TED2019
Bina Venkataraman: The power to think ahead in a reckless age
比娜·文卡塔拉曼: 在蛮干时代中超前思考的力量
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在这场富有远见的演讲中，作家比娜·文卡塔拉曼（Bina Venkataraman）回答了我们时代中的一个关键问题：怎样才能保护我们的未来并且为下一代做出正确的选择？她分析了我们在设想未来的生活、商业和集体时犯的几个错误，揭示了我们怎样才能重新获得我们拥有的内在远见。该演讲所呈现出来的是令人意想不到的希望——以及一条通往我们渴望成为的“好祖先”的路。
Bina Venkataraman - Writer, futurist
Bina Venkataraman is an MIT professor and author of the forthcoming book "The Optimist's Telescope." Full bio
Bina Venkataraman is an MIT professor and author of the forthcoming book "The Optimist's Telescope." Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
So in the winter of 2012,
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在2012年的冬天，
00:15
I went to visit my grandmother's house
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我拜访了祖母，
00:17
in South India,
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她住在印度南部，
00:19
a place, by the way,
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顺便说一句，在这里，
美国出生的人很招蚊子的喜欢。
00:20
where the mosquitos have a special taste
for the blood of the American-born.
for the blood of the American-born.
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00:24
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
00:25
No joke.
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不开玩笑。
00:27
When I was there,
I got an unexpected gift.
I got an unexpected gift.
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我在那儿的时候，
收到了一份出乎意料的礼物。
收到了一份出乎意料的礼物。
00:31
It was this antique instrument
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就是这个古董乐器，
00:34
made more than a century ago,
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是一百多年前制造的，
00:36
hand-carved from a rare wood,
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从罕见的木头中
手工雕刻出来的，
手工雕刻出来的，
00:38
inlaid with pearls
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上面镶嵌着珍珠，
00:40
and with dozens of metal strings.
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还有几十根金属弦。
00:43
It's a family heirloom,
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这是一件家传宝物，
00:46
a link between my past,
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它连接着我的过去，
00:48
the country where my parents were born,
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和我父母所出生的国家，
00:50
and the future,
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以及未来，
那些我将带它游历的未知的地方。
00:52
the unknown places I'll take it.
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00:55
I didn't actually realize it
at the time I got it,
at the time I got it,
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当我得到它时，并没有意识到，
00:58
but it would later become
a powerful metaphor for my work.
a powerful metaphor for my work.
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这件物品后来会成为与我工作
相关的一个有力的隐喻。
相关的一个有力的隐喻。
01:02
We all know the saying,
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我们都知道这句俗话，
01:04
"There's no time like the present."
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“现在就是最好的时机。”
01:08
But nowadays, it can feel
like there's no time but the present.
like there's no time but the present.
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但是如今，我们可能会觉得
只有现在，没有其他了。
只有现在，没有其他了。
01:13
What's immediate and ephemeral
seems to dominate our lives,
seems to dominate our lives,
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这些即时和转瞬即逝的东西
似乎主宰着我们的生活，
似乎主宰着我们的生活，
01:17
our economy and our politics.
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我们的经济和政治。
01:21
It's so easy to get caught up
in the number of steps we took today
in the number of steps we took today
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我们很容易就为今天
走了多少步而兴奋，
走了多少步而兴奋，
01:26
or the latest tweet
from a high-profile figure.
from a high-profile figure.
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或为推特上某个网红
最新的推文而着迷。
最新的推文而着迷。
01:30
It's easy for businesses to get caught up
in making immediate profits
in making immediate profits
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生意人也容易追逐短期利润
01:35
and neglect what's good
for future invention.
for future invention.
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而忽视对未来发明有益的那些东西。
01:40
And it's far too easy
for governments to stand by
for governments to stand by
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对政府而言，与为了
供养子孙后代而开展保护相比，
供养子孙后代而开展保护相比，
01:44
while fisheries and farmland are depleted
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对渔场和农场被耗用枯竭
01:47
instead of conserved
to feed future generations.
to feed future generations.
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袖手旁观实在是再容易不过了。
01:52
I have a feeling that, at this rate,
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我感觉，以这样的速度下去，
01:54
it's going to be hard for our generation
to be remembered as good ancestors.
to be remembered as good ancestors.
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我们的子孙后代很难认为
我们是好的祖先。
我们是好的祖先。
02:00
If you think about it,
our species evolved to think ahead,
our species evolved to think ahead,
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想想看，我们这个
种族进化到能够提前计划，
种族进化到能够提前计划，
02:04
to chart the stars,
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绘制星系图，
02:07
dream of the afterlife,
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幻想来世，
02:09
sow seeds for later harvest.
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播下种子，以供未来收获。
02:12
Some scientists call this superpower
that we have "mental time travel,"
that we have "mental time travel,"
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有些科学家管这样的超能力
叫做“精神时空旅行。”
叫做“精神时空旅行。”
02:17
and it's responsible for pretty much
everything we call human civilization,
everything we call human civilization,
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这个能力几乎使得我们人类文明中
所有的东西成为了可能，
所有的东西成为了可能，
02:21
from farming to the Magna Carta
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从农业到《大宪章》，
02:24
to the internet --
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到互联网——
02:26
all first conjured in the minds of humans.
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一切都首先是在人类的
头脑中被设想出来的。
头脑中被设想出来的。
02:30
But let's get real:
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但让我们面对现实：
02:31
if we look around us today,
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如果我们环顾四周，
02:34
we don't exactly seem to be
using this superpower quite enough,
using this superpower quite enough,
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我们似乎并没有很好地
使用这个超能力，
使用这个超能力，
02:40
and that begs the question: Why not?
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那这就引出了问题：为什么？
02:44
What's wrong is how our communities,
businesses and institutions are designed.
businesses and institutions are designed.
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问题在于我们的社区、商业
和机构的设计方式。
和机构的设计方式。
02:49
They're designed in a way
that's impairing our foresight.
that's impairing our foresight.
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它们的设计方式损害了我们的远见。
02:54
I want to talk to you
about the three key mistakes
about the three key mistakes
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我想和你们谈谈三个我们正在
02:57
that I think we're making.
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犯的主要错误。
02:59
The first mistake is what we measure.
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第一个错误是我们所测量的东西。
03:03
When we look at the quarterly
profits of a company
profits of a company
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如果我们看看公司的季度收益
03:06
or its near-term stock price,
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或者是近期的股票价格，
03:09
that's often not a great measure
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这一般都不是衡量
03:11
of whether that company
is going to grow its market share
is going to grow its market share
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公司未来市场份额会增长
或长期创造力的好标准。
03:14
or be inventive in the long run.
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03:16
When we glue ourselves to the test scores
that kids bring back from school,
that kids bring back from school,
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当我们沉浸在孩子从学校
带回家的考试分数时，
带回家的考试分数时，
03:21
that's not necessarily
what's great for those kids' learning
what's great for those kids' learning
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这不一定对孩子们长期学习
03:24
and curiosity in the long run.
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和好奇心有好处。
03:27
We're not measuring
what really matters in the future.
what really matters in the future.
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我们没有测量那些对未来
真正重要的东西。
真正重要的东西。
03:31
The second mistake we're making
that impairs our foresight
that impairs our foresight
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我们正在犯的损害我们
远见的第二个错误
远见的第二个错误
03:34
is what we reward.
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是我们所回报的东西。
03:37
When we celebrate a political leader
or a business leader
or a business leader
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当我们为一位政治领袖或商界领袖
03:40
for the disaster she just cleaned up
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庆祝她刚刚清理的灾难
03:44
or the announcement she just made,
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或她刚刚发表的声明时，
03:46
we're not motivating that leader
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我们并没有在激励这个领袖
03:48
to invest in preventing
those disasters in the first place,
those disasters in the first place,
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去投资长远的未来，
避免灾难的再次发生，
避免灾难的再次发生，
03:52
or to put down payments on the future
by protecting communities from floods
by protecting communities from floods
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比如通过保护社区免受洪水的侵袭，
为未来支付首付款，
为未来支付首付款，
03:56
or fighting inequality
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或是对抗不平等
03:58
or investing in research and education.
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或是投资研究和教育。
04:02
The third mistake
that impairs our foresight
that impairs our foresight
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损害我们远见的第三个错误是
04:06
is what we fail to imagine.
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缺乏想象力。
04:10
Now, when we do think about the future,
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当我们讨论未来的时候，
我们倾向于关注在预测
接下来究竟会发生什么，
接下来究竟会发生什么，
04:12
we tend to focus
on predicting exactly what's next,
on predicting exactly what's next,
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04:15
whether we're using horoscopes
or algorithms to do that.
or algorithms to do that.
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不管我们是用星座还是算法去预测。
04:19
But we spend a lot less time imagining
all the possibilities the future holds.
all the possibilities the future holds.
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但是我们不怎么花时间去
想象未来的所有可能性。
想象未来的所有可能性。
04:26
When the Ebola outbreak
emerged in 2014 in West Africa,
emerged in 2014 in West Africa,
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2014年西非爆发埃博拉时，
04:31
public health officials around the world
had early warning signs
had early warning signs
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全世界的公共卫生官员的预警
04:34
and predictive tools
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和预测工具
04:37
that showed how
that outbreak might spread,
that outbreak might spread,
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都显示这场疫情可能如何传播，
04:40
but they failed to fathom that it would,
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但是他们没有想到真的传播了，
04:44
and they failed to act
in time to intervene,
in time to intervene,
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于是他们没有及时采取措施去干预，
04:46
and the epidemic grew
to kill more than 11,000 people.
to kill more than 11,000 people.
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这场疫情愈演愈烈，
超过一万一千人为之送命。
超过一万一千人为之送命。
04:50
When people with lots of resources
and good forecasts
and good forecasts
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当人们拥有资源和准确的预告
04:53
don't prepare for deadly hurricanes,
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却不为致命的飓风做准备时，
04:56
they're often failing to imagine
how dangerous they can be.
how dangerous they can be.
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他们通常没有想象到
这些飓风有多危险。
这些飓风有多危险。
05:03
Now, none of these mistakes
that I've described,
that I've described,
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我所说的这些错误
05:05
as dismal as they might sound,
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听起十分令人沮丧，
05:07
are inevitable.
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不可避免。
05:09
In fact, they're all avoidable.
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但事实上，它们都是可以避免的。
05:13
What we need to make
better decisions about the future
better decisions about the future
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为未来做更好的决定，我们需要的
05:15
are tools that can aid our foresight,
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是有助于我们的远见，
05:17
tools that can help us think ahead.
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能帮助我们提前规划的工具。
05:20
Think of these as something
like the telescopes
like the telescopes
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把这些工具想象成往昔的
05:22
that ship captains of yore used
when they scanned the horizon.
when they scanned the horizon.
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船长们寻找地平线的望远镜。
05:26
Only instead of for looking
across distance and the ocean,
across distance and the ocean,
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区别仅在于这些工具不是
为了在海洋中寻找远方，
为了在海洋中寻找远方，
05:31
these tools are for looking
across time to the future.
across time to the future.
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而是预见未来。
05:35
I want to share with you a
few of the tools
few of the tools
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我想和你们分享几个这样的工具，
05:38
that I've found in my research
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在我的研究中，我发现
05:40
that I think can help us with foresight.
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这些工具有助于提高我们的远见。
05:43
The first tool I want to share with you
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第一个我想分享的工具是
05:45
I think of as making
the long game pay now.
the long game pay now.
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让长期的游戏现在有回报。
05:49
This is Wes Jackson, a farmer
I spent some time with in Kansas.
I spent some time with in Kansas.
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这是 Wes Jackson，
一位堪萨斯州的农民。
一位堪萨斯州的农民。
05:53
And Jackson knows
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Jackson知道
05:54
that the way that most crops
are grown around the world today
are grown around the world today
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当今全球大多数作物的生长方式
05:58
is stripping the earth
of the fertile topsoil
of the fertile topsoil
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都在剥离我们需要养活后代的
06:01
we need to feed future generations.
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肥沃的表层土壤。
06:04
He got together
with a group of scientists,
with a group of scientists,
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他和一些科学家一起
06:06
and they bred perennial grain crops
which have deep roots
which have deep roots
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培育了多年生谷物，
这些作物有很深的根，
这些作物有很深的根，
06:11
that anchor the fertile topsoil of a farm,
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可以固定农场肥沃的表层土壤，
06:13
preventing erosion
and protecting future harvests.
and protecting future harvests.
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从而阻止水土流失，
保护未来的收成。
保护未来的收成。
06:17
But they also knew
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但是他们也知道
06:18
that in order to get farmers
to grow these crops in the short run,
to grow these crops in the short run,
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要让农民在短期内种植这些作物，
06:22
they needed to boost
the annual yields of the crops
the annual yields of the crops
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他们需要提高这些作物的年产量，
06:25
and find companies willing
to make cereal and beer using the grains
to make cereal and beer using the grains
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并找到愿意用这些谷物
生产麦片和啤酒的公司。
生产麦片和啤酒的公司。
06:30
so that farmers could reap profits today
by doing what's good for tomorrow.
by doing what's good for tomorrow.
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这样农民在做对明天有益的事情时，
今天也能获得利润。
今天也能获得利润。
06:35
And this is a tried-and-true strategy.
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这是一个已经被证明可靠的策略。
06:37
In fact, it was used
by George Washington Carver
by George Washington Carver
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实际上，早在二十世纪初期，
06:40
in the South of the United States
after the Civil War
after the Civil War
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在美国内战后的南部，
乔治·华盛顿·卡弗就用过这个策略。
06:43
in the early 20th century.
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06:45
A lot of people have probably heard
of Carver's 300 uses for the peanut,
of Carver's 300 uses for the peanut,
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很多人也许都听过卡弗
的“花生的三百种用法”，
的“花生的三百种用法”，
06:50
the products and recipes
that he came up with
that he came up with
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他所发明的这些产品和配方
06:53
that made the peanut so popular.
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使得花生非常受欢迎。
06:56
But not everyone knows
why Carver did that.
why Carver did that.
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但是并不是每个人都知道
卡弗为什么要做这些。
卡弗为什么要做这些。
06:59
He was trying to help
poor Alabama sharecroppers
poor Alabama sharecroppers
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他当时想要帮助阿拉巴马
棉花产量在锐减
棉花产量在锐减
07:02
whose cotton yields were declining,
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的贫穷佃农，
07:05
and he knew that planting
peanuts in their fields
peanuts in their fields
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卡弗知道如果在田里种了花生，
07:07
would replenish those soils
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土壤就能得到养分，
07:09
so that their cotton yields
would be better a few years later.
would be better a few years later.
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这样棉花产量就可以
在几年后恢复。
在几年后恢复。
07:12
But he also knew it needed
to be lucrative for them in the short run.
to be lucrative for them in the short run.
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但是卡弗也知道，在短期内
有利可图也是必要的。
有利可图也是必要的。
07:16
Alright, so let's talk
about another tool for foresight.
about another tool for foresight.
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好的，让我们来聊聊另一个
能让我们有远见的工具。
能让我们有远见的工具。
07:19
This one I like to think of
as keeping the memory of the past alive
as keeping the memory of the past alive
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我把这个工具比做是
保持过去的鲜活记忆
保持过去的鲜活记忆
07:24
to help us imagine the future.
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从而帮助我们想象未来。
07:27
So I went to Fukushima, Japan
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所以我去了日本的福岛，
07:29
on the sixth anniversary
of the nuclear reactor disaster there
of the nuclear reactor disaster there
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在核电站灾难的第六个纪念日，
07:32
that followed the Tohoku earthquake
and tsunami of 2011.
and tsunami of 2011.
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即2011年日本东北
大地震大海啸的六年后。
大地震大海啸的六年后。
07:37
When I was there, I learned
about the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station,
about the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station,
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我在那里时了解到了女川核电站，
07:41
which was even closer
to the epicenter of that earthquake
to the epicenter of that earthquake
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这个核电站比我们都知道
的福岛核电站
的福岛核电站
07:44
than the infamous Fukushima Daiichi
that we all know about.
that we all know about.
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距离地震震中更近。
07:48
In Onagawa, people in the city
actually fled to the nuclear power plant
actually fled to the nuclear power plant
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事实上，当时女川市的居民还都
07:53
as a place of refuge.
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撤离到核电站内避难。
07:55
It was that safe.
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就是这么安全。
07:57
It was spared by the tsunamis.
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这个核电站免受海啸的破坏。
08:00
It was the foresight of just one engineer,
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全因为一个工程师的远见，
08:02
Yanosuke Hirai,
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他就是
08:04
that made that happen.
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平井弥之助。
08:06
In the 1960s, he fought
to build that power plant
to build that power plant
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在六十年代，他力争
08:10
farther back from the coast
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让核电站建在远离海岸，
08:12
at higher elevation
and with a higher sea wall.
and with a higher sea wall.
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在海拔更高，海堤更高的地方。
08:16
He knew the story of his hometown shrine,
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他知道他家乡的神社
08:20
which had flooded
in the year 869 after a tsunami.
in the year 869 after a tsunami.
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在869年的海啸后被水淹没的故事。
08:24
It was his knowledge of history
that allowed him to imagine
that allowed him to imagine
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对历史的了解使得他能够想到
08:28
what others could not.
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其他人所想不到的。
08:31
OK, one more tool of foresight.
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还有另一个关于远见的工具。
08:34
This one I think of
as creating shared heirlooms.
as creating shared heirlooms.
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我把这个工具想成
创造共享的传家宝。
创造共享的传家宝。
08:38
These are lobster fishermen
on the Pacific coast of Mexico,
on the Pacific coast of Mexico,
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在墨西哥的大西洋海岸，
有一群捕捉龙虾的渔民
有一群捕捉龙虾的渔民
08:41
and they're the ones who taught me this.
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教会了我这个工具。
08:44
They have protected
their lobster harvest there
their lobster harvest there
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他们在过去将近一个世纪的时间里
08:46
for nearly a century,
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保护着龙虾的收成，
08:49
and they've done that
by treating it as a shared resource
by treating it as a shared resource
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他们的做法是
将龙虾看作是共享的资源，
将龙虾看作是共享的资源，
08:52
that they're passing on to their collected
children and grandchildren.
children and grandchildren.
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而这个资源将传承给
他们的后代子孙，
他们的后代子孙，
08:55
They carefully measure what they catch
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他们仔细地衡量这些收成，
08:58
so that they're not taking
the breeding lobster out of the ocean.
the breeding lobster out of the ocean.
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这样就不会将还在繁殖中的
龙虾捕捉出来。
龙虾捕捉出来。
09:02
Across North America,
there are more than 30 fisheries
there are more than 30 fisheries
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横跨北美，有超过三十个渔场
09:05
that are doing something
vaguely similar to this.
vaguely similar to this.
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在做着多多少少相似的事情。
09:08
They're creating long-term stakes
in the fisheries known as catch shares
in the fisheries known as catch shares
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他们在捕鱼业中建立了长期
的利益关系，即所谓的“捕捞份额”，
的利益关系，即所谓的“捕捞份额”，
09:13
which get fishermen to be motivated
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这激发了渔民
09:15
not just in taking whatever they can
from the ocean today
from the ocean today
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不仅关注今天从海中
能够获得的东西，
能够获得的东西，
09:19
but in its long-term survival.
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还有海洋更长期的生存和回报。
09:23
Now there are many,
many more tools of foresight
many more tools of foresight
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实际上有很多能够帮助
我们看得更远的工具，
我们看得更远的工具，
09:25
I would love to share with you,
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我很乐意与你们分享，
09:27
and they come from all kinds of places:
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它们来自于各行各业：
09:29
investment firms that look
beyond near-term stock prices,
beyond near-term stock prices,
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投资公司不仅仅看短期股价，
09:32
states that have freed their elections
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那些将选举从竞选资助者
09:34
from the immediate interests
of campaign financiers.
of campaign financiers.
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眼前利益中解放出来的州。
09:39
And we're going to need to marshal
as many of these tools as we can
as many of these tools as we can
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如果我们想要重新思考
我们所衡量的东西，
我们所衡量的东西，
09:43
if we want to rethink what we measure,
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改变我们的奖励方式，
09:45
change what we reward
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并勇敢地想象未来会发生什么，
09:47
and be brave enough
to imagine what lies ahead.
to imagine what lies ahead.
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我们就需要尽可能多地使用这些工具。
09:52
Not all this is going to be easy,
as you can imagine.
as you can imagine.
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你们可以料到，这些都不会容易。
09:57
Some of these tools
we can pick up in our own lives,
we can pick up in our own lives,
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有些工具是我们
在生活中可以学会的，
在生活中可以学会的，
10:00
some we're going to need to do
in businesses or in communities,
in businesses or in communities,
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有些需要在行业或者团体中
才能发挥作用，
才能发挥作用，
10:05
and some we need to do as a society.
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有些则需要我们整个社会的合作。
10:09
The future is worth this effort.
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未来是值得付出这些努力的。
10:15
My own inspiration to keep up this effort
is the instrument I shared with you.
is the instrument I shared with you.
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我自己继续努力的动力来自
我刚与你们分享的工具。
我刚与你们分享的工具。
10:19
It's called a dilruba,
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它叫迪尔鲁巴琴，
10:22
and it was custom-made
for my great-grandfather.
for my great-grandfather.
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这是我曾祖父找人定制的。
10:25
He was a well-known
music and art critic in India
music and art critic in India
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二十世纪初，我曾祖父
曾是印度知名的
曾是印度知名的
10:28
in the early 20th century.
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音乐家和艺术评论人。
10:32
My great-grandfather had the foresight
to protect this instrument
to protect this instrument
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我的曾祖父有保护这件乐器的远见，
10:37
at a time when my great-grandmother
was pawning off all their belongings,
was pawning off all their belongings,
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那时候我曾祖母不得不
当掉所有的东西维持生计，
当掉所有的东西维持生计，
10:41
but that's another story.
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但这是另一个故事了。
10:45
He protected it by giving it
to the next generation,
to the next generation,
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他通过把它传给下一代来保护它，
10:48
by giving it to my grandmother,
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我的祖母获得了这件乐器，
10:50
and she gave it to me.
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她又给了我。
10:54
When I first heard
the sound of this instrument,
the sound of this instrument,
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当我第一次听到这件乐器的声音时，
10:57
it haunted me.
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我深受感动，
10:59
It felt like hearing a wanderer
in the Himalayan fog.
in the Himalayan fog.
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仿佛漫步于喜马拉雅的晨雾之中，
11:05
It felt like hearing
a voice from the past.
a voice from the past.
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听见了历史的声音。
11:08
(Music)
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（音乐响起）
11:44
(Music ends)
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（音乐结束）
11:49
That's my friend Simran Singh
playing the dilruba.
playing the dilruba.
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这是我的朋友
习慕兰·辛格所演奏的片段。
习慕兰·辛格所演奏的片段。
11:53
When I play it, it sounds
like a cat's dying somewhere,
like a cat's dying somewhere,
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我试着弹奏的时候，
听起来好像有只猫濒临惨死，
听起来好像有只猫濒临惨死，
11:56
so you're welcome.
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所以不用感谢我
播放这段美妙的旋律。
播放这段美妙的旋律。
11:57
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
12:00
This instrument is in my home today,
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这件乐器今天还在我家，
12:03
but it doesn't actually belong to me.
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当实际上却不属于我。
12:06
It's my role to shepherd it in time,
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我的角色是在时间的长河中照管它，
12:10
and that feels more meaningful to me
than just owning it for today.
than just owning it for today.
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与只是今天拥有它相比，
这对我来说更有意义。
这对我来说更有意义。
12:15
This instrument positions me
as both a descendant and an ancestor.
as both a descendant and an ancestor.
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这件乐器将我置身于
后人和祖先之间。
后人和祖先之间。
12:23
It makes me feel part of a story
bigger than my own.
bigger than my own.
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这使我感受到我是
历史长河的一部分。
历史长河的一部分。
12:28
And this, I believe,
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我坚信，
12:30
is the single most powerful way
we can reclaim foresight:
we can reclaim foresight:
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这是我们可以重新获得远见的
唯一最有力的方式：
唯一最有力的方式：
12:35
by seeing ourselves
as the good ancestors we long to be,
as the good ancestors we long to be,
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就是让自己渴望成为好的祖先，
12:41
ancestors not just to our own children
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不仅仅是我们自己的子女，
12:45
but to all humanity.
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而是全人类的祖先。
12:48
Whatever your heirloom is,
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无论你的传家宝是什么，
12:52
however big or small,
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无论或大或小，
12:55
protect it
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保护好它，
12:58
and know that its music
can resonate for generations.
can resonate for generations.
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要知道它的音乐可以
在代际之间产生共鸣。
在代际之间产生共鸣。
13:02
Thank you.
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谢谢。
13:03
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Bina Venkataraman - Writer, futuristBina Venkataraman is an MIT professor and author of the forthcoming book "The Optimist's Telescope."
Why you should listen
For more than six years, Bina Venkataraman has been traveling around the world studying how people and communities think about the future. Her curiosity as a former journalist, and her firsthand experience in the Obama White House, led her to question whether the shortsightedness rampant in today's societies is inevitable -- or actually "a choice we're making."
During the Obama years, Venkataraman built partnerships among communities, companies and government to prepare for coming pandemics, wildfires and rising seas. In 2014, she launched the White House Climate Data Initiative to bring actionable climate science to people making decisions around the globe. Previously, she was a science journalist for the New York Times and the Boston Globe. Now, she teaches students at MIT to use scientific knowledge in service of society.
As Venkataraman writes: "For as long as I can remember, I have suspected that the future of humanity depended on the future of the planet. I have since found this to be the most compelling story of our time. As I imagine what lies in our shared future, from gene-editing to the climate crisis, I see both dangers and extraordinary potential."
Venkataraman wrote her first book, The Optimist's Telescope (to be published by Riverhead on August 27, 2019), to help people today better shape their own future and that of coming generations.
Bina Venkataraman | Speaker | TED.com