TED Talks Daily

After the Fukushima disaster shut down Japan's nuclear reactors, the coal industry rushed in to fill the energy gap. As climate advocate Kimiko Hirata watched dozens of new coal plant proposals quietly surface across the country — each one locking in decades of future emissions — she resolved to make them impossible to ignore. She shares how a small, scrappy civil society movement took on a fossil-fuel-dependent economy and got people to say "yes" to a renewable future.

Family life often requires extraordinary bravery, from navigating the daily challenges to surviving the unexpected crises. Author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan offers profound wisdom (and seven key words) to help you focus in on what matters most.This episode originally aired in 2024.

As chief content officer of Forbes, Randall Lane oversees the magazine's signature list of billionaires, tracking the richest people on Earth. But he has noticed that this prompts the ultra-wealthy to stockpile their money instead of spending it on the public good. He debuts a new ranking — True Net Worth — that applauds billionaires for their philanthropy and rewards generosity. Guess who's in the top five?

Did you know that cows emit methane when they burp? Livestock account for over 12% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, but farmers and scientists have discovered a superfood that might be the key to lower emissions—and raise healthier cows. In this episode, Ryan and Anjali investigate the mystery of Asparagopsis, a seaweed variety that removes methane from the guts of the animals who eat it. The catch? There are only nine licensed growers in the world. Ryan and Anjali are joined by three experts to talk about the science behind this amazing plant, the benefits we’re already seeing from the animals who eat it, and the next steps for scaling up its use by farmers around the world. 

Every moment of movement is a chance to become more aware of yourself and the world around you, says Zen Buddhist nun Sister True Dedication. Guiding us through the art of "mindful walking," she shares three essential questions to ask yourself to awaken your strength, build resilience and discover your inner peace.This episode originally aired in 2023.

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger takes us back to the transformative moment he let his AI agent loose on the internet, igniting one of the world's fastest-growing open-source projects. He makes a fascinating (and slightly unnerving) case that agents are a real shift, not just better versions of chatbots, and explores how they might reshape your ability to work, create and build. "The lobster is loose, and it's not going back into the tank," he says. (Followed by a brief Q&A with TED Chairman Chris Anderson)

The United States is on track to win the AI race — and hollow itself out in the process, says Gina Raimondo, former Governor of Rhode Island and US Secretary of Commerce. In this unflinching look at the threat of AI-induced economic disruption and social unrest, she offers a concrete blueprint to prepare workers for what’s coming next. "AI is a 100-year technology and needs a 100-year response," she says. Is America up to the challenge?

Songs are the soundtrack of our lives. But why exactly do they make us feel the way they do? Songwriter Scarlet Keys sits down at a piano to deconstruct the tools musicians use to make a melody unforgettable — from tone and repetition to lyrics and chords — and sheds light on music's ability to transform moments into memories.This talk originally aired in 2024.

Malala Yousafzai has spent her life advocating for girls' education — surviving an assassination attempt at 15, meeting with world leaders and then watching hard-won progress collapse when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021. That moment of despair forced her to completely rethink what it means to create change, and what she discovered replaced her shattered optimism with something more powerful and more honest. Hear how to keep fighting for the future you want, even when hope feels lost.