Climate Change: It’s Real. It’s Serious. And it’s up to us to Solve it. | National Geographic

Climate change. It's real, it's serious, and it's up to us to solve it.

In the last two decades, we've experienced 14 of the hottest 15 years on record. By 2050, drought and chronic water shortages could impact a billion people, while millions more will be at risk from coastal flooding. It can seem overwhelming, but there's reason for hope.

If we embrace solar and wind power to their full potential, we can cut the world's yearly carbon emissions by a third. Already, Germany generates 27% of its electricity from renewables, with a goal of 80% by 2050. Denmark has shown it can produce more wind energy than it can use, and England is building the world's biggest offshore wind farm.

Communities, large and small, are taking steps. A new public building in Mexico City has an exterior that breaks down air pollutants, erasing the effects of 1,000 cars each day. Paris installed street tiles that harvest energy from foot traffic. Other cities are paving streets with smog-eating concrete and sidewalks with recycled materials.

Individuals can make a difference too, through the choices we make every day. If every American driver drove 10 miles less each week, it could eliminate more than 100 billion pounds of carbon from the air each year. New innovations are making important strides possible, and more are on the way.

But we can't wait. Reimagining our world's energy future will take a shared sense of urgency from countries, companies, cities, and all of us working together. Real change is possible. Learn more at nap.com.

Climate. [Music]