20.6.12

Video: Bill Gates and our zero carbon future

B1, B2, C1, C2

In recent years, Microsoft creator Bill Gates has focused his time and money on solutions to help the world's poorest people.  In this video from TED, he turns to the subject of energy. He talks about the need to create a zero-carbon planet and describes what efforts are necessary to achieve this.
Video time:19 minutes (followed by 8 minutes of questions and answers). Activity time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
(NB there are subtitles available in English and in many other languages. Just put your cursor on the video screen and you will see the subtitle menu)

Task:  1 Watch the first 19 minutes of the video and discover:

- why the energy question is important for the world's two billion poorest people
- why we have to reduce carbon emissions to zero
- the meaning of the equation CO² = P x S x E x C
- what "miracle" is needed, and how this is different from other recent "miracles"
- the disadvantages of fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewable energies
- an innovation in nuclear power that could change the whole industry
- what results we need to see (a) in 2020  (b) on 2050 


2 To check your answers, read the transcript ("Show transcript" menu just under the video screen)

Go to the video here.