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How much electricity does it take to power the world?

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Plan for Zero

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All around the world, millions of people are flipping a switch, plugging in, and pressing an ‘on’ button every second. So how much electricity does humanity use? And how much will we need in the future? Discover how much energy it takes to power the world, and how clean energy sources could help revolutionize our electricity supply.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Building a sustainable future will require a multi-faceted approach. Read the book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, by Bill Gates to dive into a detailed plan to bring global greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero.

While there are big changes governments and businesses will need to make, there are meaningful and effective changes individuals can make in their daily lives as well. Use this carbon footprint calculator created by the Global Footprint Network to measure your carbon footprint. But what’s next? Many people struggle to identify how they can offset their carbon footprint or what action they can take. Project Drawdown’s ecochallenge has you covered. It outlines a series of one-time or daily actions you can take individually, with a group of friends, or coworkers to make a difference in your community.

Our changing climate involves many complex and interconnected issues, and one of the best ways to understand them is to have more conversations about them. The World Climate Simulation allows you to do just that by role playing and simulating UN climate negotiations. Finally, watch this TED animation to learn what is net-zero and why it is our shared goal to build a better future.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.

About Plan for Zero

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face today, and the stakes could not be higher. To avoid the worst effects of a warming world - which will be catastrophic - humans need to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. TED-Ed created a video series which provides a plan to meet those goals, based on an urgent, authoritative book by Bill Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. Avoiding a climate disaster won’t be easy, but it’s possible. Learn more »

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  • Video created by TED-Ed
  • Lesson Plan created by TED Ed

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