think it’s gone, except there is no “away.” It stays on Earth and is slowly finding a place all across the world from the Mariana Trench to the human body, and we need to act before it’s too late.

Haaziq Kazi speaks at TED-Ed Weekend 2017, photo: Dian Lofton/TED on Flickr

How has the idea you shared at TED-Ed Weekend grown since delivering the Talk?

HK: If it wasn’t for my TED-Ed Talk, this journey wouldn’t have started. Period. The TED-Ed Student Talks Program gave me a platform to share my vision of a world where we can dream of a better future for the Earth. The idea of a ship which can clean oceans has morphed into various ideas and forms, but what delivering a TED-Ed Talk has truly done, is made me believe that an idea worth pursuing can lead to change in the world.

Ervis the ship is a moonshot project and I’ve learned the hard way that this is not child’s play. Problems like solving the intricate engineering of design and prototyping a futuristic ship, and then creating a monetization model of waste collection and disposal, are some of the obstacles I’ve come across. Bringing this idea into reality is a painfully slow process which I am working towards. Cleaning the ocean is a long journey and incredibly complex, but one constant of this journey is my unwavering belief that we can and we will reverse the impact of this crisis that my generation has inherited.

Since delivering my TED-Ed Weekend Talk, I have co-founded Ervis Foundation to bring a generational change in the way the youth of today consumes and disposes of plastic in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Haaziq Kazi with an Ervis ship prototype

What is the Erivs Foundation?

PRIYANKA PRAKASH (PP): The Ervis Foundation is a social enterprise that is dedicated to bringing a generational change in the way we as a society consume and dispose of plastic, by inspiring and educating the youth through various ocean literacy programs.

Launched in 2019, the Foundation has a three-pronged approach:

1. Hero: which encompasses all our educational initiatives.

2. Hub: which includes our digital initiatives such as our Zero Waste Marketplace and an app called RoaRRR which shows people their plastic footprint.

3. Hygiene: which includes the moonshot project of Ervis the Ship and an incubation lab that we hope to launch to support the implementation of innovations by youth across the globe.

Our goal is to create young leaders who are instilled with the right tools, capacities and knowledge to lead the much needed change for the sustainable future of our planet. With each passing day the climate crisis is worsening, and we hope to create a chain effect, where one person inspires the next, and together we redefine the future of our planet.

Why should young people care about and get involved with this crisis? What are some things that students can do to help end our plastic waste crisis?

HK: We have consumed more plastic in the last 10 years than in the entire 100 years before. Plastic doesn’t get destroyed, it breaks into smaller particles called microplastics which are not visible to the human eye and that is something we all should worry about. We don’t want our generation to fight a losing battle, so we need to act and care now.

Students can start with themselves, changing their behaviors on a daily basis by refusing and reducing plastic consumption. They can also act as advocates in their homes and advocate to local and national level policy makers, encouraging a culture of sustainable life. The power of the collective cannot be underestimated, and if we rise and are vocal, people will listen to us.

PP: In the last two years we have focused on building a strong foundation for our Hero initiative. We began our journey with the Blue Workshops, with a goal to bring ocean literacy into the school learning environment. Through these workshops, we engaged with students through meaningful activities and discussions, to instill environment sensitivity and inspire them to take action.

With the onset of the pandemic, we launched the Blue Circle program which is primarily a mentorship program, where we select passionate students and engage with them for three months, with support from experts, to give them a detailed insight into the marine crises and the measures they can take to conserve the ecosystem. The program culminates with each of the students developing their own projects or innovations focused on marine conservation. The youth leaders from the Blue Circle program went on to launch the Blue Warriors Club, which is a youth-led and youth-driven club focused on bringing ocean action and literacy into the school learning environment.

HK: We also have our digital initiative called Hub through which students can work towards reducing their plastic footprint. Lastly, we have Hygiene, which is an incubation lab where young people can bring their ideas and inventions to help reduce the plastic crisis and work with mentors to bring the ideas to reality.

How is the Ervis Foundation using the TED-Ed Student Talks Program?

PP: I believe that it is very important to give students the right platform to express and voice their ideas. It’s crucial to keep young people inspired and motivated, especially if we want them to take up the responsibility of leading climate action. Haaziq, I believe, is an inspiring example of the potential that young people have in truly driving change. We truly believe that if a student like Haaziq can lead climate action, then millions of youth across the globe can too. Our goal is to educate students with an aim to inspire them to create solutions for conserving our ocean.

We want to offer students a platform to channel their ideas, and incubate innovations and solutions to bring about long-term change. This is where we believe that the Student Talks program can truly motivate young leaders like Haaziq to channel their ideas for climate action in the right direction. In the upcoming edition of the Blue Circle, I am hoping to culminate the three month mentorship program by giving each of the students an opportunity to work on their own Student Talk. This will not just inspire them, but also motivate them to continue taking climate action in the long-run.

What advice do you have for students in the Student Talks program who want to turn an idea into action?

HK: Turning an idea into action starts with a profound or even an insane sense of belief, even when the world does not see it the same way. Never be afraid to follow your dreams. When you go about taking action, start with understanding the drivers, enablers, and deterrents to achieve the goal and the impact it will have. Align with the enablers and work around the deterrents. Some days will be fun, others won’t. Don’t quit.  Adapt.

Sometimes we might not achieve the goals that we started with, but if the result aligns with solving the problem statement, keep pursuing. We never know what we are capable of until we truly push the boundaries of our own resolve. Like Paulo Coelho said, “And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” Be curious, ask questions. Asking questions gives you answers, and if it doesn’t exist, find the answer.

Digital rendering of future Ervis ship

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Haaziq Kazi is 15 years old and is currently studying at The Hotchkiss School, in Lakeville CT. Haaziq is passionate about the oceans and tackling the plastic problem afflicting oceans and marine life. At the age of 11, he was invited to speak at TED-Ed Weekend in New York to share his invention, Ervis the Ship, and has spoken on multiple other forums, including TEDxGateway Mumbai, TEDxJGEC, VJTI College, TEDxICEM, Seed and Chips Summit and Economic Times Global Business Summit, to raise awareness on the danger of plastic pollution. He was invited to speak at the 2020 United Nations session of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), on behalf of the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY). Haaziq is also the founder of the Ervis Foundation, which works with the youth of today to change how we interact with plastic, and is currently appointed as the Regional Focal Point for SDG14, Youth Constituency for the Major Group for Children and Youth.

As the Program Director for Ervis Foundation, Priyanka Prakash is works closely on aligning the foundation’s visions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 14 and is greatly instrumental in running the operations of the foundation. Priyanka cares deeply for marine life and is committed to work with  youth to alleviate the problems afflicting ocean life. She has worked on developing curriculums, programs and initiatives that aim at educating and inspiring the youth to take action against the plastic crises. Over the last two years, she has closely engaged with over 1,600 students across India and UAE, educating and spreading awareness about the urgency to save our Earth and to build a plastic-free environment and cleaner oceans for our future generations. She is also currently appointed as the Regional Focal Point for Asia-Pacific, India for Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) SDG 14 / Oceans Youth Constituency.

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You’ve heard of sci-fi, but what do you know about cli-fi?

As global leaders struggle to make firm commitments to reduce emissions and scientists discover ever more dangerous feedback loops and repercussions from climate change, writers are using the power of the pen to show us what the world might look like if we don’t act soon to combat climate change. Dubbed “cli-fi,” these books are as much about the human condition as they are about the state of the planet. In that way, they’re much like traditional literature in that they’re asking questions about how people adapt to and meet potentially devastating challenges.

Here are six great texts for readers to dip their toes into this important genre:

1. Dry by Jarrod Shusterman and Neal Shusterman

As droughts pummel the American West in real life, Dry feels even more timely. The Tap-Out has forced people to limit their water use for years, but when the taps actually run dry, Alyssa’s suburban neighborhood becomes its own kind of dystopia, where friends and neighbors turn on one another in a desperate attempt to survive. Things go from bad to worse when Alyssa finds that she has to care for not only herself but her younger brother as well… and their lives hang in the balance. (Ages 13-17)

2. Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

This book is frighteningly relevant: Sherri L. Smith imagines what the Gulf coast would look like after being battered by devastating storms and suffering from a subsequent disease called “The Fever.” The Gulf coast is quarantined by a wall that separates it from the Outer States. Amidst this chaos and cruelty, young Fen finds herself left with her tribe leader’s newborn. Desperate to give the baby a chance at a better life outside the Delta, she teams up with a scientist named Daniel, and together they fight their way toward survival. (Ages 14 and up)

3. American War by Omar El Akkad

A master of dystopian fiction that feels both real and surreal, Omar El Akkad creates a version of the United States in 2074 where states splinter in the wake of a terrible plague, and a Second Civil War breaks out. Sarat Chestnut, only six at the time the war begins, learns the hard way that powerful forces will seek to take advantage of the crisis. Sarat finds herself in a camp for displaced persons and discovers just how dangerous this new American can be. El Akkad is a journalist, who has reported from conflict zones the world over, which makes this novel feel less like imaginative fiction and more like its story has been ripped from global headlines. (Ages 16 and up)

4. Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Part dystopian fiction, part magical realism, part political thriller, and part sci-fi, this novel has it all. It’s set in a floating city in the Arctic Circle, which was created in the wake of the climate wars. Always a hard place to live in, the city is beginning to resemble the world we readers know too well: inequality is growing rampantly, and crime and political corruption are on the rise. Enter “the orcamancer,” a woman riding an orca, who seeks to draw together a band of resistors to fight back against the city’s degradation, but Miller raises questions about the destruction she’s willing to undertake. Miller aims for this narrative to argue for the rights of the marginalized, and he hits the mark, crafting a story that elicits empathy and compassion. Parts of the narrative are fairly violent, but it isn’t without hope. (Ages 16 and up)

5. Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson is a giant in the sci-fi/fantasy world, and this novel is his latest feat. Ezra Klein called this novel “the most important book [he’s] read” in 2020. This is a lengthy read, but it feels more contemporary than other cli-fi texts… but not in a comforting way! The world of this novel feels all too plausible: in the wake of government inaction, eco-terrorists desperately try to take out polluters by whatever means necessary. The book asks some weighty moral questions about what kinds of actions are justified in an increasingly unstable world and explores different pathways toward a more stable future: bureaucratic avenues are juxtaposed against radical, violent action, and everything from geo-engineering to terrorism seems to be on the table for one group or another. Readers will find themselves pondering the questions the book raises long after the final page. (Ages 17 and up)

6. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

As the first part of Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, The Fifth Season considers how societies deal with disaster on an epic scale. The book combines both science fiction and fantasy, which makes for the perfect combination to address issues like seismology and volcanology, which can feel other worldly in their devastation. This one’s another lengthy read, but the corollaries to our world in terms of the racial and class politics the novel addresses make it feel hyper relevant. And the gorgeous world-building alone is worth the time investment. WNYC chose this novel as a SciFri Book Club pick in 2019, so there’s lots to think about in this fantasy novel for the science-minded reader. (Ages 17 and up)

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shannon Falkner teaches English Language Arts at Chatham High School in Chatham, NJ. She is a Teacher Consultant at the Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative at Drew University.  Shannon is a passionate advocate for “climate literacy” and has trained with The Climate Reality Project. In addition to teaching English, she volunteers as a climate educator and often writes about both education and climate.

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You’ve seen the headlines.

Melting ice caps, endangered species, wildfires, heatwaves, floods, droughts, dying coral reefs, vector-borne diseases, ocean acidification, and other catastrophes.

Climate change is often framed in terms of its capacities for destruction, but addressing climate change is actually a huge opportunity to create a better, healthier world for us, as well as for the planet. It’s also a chance to renew our connections and commitments to our fellow planet-dwellers. There are so many reasons to be hopeful about our capacities to not only mitigate damage but to build a better world.

If you’re ready to learn about the innovative developments we already have to fight climate change and the exciting tools and movements in the works, here’s a starter list of books to get you up to speed on the solutions we need to implement now to begin building a better future:

1. How to Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Naomi Klein

Young people are leading the fight against corporate greed and government inaction on climate change, and Naomi Klein’s book highlights the stories of youth activists from across the globe. Her book offers young readers not only the history of the climate crisis but also actionable ways for young people to plug into the growing youth movement for climate action. This book is laser-focused on climate justice issues and youth activism – it’s the perfect read for young readers who want to be both informed and active.

2. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates

Bill Gates came to the issue of climate change when he was studying how to address global poverty; he learned that energy and economic prosperity are closely connected…but if we keep powering our world with fossil fuels, everyone and everything will eventually be at risk. Gates divides his book into sections focused on specific aspects of society that require decarbonization – everything from how we power up to how we get around, to how we build to how we eat, and more. In each section, he offers clear and succinct explanations of what tools we already have and what developments and innovations we need to fully decarbonize.

3. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Katharine K. Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

This is no ordinary anthology – in it, readers will find both essays and poetry focused on climate issues. Wilkinson and Johnson prioritize the voices of the folks too often left out of the national climate conversation: BIPOC and women. For too long, we’ve ignored these voices, to our own peril, and these editors show us exactly why we need to start listening to these groups. The essays included range in focus and are grouped thematically: Root, Advocate, Reframe, Reshape, Persist, Feel, Nourish, and Rise. But the most impactful essays might be those in which the writers share personal narratives about the ways that climate change has impacted them or their communities. The poems tap into both the existential angst so many feel contemplating something as big and amorphous as climate change and the solidarity across groups that the climate crisis has inspired.

4. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

These writers led negotiations for the historic 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and the structure of this book clearly lays out two possible futures for our planet: one half of the book focuses on what life will look like in 2050 if we don’t tackle emissions (spoiler: it’s not pretty!), and the other half of the book paints a picture of all the ways that the world and our lives in it would improve by 2050 if we do address climate change. The final part of the book offers actionable steps for readers to take now to do their part to be part of the solutions.

5. Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World by Bill Nye

Science buffs and laypeople alike will love this engaging text by Bill Nye (yes, The Science Guy!). Nye’s enthusiasm and excitement for the technological innovations currently underway to combat the climate crisis is as infectious as it is fascinating. And you can’t beat his voice: Nye brings the same warmth and humor to his nonfiction as he did to his show. His short chapters and funny titles make this book especially engaging.

 Check out TED-Ed’s 7-episode series introducing some of the biggest obstacles to avoiding climate disaster — and how to overcome them: 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shannon Falkner teaches English Language Arts at Chatham High School in Chatham, NJ. She is a Teacher Consultant at the Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative at Drew University.  Shannon is a passionate advocate for “climate literacy” and has trained with The Climate Reality Project. In addition to teaching English, she volunteers as a climate educator and often writes about both education and climate.

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For nine years of school, I was bullied due to my unique interest in STEM and my body weight. I was often classified as the unwanted kid and the class weirdo, thus being cut off from social groups. In those moments of discouragement and disappointment, I found inspiration and escape in TED Talks.

From Simon Sinek’s legendary How great leaders inspire action to Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The power of passion and perseverance and Adam Grant’s The surprising habits of original thinkers, each video helped me develop a strong sense of self, understand what truly matters to me, and create a vision for who I wanted to be. I decided to act on the hopes I have for the future, not the fears from yesterday, and I signed up for my school debate team.

Then, three years ago, I joined the first-ever TED-Ed Club in my area, where I had the chance to create my own TED-style Talk. For the first time, I was able to not only showcase my perspective and experience as a victim of bullying, but give advice to other students who struggled. Through speaking, I managed to heal my wounds and motivate other students to rise beyond their surroundings.

A year later, I used the TED-Ed Student Talks platform again to share the message of the power of never giving up. Then just when everything seemed like it was going perfectly, North Macedonia became trapped in endless quarantines and lockdowns. My journey to becoming a student in the United States was replaced by  Zoom screens. To receive a full college experience, I decided to take a gap year, or as I like to call it, a bridge year, before enrolling in an American university. Though this wasn’t an easy decision, I applied the message I shared in my Talk and asked myself: if I chose to take one lesson from an unusual and distinctive year like 2020, what would it be? I chose to embrace the discovery of my passion and purpose.

I tried to enroll in gap year programs but they were all so expensive, and then a TED-Ed newsletter changed my life when they shared the opportunity to apply to Global Citizen Year Academy, a semester-long launchpad towards a purposeful life. Leadership, global cohort, speakers, and motivation? It had everything I needed.

I registered for the Global Citizen Year Academy in June 2020 and a month later I received my acceptance letter with a full scholarship. From that night until today, it’s felt like I have the world at my fingertips. I’ve also received a strong community, delightful enthusiasm, and opportunity to embrace leadership as a practice, and not as a position on my resume.

Utilizing the resources and knowledge I’ve gained on project management, human-centered design, and empathy, I wondered how I could be the hero of my community. To break the misconception that living sustainably is an expensive and challenging commitment, I founded the organization and technology platform EnRoute, an upcoming personalized mobile application that lets users harness their transport, shopping, and household activities to reduce their carbon footprint, rewarding them with real-life prizes for every reduced gram of CO2.

Global Citizen Year Academy made me aware of the power and passion our generation holds and I’ve connected it to harness the small everyday actions and reduce their carbon footprint. EnRoute received the Social Impact Award of 2020 and won the Grand Prize on Girls Voices For Future Contest. And most importantly, EnRoute has reduced over 100,000 kg of CO2 emissions.

As for myself, I’ve learned how to share my voice, turn passion into purpose, motivate others, and create a new generation of climate heroes.

Check out Angela’s Talk on the power of never giving up:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angela Busheska is a 19-year-old upcoming student at Lafayette College and a Macedonian social entrepreneur, researcher-innovator, and speaker. She is the Founder & CEO of EnRoute, uses the power of STEM to make a change and, as a victim of severe bullying, she shares her voice to motivate fellow teenagers. In 2020, she was recognized as a “Youth Talent” by the President of North Macedonia and took part in the Global Citizen Year Academy assisted by the Shawn Mendes Foundation. At the end of the day, she is an unshakable optimist and a big dreamer who believes that the power of never giving up is the only thing that can bring miracles in life. You can check the full bio on her website.

Interested in learning more about Angela’s venture EnRoute? Visit their website and sign up to join EnRoute’s beta-testing group here!