The growing megafire crisis — and how to contain it | George T. Whitesides

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2023

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Megafires, or fires that burn more than 100,000 acres, are becoming more frequent worldwide, wreaking havoc on landscapes and communities -- and fire experts say the problem is only going to get worse. George T. Whitesides is focused on fighting these devastating natural disasters through innovative technologies and intentional changes to how we build communities. He presents three emerging solutions to this blazing dilemma, calling for us to redefine our relationship with fire in order to build a more resilient and sustainable future.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ted Audio Collective.
0:02.0	Audio Collective.
0:04.0	I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to Ted Talks Daily.
0:11.0	I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to TED Talks daily. Wildfires. Well I'm coming at you from
0:16.6	Southern California so this is something we live with annually but all of us around the world
0:22.1	are living in a reality of more and more mega wildfires and they're getting worse.
0:28.0	In his talk from TED 2023, mega firefighter George T. Whitesides lays out his vision for a Firefighter Force fit for the future after a sponsor message.
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1:01.3	My wife grew up in Santa Rosa, California,
1:04.0	and her best friend was a woman named Joy Durand
1:07.0	who lived on the northeast outskirts of town.
1:10.0	At midnight on the evening of October 8th, 2017, Joy's telephone rang.
1:17.0	The voice said simply, you must evacuate now.
1:21.0	You don't have time to pack. Fire is coming.
1:25.0	Joy gathered her parents and her six-year-old son, and they hurried outside.
1:30.0	The wildfire, which at that point was just over the ridge
	...

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