CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html lang="en-US" class="no-js"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>Compass: Notes from Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit 2023 | TED Blog</title>  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1">  <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="True"> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="320"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"/> <link rel="pingback" href="https://blog.ted.com/xmlrpc.php"> <meta name="description" content="TED Countdown Summit 2023 kicked off in Detroit, Michigan, with a wide-ranging, solution-filled session of TED Talks and performances meant to inspire action on the world's toughest challenge: climate change." /><meta name="news_keywords" content="Countdown, TED Countdown, TED Conferences, TED Countdown Summit 2023, TED Talks, TED, Simon Stiell, Julio Friedmann, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Changhua Wu, Hong Hoang, Paul Hawken, Anika Goss, Al Gore, Maxim Timchenko, Detroit Youth Choir" /> <meta name="keywords" content="countdown, ted countdown, ted conferences, ted countdown summit 2023, ted talks, ted, simon stiell, julio friedmann, asmeret asefaw berhe, changhua wu, hong hoang, paul hawken, anika goss, al gore, maxim timchenko, detroit youth choir" /> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style>  <meta name="google-site-verification" content="kpf8-2HuYyPjVRR4Dgk7MTSM4jiKCDbp5n7GQwulGGs" /> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="F1F8CFF85FF82D607911A8BAB418B939" /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//cdn.georiot.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//cdn.cookielaw.org' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//cdnjs.cloudflare.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//stats.wp.com' /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/blog.ted.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-2' href='https://blog.ted.com/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?m=1732206022g' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-4' href='https://blog.ted.com/_static/??-eJzTLy/QzcxLzilNSS3WzyrWz01NyUxMzUnNTc0rQeEU5CRWphbp5qSmJyZX6uVm5uklFxfr6OPTDpRD5sM02efaGpobGxkZmBkYGQMARIMu1Q==' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='jetpack-sharing-buttons-style-inline-css'> .jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list{display:flex;flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0;list-style-type:none;margin:5px;padding:0}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-small-icon-size{font-size:12px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-normal-icon-size{font-size:16px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-large-icon-size{font-size:24px}.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-huge-icon-size{font-size:36px}@media print{.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list{display:none!important}}.editor-styles-wrapper .wp-block-jetpack-sharing-buttons{gap:0;padding-inline-start:0}ul.jetpack-sharing-buttons__services-list.has-background{padding:1.25em 2.375em} </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-10' href='https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/themes/ted2012/css/style.css?m=1724098316g' type='text/css' media='all' />  <link rel='stylesheet' id='all-css-12' href='https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/themes/ted2012/css/jquery.qtip.min.css?m=1724098316g' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://blog.ted.com/_static/??-eJzTLy/QzcxLzilNSS3WzwKiwtLUokoopZebmaeXVayjj0+Rbm5melFiSSpUsX2uraG5sZGRgZmBkXEWAK8tIhI=" ></script><script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.georiot.com/snippet.js?ver=6.7.1" id="geniuslink-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="geniuslink-handler-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var geniusLink = {"tsid":"12135","selector":".hentry .entry-content a"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/plugins/ted-plugins/ted-geniuslink/js/geniuslink-handler.js?m=1724098316g" ></script><script type="text/javascript" data-domain-script='19086e30-9664-47bf-af13-96787e718fd0' src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" id="onetrust-notice-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="onetrust-notice-js-after"> /* <![CDATA[ */ function OptanonWrapper() {} /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://blog.ted.com/_static/??/wp-content/themes/ted2012/js/tracking.js,/wp-content/themes/ted2012/js/libs/modernizr.custom.min.js?m=1724098316j" ></script><link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/116189" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://blog.ted.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.1" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://blog.ted.com/compass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023/" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://blog.ted.com/?p=116189' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.ted.com%2Fcompass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.ted.com%2Fcompass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023%2F&format=xml" /> <style>img#wpstats{display:none}</style> <meta content="summary_large_image" property="twitter:card" /> <meta content="@tedtalks" property="twitter:site" /> <meta content="376183339" property="twitter:app:id:iphone" /> <meta content="376183339" property="twitter:app:id:ipad" /> <meta content="com.ted.android" property="twitter:app:id:googleplay" /> <meta content="TED Talks" property="twitter:app:name:ipad" /> <meta content="TED Talks" property="twitter:app:name:iphone" /> <meta content="TED Talks" property="twitter:app:name:googleplay" /> <script type = "text/javascript"> (function () { window.advBidxc = window.advBidxc || {}; window.advBidxc.customerId = "8CUETUT4L"; // Customer ID window.advBidxc.domain = window.location.hostname; window.advBidxc.version = 5.1; window.advBidxc.startTime = new Date().getTime(); function loadScript(tagSrc) { var scriptTag = document.createElement('script'), placeTag = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; scriptTag.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptTag.async = true; scriptTag.src = tagSrc; placeTag.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptTag, placeTag);} var mnSrc = 'https://hbx.media.net/bidexchange.js?cid=' + window.advBidxc.customerId + "&version=" + window.advBidxc.version + '&dn=' + window.advBidxc.domain; loadScript(mnSrc); })(); </script>  <script type='text/javascript'> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; ( function () { var gads = document.createElement( 'script' ); gads.async = true; gads.type = 'text/javascript'; var useSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol; gads.src = ( useSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:' ) + '//www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js'; var node = document.getElementsByTagName( 'script' )[0]; node.parentNode.insertBefore( gads, node ); } )(); </script> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push( function () { var adSlot = googletag.defineSlot( "5641/ted3/web/blog", [[300,250],[300,600]], "acm-ad-tag-advertisement" ).addService( googletag.pubads() ); var mapping300x250 = googletag.sizeMapping() .addSize( [1024, 0], [ [300, 250], [300, 600] ] ) .addSize( [0, 0], [300, 250] ) .build(); adSlot.defineSizeMapping( mapping300x250 ); adSlot.setTargeting( "article", "compass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023" );adSlot.setTargeting( "tag", ["Al Gore","Anika Goss","Asmeret Asefaw Berhe","Changhua Wu","Countdown","Detroit Youth Choir","Hong Hoang","Julio Friedmann","Maxim Timchenko","Paul Hawken","Simon Stiell","TED","TED Conferences","TED Countdown","TED Countdown Summit 2023","TED Talks"] ); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.pubads().enableAsyncRendering(); googletag.enableServices(); } ); </script> <link rel="amphtml" href="https://blog.ted.com/compass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023/amp/"><link rel="icon" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/cropped-TED-circle-logo-512x512-1.png?w=32" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/cropped-TED-circle-logo-512x512-1.png?w=192" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/cropped-TED-circle-logo-512x512-1.png?w=180" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/cropped-TED-circle-logo-512x512-1.png?w=270" /> </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-116189 single-format-standard"> <div id="container"> <header class="header" role="banner"> <div class="header__container"> <div class="home-header__intro"> <h1> <a class="header-logo" href="https://blog.ted.com" title="TED Blog"> <strong class="g-logo-medium home-header__logo">TED</strong> Blog </a> </h1> </div> <div class="banner"> <div class="banner__container"> <a href="https://blog.ted.com" class="header-logo" title="TED Blog"> <strong class="g-logo-small banner__logo">TED</strong> Blog </a> <div class="secondary"> </div> <form id="ted-search-1" class="main-search" method="get" action="https://blog.ted.com"> <div class="main-search__content"> <input type="hidden" name="cat" value="blog_posts" /> <input class="main-search__input" type="text" name="s" value="" placeholder="Search..." /> <a href="javascript:document.getElementById('ted-search-1').submit();" class="main-search__button" > <i class="icon icon_search"></i> </a> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </header>  <div id="content"> <div id="inner-content" class="wrap clearfix"> <div id="main" class="eightcol first clearfix" role="main"> <article id="post-116189" class="clearfix post-116189 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-live-from-ted-countdown-summit-2023 category-news-2 tag-al-gore tag-anika-goss tag-asmeret-asefaw-berhe tag-changhua-wu tag-countdown tag-detroit-youth-choir tag-hong-hoang tag-julio-friedmann tag-maxim-timchenko tag-paul-hawken tag-simon-stiell tag-ted tag-ted-conferences tag-ted-countdown tag-ted-countdown-summit-2023 tag-ted-talks has-thumbnail not-featured even top i-0" role="article"> <header class="article-header"> <a href="https://blog.ted.com/category/live-from-ted-countdown-summit-2023/" class="category-title">Live from TED Countdown Summit 2023</a> <h1 class="single-title" itemprop="headline">Compass: Notes from Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit 2023</h1> <div class="meta clearfix"> <div class="author-desc">Posted by: <a href="https://blog.ted.com/author/claytonwickham/" title="Posts by Clayton Wickham" class="author url fn" rel="author">Clayton Wickham</a>, <a href="https://blog.ted.com/author/marialadias2/" title="Posts by Maria Ladias" class="author url fn" rel="author">Maria Ladias</a>, <a href="https://blog.ted.com/author/oliverfriedman/" title="Posts by Oliver Friedman" class="author url fn" rel="author">Oliver Friedman</a>, <a href="https://blog.ted.com/author/renaereints22/" title="Posts by Renae Reints" class="author url fn" rel="author">Renae Reints</a> and <a href="https://blog.ted.com/author/tom/" title="Posts by Tom Carter" class="author url fn" rel="author">Tom Carter</a> <br> <time datetime="2023-07-11">July 11, 2023 at 8:00 pm EDT</time> </div> <div class="share"> </div> </div> </header>  <section class="entry-content clearfix"> <div id="attachment_116192" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116192" class="size-full wp-image-116192" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0977-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116192" class="wp-caption-text">Journalist Orlando P. Bailey and TED’s Lindsay Levin and David Biello speak at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p><a href="https://conferences.ted.com/countdown2023">TED Countdown Summit 2023</a> kicked off in Detroit, Michigan, with a wide-ranging, solution-filled session of TED Talks and performances meant to inspire action on the world’s toughest challenge: climate change. Over the course of four days, the Summit seeks to change the conversation on climate change and tell a new, true story about how a bright, clean, just, environmentally bountiful world isn’t just possible — it’s already here.</p> <p><strong>The event:</strong> Talks from Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit 2023, hosted by TED’s Lindsay Levin and David Biello with journalist Orlando P. Bailey</p> <p><strong>When and where:</strong> Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan</p> <p><strong>Speakers:</strong> Simon Stiell, Julio Friedmann, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Changhua Wu, Paul Hawken, Anika Goss, Al Gore, Maxim Timchenko</p> <div id="attachment_116193" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116193" class="size-full wp-image-116193" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1990-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116193" class="wp-caption-text">The Detroit Youth Choir performs at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p><strong>Music:</strong> Detroit Youth Choir rocked the house with an energetic performance of “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic! At The Disco and “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, putting their creative skills and talents on full display.</p> <div id="attachment_116194" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116194" class="size-full wp-image-116194" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1065-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116194" class="wp-caption-text">Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Transformational climate action is closer than we think, says <strong>Simon Stiell</strong>, who leads the UNFCCC — the UN鈥檚 entity supporting the global response to climate change. Drawing a parallel to the meteoric growth of text messaging in the 1990s and 2000s, Stiell outlines why climate action is set up to transition from a linear to exponential pace — so long as each of us applies our particular skill sets to push the world towards its “green tipping points.” “If you act, the exponential change that is needed will happen,” he says.</span></p> <div id="attachment_116195" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116195" class="size-full wp-image-116195" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1170-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116195" class="wp-caption-text">Scientist, writer and carbon wrangler Julio Friedmann speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>How do we meet the energy needs of 10 billion people — sustainably and affordably? According to carbon removal expert <strong>Julio Friedmann</strong>, there are three key ingredients to cooking up a bright, clean future for everyone: infrastructure (think: transmission lines, roads and seaports) to make energy accessible; globally aligned (and actually affordable) innovation, like turning electricity into fuel; and more systemic, multi-tiered investment strategies on a global level. “Collective action, building together, is what makes the difficult possible and nourishes the soul through mission and purpose,” he says.</p> <div id="attachment_116196" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116196" class="size-full wp-image-116196" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1JT3417-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116196" class="wp-caption-text">Director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy Asmeret Asefaw Berhe speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED)</p></div> <p>The Biden Administration has set the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. But the US still gets 80 percent of its energy from fossil fuels. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s famous “moonshot” speech in 1962, the Biden Administration is now funding “Earthshots” to accelerate breakthroughs in abundant, affordable and reliable clean energy solutions. If the US is going to meet its climate goals, slashing emissions isn’t enough, says soil scientist and national science leader <strong>Asmeret Asefaw Berhe</strong>. That’s why her team at the Department of Energy is working to employ new technologies, inspired by organic carbon-capture, to sequester carbon from the atmosphere.</p> <div id="attachment_116197" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116197" class="size-full wp-image-116197" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT1756-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116197" class="wp-caption-text">Policy analyst Changhua Wu speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>Policy analyst <strong>Changhua Wu</strong> says that today China is undergoing a green revolution. The country has accelerated electric vehicle adoption, increased usage of solar and other renewables (with the goal of producing one kilowatt of solar energy per capita by 2030) and is promoting a circular economy that recycles raw materials to enable sustainable growth. To avoid climate catastrophe, Wu says, the US should moderate its foreign policy and learn from China’s efforts to promote sustainability on a massive scale.</p> <div id="attachment_116204" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116204" class="size-full wp-image-116204" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT1432-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116204" class="wp-caption-text">Environmentalist Hong Hoang’s TED Idea Search: Southeast Asia submission video plays at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>Activists are leading the charge into a sustainable future, but their work is never easy and rarely fully appreciated. After being invited to speak at TED Countdown Summit, environmental activist <strong>Hong Hoang</strong> (a winner of <a href="https://blog.ted.com/ted-idea-search-southeast-asia-2022-winners-selected/">TED Idea Search: Southeast Asia 2022</a>) was detained in her native Vietnam for her efforts to call global attention to Vietnam’s environmental abuses. Before a moment of silence in her honor, TED shared Hoang鈥檚 Idea Search submission video, where she emphasized the need her create climate activism in politically challenging contexts.</p> <div id="attachment_116198" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116198" class="size-full wp-image-116198" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2108-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116198" class="wp-caption-text">Environmentalist and author Paul Hawken speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>We pay plenty of attention to the role industry plays in the destruction of our ecosystems and in the emission of greenhouse gasses. But what about the role of industrial agriculture? According to environmentalist <strong>Paul Hawken</strong>, industrial agriculture (the “fossil food industry,” as he calls it) is the world’s biggest culprit in environmental degradation. Modern factory farms reduce the nutritional content of soil, encourage erosion, ooze toxic runoff and kill off microbial fungi that naturally sequester carbon. Hawken paints a picture of a transition to regenerative agriculture: farming that embraces ancient techniques to renew the soil and insure fertility for generations. He explains how it would create farms that soak up more water, nurture healthier crops and recreate habitats for indigenous species — restoring biodiversity and mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.</p> <div id="attachment_116199" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116199" class="size-full wp-image-116199" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="602" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2GT2367-medium.jpg?resize=530,354 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116199" class="wp-caption-text">City visionary Anika Goss speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>Climate change tests the social and economic fabric of cities like Detroit with rising temperatures that stretch power grids and “500-year” floods that leave mold and destruction in their wake. City visionary<strong> Anika Goss</strong> says financial stability is critical for Detroit’s survival in the face of the mounting climate crisis, and that the city must rebuild resilience in order to protect its citizens, who are overwhelmingly people of color already facing social inequity. By fostering entrepreneurship, restoring infrastructure and reviving abandoned urban spaces, she believes Detroit can overcome the unique challenges posed by the collapse of its manufacturing sector, creating thriving neighborhoods that embrace justice, sustainability and social connectivity.</p> <div id="attachment_116200" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116200" class="size-full wp-image-116200" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_2JT3350-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116200" class="wp-caption-text">Nobel Laureate, climate advocate and TED legend Al Gore speaks at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <p>Fossil fuel companies claim to be in favor of climate-friendly solutions, but do their efforts have any real impact? Nobel Laureate and climate advocate <strong>Al Gore</strong> returns to the TED Countdown stage to break down the data proving that the greed of fossil fuel executives has thwarted their attempts to support climate action. He reveals two obstacles to lowering global emissions — namely, how oil and gas companies deliberately slow down global efforts to move capital away from fossil fuels, and the ineffectiveness of carbon capture technology — and reminds everyone that “the will to act is itself a renewable resource.”</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Maxim Timchenko: The renewable energy revolution happening in Ukraine" src="https://embed.ted.com/talks/maxim_timchenko_the_renewable_energy_revolution_happening_in_ukraine" width="586" height="330" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></p> <p>Ukrainian energy executive <strong>Maxim Timchenko</strong> shares how DTEK, Ukraine鈥檚 largest private energy company, has diversified the country’s power structures to survive Russian attacks, highlighting the resilience of renewable energy (such as wind turbines, which are a smaller, more difficult target for bombers). He outlines how they’ve expanded renewable energy production throughout the war with Russia, becoming a testing ground in the global fight against climate change and the future of energy independence.</p> <div id="attachment_116270" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116270" class="size-full wp-image-116270" src="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg 1200w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg?resize=250,167 250w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://blog.ted.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CS23_20230711_1GT0943-medium.jpg?resize=530,353 530w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-116270" class="wp-caption-text">Attendees at Session 1 of TED Countdown Summit on July 11, 2023, at the Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)</p></div> <div class="meta clearfix"> <div class="share"> </div> </div> </section>  <div class="article-footer"> <div class="tags"><div class="tags-title meta-title">Tags for this story:</div><div class="tag-list clearfix"><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/al-gore/" rel="tag">Al Gore</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/anika-goss/" rel="tag">Anika Goss</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/asmeret-asefaw-berhe/" rel="tag">Asmeret Asefaw Berhe</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/changhua-wu/" rel="tag">Changhua Wu</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/countdown/" rel="tag">Countdown</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/detroit-youth-choir/" rel="tag">Detroit Youth Choir</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/hong-hoang/" rel="tag">Hong Hoang</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/julio-friedmann/" rel="tag">Julio Friedmann</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/maxim-timchenko/" rel="tag">Maxim Timchenko</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/paul-hawken/" rel="tag">Paul Hawken</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/simon-stiell/" rel="tag">Simon Stiell</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/ted/" rel="tag">TED</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/ted-conferences/" rel="tag">TED Conferences</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/ted-countdown/" rel="tag">TED Countdown</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/ted-countdown-summit-2023/" rel="tag">TED Countdown Summit 2023</a><a href="https://blog.ted.com/tag/ted-talks/" rel="tag">TED Talks</a></div></div> </div>  </article> </div>  <div id="sidebar1" class="sidebar fourcol last clearfix" role="complementary"> <div id="nav_menu-4" class="widget widget_nav_menu"><div class="title">Follow TED</div><div class="menu-social-sidebar-container"><ul id="menu-social-sidebar" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-89070" class="soc-twitter soc-icon menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89070"><a href="http://twitter.com/tedtalks">Twitter</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89073" class="soc-instagram soc-icon menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89073"><a href="http://instagram.com/ted">Instagram</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89074" class="soc-youtube soc-icon menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89074"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/ted">YouTube</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89076" class="soc-mail soc-icon menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89076"><a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=TEDBlog&loc=en_US">Subscribe to TED Blog by email</a></li> </ul></div></div><div id="acm_ad_zones-4" class="widget acm_ad_zones"><div id='acm-ad-tag-advertisement' style="esc_attr( )"> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('acm-ad-tag-advertisement'); }); </script> </div></div><div id="widget-newsletter-2" class="widget widget_newsletter"><div class="title">Subscribe to the TED Talks Daily newsletter.</div> <div class="content"> <p class="clearfix"> <input type="submit" value="Sign Up" onclick="window.location='https://www.ted.com/newsletter'"> </p> <script>jQuery(function ($) { $("#newsletter_signup_side").newsletter() })</script> </div> </div><div id="acm_ad_zones-2" class="widget acm_ad_zones"><div id='acm-ad-tag-%tag_id%' style="esc_attr( )"> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('acm-ad-tag-%tag_id%'); }); </script> </div></div> </div> <div id="related-posts"> <div class="related-title meta-title">Related Stories</div> <div class="related-list clearfix"> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  </div>  <footer class="footer"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer__content"> <a class="g-logo-small footer__logo" title="TED.com" class="footer-logo" href="https://www.ted.com">TED</a> <div class="footer__content__forms"> <h3 class="footer__title">Sign up for TED email updates</h3> <div id="newsletter-signup-details"> <p>Sign up for our daily or weekly emails to receive notifications whenever new talks are published.</p> <input type="submit" value="Sign Up" class="footer-subscribe-submit button" onclick="window.location='https://www.ted.com/newsletter'"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__additional"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer__content"> <div class="footer__content__copy"> <p> <span class="attribution">Powered by <a href="https://wpvip.com/?utm_source=vip_powered_wpcom&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=VIP%20Footer%20Credit&utm_term=blog.ted.com" rel="generator nofollow" class="powered-by-wpcom">WordPress VIP</a></span> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__services"> <div class="container footer__services__container"><ul id="menu-footer-secondary" class="menu footer__links"><li id="menu-item-89051" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89051"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy">TED Talks Usage Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89052" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89052"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89053" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89053"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/partner-with-us">Advertising / Partnership</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89054" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89054"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-com-terms-of-use">TED.com Terms of Use</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89055" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89055"><a href="http://www.ted.com/contact">Contact</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89056" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89056"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/jobs-at-ted">Jobs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89058" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89058"><a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/contact-us/press-and-media-information">Press</a></li> <li id="menu-item-89059" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-89059"><a href="http://support.ted.com/">Help</a></li> </ul><p class="footer__service footer__service--info">© TED Conferences, LLC</p></div> </div> </footer> <script type="text/javascript"> if (undefined !== window.jQuery) { var post_slug = 'compass-notes-from-session-1-of-ted-countdown-summit-2023'; } </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/spin.js/1.3.3/spin.min.js?ver=6.7.1" id="spin-js-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="ted-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var tedUser = {"isLoggedIn":"","avatar":null,"firstName":null,"lastName":null}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://blog.ted.com/_static/??/wp-content/themes/ted2012/js/jquery.fitvids.js,/wp-content/themes/ted2012/js/scripts2.js?m=1724098316j" ></script><script type="text/javascript" src="https://stats.wp.com/e-202448.js" id="jetpack-stats-js" data-wp-strategy="defer"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="jetpack-stats-js-after"> /* <![CDATA[ */ _stq = window._stq || []; _stq.push([ "view", JSON.parse("{\"v\":\"ext\",\"blog\":\"177241961\",\"post\":\"116189\",\"tz\":\"-5\",\"srv\":\"blog.ted.com\",\"hp\":\"vip\",\"j\":\"1:14.0\"}") ]); _stq.push([ "clickTrackerInit", "177241961", "116189" ]); /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" id="ted-scripts-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var ajaxurl = "https:\/\/blog.ted.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php"; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://blog.ted.com/_static/??-eJyNzd0KwjAMhuEb0qbLQI/Ea3FtwJT+rUkZ3r0DdXggKuTwfb7AUveuZKWsoFdKJKDk0Q4IQSDMndrN+KKPM0F28FVEnjY2K1eTOP9WT5BpkUiq1F6Es4vdr/EWQWdwpdH78OdKL5P8915c46qyhud0Go4joj1YHMMd9DNmHg==" ></script> <script type="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[ var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-170299-1']); _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', '.ted.com']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); //]]></script>  <script> var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "7341760" }); (function() { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js"; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); })(); </script> <noscript> <img src="http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=7341760&cv=2.0&cj=1" /> </noscript>  </body> </html>