Climate Change Facts & Myths with Neil deGrasse Tyson - Cosmic Queries

How did we save the ozone layer? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice break down the successful campaign to save the ozone layer with professor and atmospheric chemist Susan Soloman and director of research for the Institute of Governance and Sustabaility Stephen Andersen. What lessons can we learn to apply to the ongoing climate crisis?

How do you save the world? We discuss their winning the Future of Life Award this week (details here) for their contributions to the 1987 Montreal Protocol. What was it? Is it the most successful treaty of our day? How did the ozone layer get depleted? What is a Chlorofluorocarbon or CFC? How do you convince people to get rid of what they have if you don’t have something for them to replace it with? We explore how industries and media were able to create a movement to help the cause. How do we create a sustainable civilization?

How does the ozone layer work to protect us? Discover the different forms of oxygen and how they interact with UV rays from the sun. How much UV actually reaches the Earth’s surface? What are the actual effects of refrigerants and CFCs on the atmosphere? What’s HCFC22? Or HFC410A? Are we at the point of no return with runaway climate change? Do we have any new technology to reverse the change? We break down whether geoengineering Earth is a good idea and how to fix our dire energy infrastructure problem.

Do all heroes wear capes? We take a moment to appreciate the work of climate scientists and the tireless work they’ve been doing against the clock. Would reducing the cost of greener alternatives be enough? What’s the most life-changing adaptation we will be forced to make in the near future? Is it true that 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions are created by just 100 companies? What does it mean to go carbon-neutral? What is the most likely cause for Earth becoming uninhabitable? How do you convince climate change deniers? What lessons can we learn and apply from the Montreal Protocol? All that, plus, Chuck announces the release of his new hit country album “My Daddy was a Solar Panel Installer.”

Thanks to our Patrons Ryan Ogle, David Matthews, Colleen Magee-Uhlik, Ryan Atashkar, Cameron Q Myhre, Jordan Sisinni, and Mien for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[FelipeFernandezMorell]

I hate the fact that living in Spain I can´t avoid knowing who the kardashians are, yet I missed about such important people. Thank you, Susan and Stephen.

[kitfisher]

Wait… Scientists said, “stop doing that”, and people actually did it.
And it worked.
Mind blowowowown…

[truesimplicity]

Thank you for providing a platform for Humanities Heros to the common person

[awkwardturtle]

I think Chuck has earned a honorary PhD by now just by hanging out with scientists at this level.

[SOrl]

Great guests! I especially liked Susan Solomon. Great conversationalist, very intelligent. She's got that x factor where you're naturally drawn in and pay more attention. She must be a great teacher/professor!

[firefalcoln]

Thanks for sharing Susan and Stephen to your audience. Awesome guests who deserve more recognition for their contributions.

[anilverman]

They talk about Rowland, he was a professor at the University of California, Irvine who helped discover the harms of chlorofluorocarbons. I learned about him in my thermodynamics class when I went there and it’s cool to see him being talked about here.

[seandepoppe]

That was truly enlightening and encouraging.

My hope is that everyone on earth hears this

[greybuckleton]

Great to see this topic brought up. I see so little about it. The ozone problem was huge in NZ where I live, and this is one of our greatest climate victories. It shows we can do it!

[jayr]

Thank all of you so much for all you’ve done for science, education, and the environment!

[AJD...]

Chuck literally had me in tears with some of the jokes in this one. Love this show so much! He adds the perfect amount of humor to it. Thanks Chuck!

[jerryreichelderfer]

One of my biggest gripes about when people talk about climate change is the lack of any real and practical solutions. If you want people to use a product that is half as effective and cost twice as mush most people are not going to buy in. To save the planet and life as we know it it needs to far less about profit and more about providing answers that people will actually use. And yes, that means making it cheaper.

Susan and Stephen and other like them are making strides to achieve this and have done so in order to close the ozone. This gives me hope. :)

[notlessgrossman]

Seriously the Montreal protocol and these scientists are awesome. I agree that promoting alternatives and solutions that people can use is a damn good way to get the ball rolling.

[garypofahl]

I was a mechanic and back in the 80 s people released r12 and 22 into the atmosphere not even thinking about what it was doing . People complained about controls put in place . Now no one even thinks twice about controlling releasing CFLs. It is done all the time . Glad to see science working for the betterment of peoples lives.

[-kathryn]

Only 15 minutes into this video but I got to thank everyone for your wealth of knowledge. I was always curious about the o-zone crisis but it was a topic never covered when I attended school/university.

[davidwright]

Neil and Chuck are facilitating the best science content out there!!!!

[theduder]

If we could get these two brilliant minds together to tackle fiberglass product production, the amount of polluting waste could be reduced IMMENSELY.
Let me tell you, if you want to locate pollution, check the waste output of literally ANY fiberglass product manufacturer.
Even the locations which are regularly inspected by the EPA, are allowed to use and dispose of some very nasty chemicals which are completely destructive to all 5 forms of life on our planet along with the atmosphere.
And the trimmings those places discard do NOT biodegrade. Waste created decades ago remain in the same condition as the day they were discarded.
There is a reason for fiberglass pump bases which get buried underground. They last a LONG LONG TIME and do not have to be replaced or maintained.
If they do not decompose in use, they will not decompose in a landfill; where almost ALL fiberglass waste ends up.
The ONLY "safe" aspect of fiberglass/styrene based products... the glass itself which will return to its natural "sand" state eventually. But when encased in plastics, that process is outright prevented, or slowed down immensely at minimum.

[thomanderson]

1 of Dr. Tyson's best programs. Very capitvating & engrossing. Both climate scientists very interesting & had listeners hanging on every word they uttered.

[andydonnelly]

Not just interesting and fun to watch but educationally impressive too.😁👍

[XxTheAwokenOnexX]

We need to alot more, alot faster to save the world from climate change, and Governments need to do more than simply introducing carbon taxes to profit off climate change.
Thankyou for another great video StarTalk. Respect