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Friday, January 16, 2026
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Digest for 1/16/2026

Explore trending topics with matching TED talks and AI insights

3 Topics • 9 Talks

Trending Topics

Featured TED Talks

From Plastic Waste to Circular Economy: Rethinking Our Trash
We can recycle plastic by Mike Biddle

We can recycle plastic

by Mike Biddle

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

Summary

Mike Biddle's TED Talk 'We can recycle plastic' aligns perfectly with the trending topic of transitioning from plastic waste to a circular economy. Biddle, founder of MBA Polymers, demonstrates innovative recycling technologies that extract valuable materials from complex plastic waste, treating trash as a resource rather than refuse, and advocating for sustainable systems that rethink production and consumption to close the loop on plastics.

"Plastics don't belong in landfills or oceans; they belong in our factories as raw materials."

Discuss: What everyday changes can individuals make to support a circular economy for plastics, inspired by Biddle's recycling innovations?

Watch Talk (10:12)View Discussion
From Plastic Waste to Circular Economy: Rethinking Our Trash
The surprising solution to ocean plastic by David Katz

The surprising solution to ocean plastic

by David Katz

David Katz explains how turning plastic waste into currency can incentivize collection and reduce ocean pollution.

Summary

David Katz's TED talk 'The surprising solution to ocean plastic' highlights Plastic Bank, an innovative social enterprise that pays people in developing countries to collect plastic waste, turning it into a valuable resource and preventing ocean pollution. This approach directly aligns with the trending topic of shifting from plastic waste to a circular economy by rethinking trash as an economic opportunity rather than disposable garbage.

"Plastic is not the enemy. It's our linear take-make-waste economy that's the real problem."

Discuss: What local actions can individuals take to support a circular economy for plastic waste, inspired by initiatives like Plastic Bank?

Watch Talk (12:03)View Discussion
From Plastic Waste to Circular Economy: Rethinking Our Trash
The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world by Ellen MacArthur

The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world

by Ellen MacArthur

What Ellen MacArthur learned from sailing around the world solo led her to advocate for a circular economy -- a regenerative system in which nothing is wasted.

Summary

Ellen MacArthur's TED talk recounts her solo sailing journey around the world, where finite resources on her boat revealed the unsustainability of our linear economy, inspiring her advocacy for a circular economy that rethinks plastic waste as a valuable resource rather than trash.

"The economy is really a man-made system. We can redesign it."

Discuss: How might Ellen MacArthur's sailing-inspired shift to a circular economy transform our approach to plastic waste in everyday life?

Watch Talk (11:00)View Discussion
The Urgent Race to Save Coral Reefs from Climate Change
Why I still have hope for coral reefs by Kristen Marhaver

Why I still have hope for coral reefs

by Kristen Marhaver

Corals in the Caribbean have been dying off at an alarming rate. Yet Kristen Marhaver gives us a few reasons why she is not ready to give up hope for their future.

Summary

Kristen Marhaver's TED talk 'Why I still have hope for coral reefs' offers an optimistic perspective on coral conservation, linking directly to the trending topic of the urgent race to save coral reefs from climate change by showcasing scientific breakthroughs in reef restoration and resilience.

"We can still save coral reefs if we act now with the science we have."

Discuss: How can individual actions contribute to the global effort to protect coral reefs from climate change?

Watch Talk (10:30)View Discussion
The Urgent Race to Save Coral Reefs from Climate Change
My wish: Protect our oceans by Sylvia Earle

My wish: Protect our oceans

by Sylvia Earle

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its dire fate -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

Summary

Sylvia Earle's TED talk 'My wish: Protect our oceans' passionately advocates for safeguarding marine ecosystems, highlighting threats like climate change that are decimating coral reefs, and calls for global action to establish protected ocean areas to preserve these vital habitats amid the urgent race to save them.

"No water, no life. No blue, no green."

Discuss: What steps can governments and individuals take to support Sylvia Earle's vision of ocean protection in the face of climate change impacts on coral reefs?

Watch Talk (18:00)View Discussion
The Urgent Race to Save Coral Reefs from Climate Change
How we're growing baby corals to rebuild reefs by Kristen Marhaver

How we're growing baby corals to rebuild reefs

by Kristen Marhaver

Kristen Marhaver shares her team's work in the Caribbean to help coral reproduction and restore reefs by growing baby corals in labs.

Summary

Kristen Marhaver's TED talk on growing baby corals in labs to rebuild damaged reefs directly tackles the trending urgency of saving coral ecosystems from climate change, showcasing innovative breeding techniques that offer hope for restoration amid rising ocean temperatures and acidification.

"We can actually grow corals from babies in the lab and plant them back out on the reef."

Discuss: How can lab-grown corals contribute to global efforts in combating climate change's effects on marine biodiversity?

Watch Talk (10:37)View Discussion
Harnessing AI for Sustainable Agriculture in a Warming World
A global food crisis may be less than a decade away by Sara Menker

A global food crisis may be less than a decade away

by Sara Menker

Sara Menker quit a career in commodities trading to figure out how the global value chain of agriculture works. Her discoveries have led to some startling predictions: 'We could have a tipping point in global food and agriculture if surging demand surpasses the agricultural system's structural capacity to produce food,' she says. 'People could starve and governments may fall.' Menker's models predict that this scenario could happen in a decade -- that the world could be short 214 trillion calories per year by 2027. She offers a vision of this impossible world as well as some steps we can take to avoid it.

Summary

Sara Menker's TED talk warns of an impending global food crisis driven by climate change, population growth, and supply chain vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for data-driven solutions. This aligns with the trending topic of harnessing AI for sustainable agriculture, as her company Gro Intelligence uses AI to analyze agricultural data, predict shortages, and promote resilient farming practices in a warming world.

"We are on the cusp of the biggest economic transformation, of any kind, for 200 years."

Discuss: How can AI tools like those from Gro Intelligence help farmers adapt to climate change and prevent a global food crisis?

Watch Talk (14:17)View Discussion
Harnessing AI for Sustainable Agriculture in a Warming World
Tiny satellites show us the Earth as it changes in near-real-time by Will Marshall

Tiny satellites show us the Earth as it changes in near-real-time

by Will Marshall

Will Marshall shares how Planet Labs' fleet of tiny satellites provides daily images of Earth, aiding in monitoring environmental changes and disasters.

Summary

Will Marshall's TED talk on tiny satellites delivering near-real-time Earth imagery links to harnessing AI for sustainable agriculture by providing high-resolution data that AI can analyze to monitor crop health, predict yields, detect deforestation, and adapt farming practices amid climate change in a warming world.

"We're building a system that can see the whole planet every day."

Discuss: How might integrating satellite imagery with AI transform sustainable farming strategies to address global warming?

Watch Talk (13:00)View Discussion
Harnessing AI for Sustainable Agriculture in a Warming World
How AI could empower any business by Andrew Ng

How AI could empower any business

by Andrew Ng

Andrew Ng explains how AI could transform any industry by unlocking human potential through accessible machine learning tools.

Summary

In his TED talk, Andrew Ng explains how AI democratizes innovation, enabling businesses of all sizes to harness its power, much like electricity did a century ago. This directly ties into harnessing AI for sustainable agriculture amid climate change, where AI tools can optimize crop yields, predict weather patterns, and reduce resource waste, empowering farmers to adapt to a warming world efficiently.

"Just as electricity transformed almost every industry 100 years ago, today AI is transforming multiple industries."

Discuss: How might small-scale farmers in developing countries use accessible AI tools, as described by Andrew Ng, to build climate-resilient agricultural practices?

Watch Talk (11:36)View Discussion