All new products must pass through the “valley of death” before they reach the market. Many never make it out, and sometimes that’s ok— if they don’t work, don’t fill a need, or for any number of reasons.
One of the fields where this problem is most pressing is zero-carbon technologies. Why is it vulnerable to this trap, and can we change it?
This TED-Ed, why good ideas get trapped in the valley of death— and how to rescue them, was created in partnership with Bill Gates, who has been funding and educating about climate challenges and solutions as a part of his philanthropic initiatives.
What challenges stall new zero-carbon and other innovative climate ideas that have been proven to work? High costs, long timelines, systemic changes to infrastructure, and consumer behavior. “Fortunately,” the video explains, “there’s a way to break this cycle…”
Governments can help close the gap, when private investors won’t fund technologies with such a high potential for social benefit.
The short, which shares examples from recent history, was directed by Lisa LaBracio, with animation and art direction by Luísa M H Copetti at Hype CG.
File under innovation, money, and government:
• The powder that can turn sludge into clean drinking water
• Poop Guy: A dad who is revolutionizing sanitation in India
• Using seawater and sunlight to grow food in the desert
• Geothermal energy in Iceland
• Wangari Maathai: “I will be a hummingbird”
• Milly Zantow: Recycling Revolutionary
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