TED Talks Daily
Floating farms, sponge cities and the climate solutions already working | Harjeet Singh
11 Sep 2025
What if every dollar you spend today could save you 10 dollars tomorrow? Development expert Harjeet Singh reveals how climate solutions like floating farms and “sponge cities” that absorb floodwater aren’t just clever adaptations — they’re smart economics. He explains why wealthy nations must fund the adaptation efforts of developing countries and shows how anybody can build resilience to climate change no matter where they are.For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:TEDNext: ted.com/futureyouTEDSports: ted.com/sportsTEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-viennaTEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Episode
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. For climate justice advocate Harjeet Singh, the reality is clear. Climate change has made global uncertainty a part of daily life. In his talk, he shares the stories of real exciting solutions that are already saving lives and livelihoods at the local level.
and argues that just as people adapt, policy and development must adapt to tailoring responses to fit local realities and not global ideals. Because sometimes real change happens from the ground up, and we all have a part to play.
I'm a climate justice advocate, and people often ask me, Harjeet, how do you manage to stay positive and smile with all the doom and gloom around us? Trust me, I do get angry, and there's plenty of evidence online. There's no doubt that we are living through a human-caused climate crisis. But I have immense faith in humanity and our collective superpower, which is our ability to adapt.
We've adapted for centuries, except the scale and speed that are required now are unprecedented, and each one of us has to play our part. Let me share about Kamlesh Kushwaha's superpower. He's an organic farmer from a drought-prone Bundelkhand region in India where people are dependent on rain-fed agriculture and traditional wells. Having worked with Kamlesh,
Since 2017, through my organization, Fathat Sampada, I can tell you he's not a conventional farmer. He's someone who thinks, who plans, who knows how to adapt. Life could have been far worse for him during the deadly 2024 heatwave. But his ability to choose crops wisely and adjust the timings as the weather changes
and installing a solar-powered irrigation pump with the government's support has been a game changer. He has been able to adapt much better than many farmers who lost close to 50 percent of their production. Kamle's story is not just about survival. It's about the human spirit. It's about the power of people to make a difference if they get the right kind of support and in a timely manner.
We know that climate impacts are increasing and we see devastation all around us, which means that we have to adapt. So what is adaptation? Adaptation means adjusting and being ready for a new climate reality, which is uncertain and unpredictable. Let me make it simple for you. Imagine you are stepping out of home, wearing a T-shirt, carrying a water bottle for the heat.
but you're also carrying an umbrella for the unexpected rain and a jacket for the evening chill. It may look a bit silly, but then you are ready for every situation. That's personal adaptation. Countries, of course, require much more than a backpack.
Let me share a mantra with you, which is the crux of my 25 years of experience working with communities, governments, and also at the global policy-making level. The mantra is that there can be no adaptation without development. Let's unpack. Take two coastal nations. One, the Netherlands, where centuries of investment and smart planning have created a landscape that can coexist with the sea.
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