Together with COP26, TED hosts Countdown, a global livestream presented by YouTube Originals

In collaboration with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), TED announced today details of the Countdown Global Livestream taking place 12-2:30pm ET on Saturday, October 30 on TED’s YouTube channel. Building on the success of the 2020 Countdown launch, this free global event, presented by YouTube Originals, will lay out a credible and realistic pathway to a net-zero future by bringing together key solutions from the Countdown Summit earlier this month, stories of local action from the around the world, cutting-edge science and technology, social and cultural discussions and a global call to action.  The Livestream will take place on the eve of the official opening of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Hosted by Latif Nasser (co-host of Radiolab) from the TED World Theater in New York, the Livestream will combine new TED Talks, live performances, short films, expert conversations and animated explainers to vividly explain the climate crisis, focusing on solutions and calling for leaders and citizens everywhere to step up.

“We believe that all of us must play a role in addressing climate change,” said Chris Anderson, Countdown founding partner and head of TED. “While global leaders start to gather in Glasgow, we created the Countdown Global Livestream as a place for family and friends across the globe to come together to take action on climate change.” Lindsay Levin, Countdown founding partner and CEO of Leaders’ Quest, added, “We know we’re in a global crisis, yet we spend too little time focused on the solutions. The Countdown Global Livestream will showcase examples of positive changes already underway and how we can scale them to build a better future for everyone.”

The virtual event will be structured around five themes — A Pathway Opens, Reducing, Protecting, Transforming and One Planet — each pulling together moments from TED Countdown talks by climate experts, activists and business and government leaders. Celebrity guests include Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Mark Ruffalo, Forest Whitaker and Rainn Wilson as well as YouTube content creators AsapSCIENCE (@asapscience), Joe Hanson (@itsoktobesmart), Prajakta Koli (@mostlysane) and Mark Vins (@bravewilderness). Speakers include Xiye Bastida, Tzeporah Berman, Christiana Figueres, Al Gore, Jim Hagemann Snabe, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, Amina J. Mohammed, Nemonte Nenquimo, Johan Rockström, Reverend Lennox Yearwood and more. The Livestream will cover everything from climate justice to the importance of COP26, from Indigenous climate knowledge to transforming industries, and feature a declaration from young activists.  

Musicians Valerie June, Dave Matthews and Charlie Puth will perform. 

Check out the full line-up here.

TED Countdown wraps up a week of YouTube Originals programming focused on sustainability. For more YouTube sustainability content, check out youtube.com/sustainability. 

About TED Countdown 

TED Countdown is a global initiative powered by TED and Future Stewards to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. Countdown combines TED’s signature blend of actionable and research-backed ideas, cutting-edge science and moments of wonder and inspiration to mobilize millions to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world.

Countdown launched October 2020 via a free live virtual event featuring talks and performances by Pope Francis, Prince William, Christiana Figueres and Al Gore, as well as scientists, activists, artists, schools and leaders from business and government. One year later, in October 2021, the Countdown Summit brought together hundreds of leaders in Edinburgh, Scotland as TED speakers shared a blueprint for a beautiful net-zero future. This plan — along with inspiring stories of local action — will be amplified by hundreds of TEDx Countdown events around the world and through a special global livestream event on October 30, 2021.

Learn more about #TEDCountdown on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.