Ideas worth spreading

Should we create a solar shade to cool the earth?

1,307,053 views | Danny Hillis • TED2017

In this perspective-shifting talk, Danny Hillis prompts us to approach global issues like climate change with creative scientific solutions. Taking a stand for solar geoengineering, he looks at controversial solutions with open-minded curiosity.

In this perspective-shifting talk, Danny Hillis prompts us to approach global issues like climate change with creative scientific solutions. Taking a stand for solar geoengineering, he looks at controversial solutions with open-minded curiosity.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Danny Hillis

Computer theorist

See speaker profile

Inventor, scientist, author, engineer -- over his broad career, Danny Hillis has turned his ever-searching brain on an array of subjects, with surprising results.

David Keith, Debra Weisenstein, John Dykema, and Frank Keutsch | PNAS, 2016 | Article

"Stratospheric Solar Geoengineering without Ozone Loss"

The work I mention on chalk comes from this article.

Oliver Morton | Princeton University Press, 2016 | Book

The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World

A good, recent non-technical book on geoengineering.

Stewart Brand | Viking, 2009 | Book

Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto

Another good not-technical book that does a good job of putting geoenginerring in context.

David Keith | Issues in Science and Technology, 2017 | Article

"Toward a Responsible Solar Geoengineering Research Program"

A more technical article about what research is needed.

Jeff Tollefson | Nature, 2018 | Article

"First sun-dimming experiment will test a way to cool Earth"

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.