Name: Nature vs. humans
Uploaded: 2008-10-22T01:00:00Z
Duration: 22 min 29 s
Description: In 1998, aircraft designer Paul MacCready looks at a planet on which humans have utterly dominated nature, and talks about what we all can do to preserve nature's balance. His contribution: solar planes, superefficient gliders and the electric car.

Paul MacCready: Nature vs. humans

Nature vs. humans

In 1998, aircraft designer Paul MacCready looks at a planet on which humans have utterly dominated nature, and talks about what we all can do to preserve nature's balance. His contribution: solar planes, superefficient gliders and the electric car.

Human activity now accounts for 97 percent of land vertebrate mass, leaving wild nature just three percent. Population growth and technological change have exploded within a single lifetime, outpacing the earth’s limits. True progress means learning to do much more with much less, blending efficient technology with respect for nature’s wisdom. The next generation’s survival hinges on reimagining education, habits, and invention to create a sustainable and desirable future.