Can Geoengineering “Undo” Climate Change?
Clip: Season 47 | 4m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
There are ways to reverse some of the damage from our carbon dioxide emissions.
Discover how geoengineering solutions—from techniques as natural as planting trees, to vacuuming CO2 out of the air, to science-fiction alternatives like blocking sunlight—can help humanity turn the tide on climate change, and why these approaches are controversial.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
Support provided by:
Can Geoengineering “Undo” Climate Change?
Clip: Season 47 | 4m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
Discover how geoengineering solutions—from techniques as natural as planting trees, to vacuuming CO2 out of the air, to science-fiction alternatives like blocking sunlight—can help humanity turn the tide on climate change, and why these approaches are controversial.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch NOVA
NOVA is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Buy Now
NOVA Labs
NOVA Labs is a free digital platform that engages teens and lifelong learners in games and interactives that foster authentic scientific exploration. Participants take part in real-world investigations by visualizing, analyzing, and playing with the same data that scientists use.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
The Biggest Space News Stories of 2020
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 5m 27s | Discover three of the greatest space developments of the year and what 2021 may bring. (5m 27s)
Your COVID-19 Vaccine is Coming
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 7m 12s | Learn more about the first coronavirus vaccines. (7m 12s)
Is it Safe to Fly During the Pandemic?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 6m 14s | If you do have to fly, here's what to expect. (6m 14s)
The Science of the COVID-19 Treatments Trump Received
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 6m 37s | In early October 2020, President Trump tested positive for COVID-19. (6m 37s)
The Tech Behind Mail-In Voting
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 6m 20s | Due to the pandemic, millions are voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election. (6m 20s)
Christian Cooper's Bird Yearbook Superlatives
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 5m 11s | What’s the most underrated bird? Most mysterious? Hear Chris Cooper’s opinion. (5m 11s)
How Anosmia Could Affect Doctors’ Coronavirus Screenings
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 5m 14s | Many people have smell loss with COVID-19. (5m 14s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 6m 4s | Could this mean there's life in our planetary neighbor's clouds? (6m 4s)
The Joys and Challenges of Birding While Black
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 3m 54s | A need for inclusion in outdoor spaces remains, Christian Cooper explains. (3m 54s)
Losing a Loved One to Early Onset Alzheimer's
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 4m 53s | See how Alzheimer's develops and spreads throughout the brain. (4m 53s)
How Communities Can Adapt to Climate Change
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 3m 59s | For many, the concept of “adapting” to climate change feels like admitting defeat. (3m 59s)
Now PlayingCan Geoengineering “Undo” Climate Change?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 4m 41s | There are ways to reverse some of the damage from our carbon dioxide emissions. (4m 41s)
Cutting our Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Zero
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 4m 52s | Through “prevention,” humans can significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. (4m 52s)
Three Solutions That Can Slow or Stop Climate Change
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 | 4m 21s | Preventing, “undoing,” and adapting are 3 ways to avoid the worst climate change impacts. (4m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep17 | 4m 49s | In the atomic world, everything is in motion, vibrating because of thermal energy. (4m 49s)
Meet the Enzyme Driving Photosynthesis
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep19 | 6m 8s | Hear from two scientists trying to hack photosynthesis. (6m 8s)
Growing Simple Cells with the Help of... Soap?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep19 | 7m 11s | To jumpstart evolution, a scientist shows, just add soap. (7m 11s)
Beyond the Elements: Life Preview
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep19 | 30s | Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us. (30s)
Plastics: Durable, Diverse, and Indestructible
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep18 | 7m 52s | Processing can turn the same plastic into very different products. (7m 52s)
Beyond the Elements: Indestructible Preview
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep18 | 30s | Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us. (30s)
Why Hot Peppers Set Your Mouth on Fire
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep17 | 4m 2s | The chemical that makes chili peppers so hot evolved to keep animals from eating the plants. (4m 2s)
What Gives Hot Peppers Their Heat?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep17 | 8m 22s | "Beyond the Elements" host David Pogue explores the science of hot peppers—viscerally. (8m 22s)
How Killer Snail Venom Plays a Key Role in Drug Development
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep17 | 6m 8s | What’s in this snail’s paralyzing venom? (6m 8s)
Beyond the Elements: Reactions Preview
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep17 | 30s | Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us. (30s)
Stabilizing Notre Dame's Famous Buttresses
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep8 | 3m 3s | If the vaulting collapses, the weight of the buttresses will push in the 100-foot walls. (3m 3s)
Saving Notre Dame's Stained Glass Masterpieces
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep8 | 3m 2s | Could the cathedral's beautiful stained glass collection survive the 2019 fire intact? (3m 2s)
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep8 | 28s | Scientists and engineers fight to save Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire. (28s)
Repairing Notre Dame's Vaults with Underground Quarries
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep8 | 2m 51s | Hidden under Paris is a rich source of limestone, a vast labyrinth of quarry tunnels. (2m 51s)
What is Solar Geoengineering and Why is it Controversial?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep16 | 4m 16s | Solar geoengineering is like drawing a curtain over the face of the Earth. (4m 16s)
Meet the NASA Scientist Who Uses Lasers to Study Forests
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep16 | 4m 5s | This researcher shoots lasers at trees in order to measure how much carbon forests store. (4m 5s)
How Much Coal Do People Burn Each Year?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep16 | 2m 13s | See how much CO2 we add to the atmosphere each year. (2m 13s)
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep16 | 28s | Scientists look to geoengineering and other methods to cool the planet. (28s)
Inside OSIRIS-REx’s Mission to Tag Asteroid Bennu
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep15 | 4m 38s | Learn more about OSIRIS-REx’s mission to an asteroid 200 million miles away. (4m 38s)
Did This Asteroid Just Turn into a Comet?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep15 | 4m 24s | Everything in the solar system is dynamic—you can watch it evolve in real time. (4m 24s)
Asteroids Provide Hints About the "Ingredients" in Planets
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep15 | 4m 30s | By studying asteroids, researchers can learn about the formation of planets. (4m 30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep9 | 27s | Can bringing predators—and fear—back into an ecosystem help restore its natural balance? (27s)
Meet Gorongosa National Park’s Head Veterinarian
Clip: S47 Ep9 | 8m 18s | Hear what it’s like to be a vet for wild animals. (8m 18s)
Lions Return to Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep9 | 6m | Gorongosa National Park was once one of the most species-rich places in Africa. (6m)
The Anatomy of an African Wild Dog Hunt
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep9 | 6m 50s | Lions and African wild dogs hunt their prey very differently. (6m 50s)
A to Z: How Writing Changed the World Promo
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep14 | 26s | The creation of printing, the first information technology, drove empires and revolutions. (26s)
The Printing Press Revolutionized the Spread of Information
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep14 | 2m 36s | Watch how a printing press works. (2m 36s)
How Medieval Parchment is Made
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep14 | 3m 4s | Learn about the preparation and use of parchment paper in medieval Europe. (3m 4s)
A to Z: The First Alphabet Preview
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep13 | 27s | The birth of writing and the first alphabet were among the world’s most vital inventions. (27s)
How Egyptian Hieroglyphs Influenced Modern Alphabets
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep13 | 3m 56s | Learn why Egyptian hieroglyphs are hiding in modern alphabets—and how to find them. (3m 56s)
Aboriginal Elder Sings Ancient Creation Song
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep13 | 4m 4s | In the Wardaman Creation Story, all the plants and animals of the world were once people. (4m 4s)
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep12 | 27s | Meet slime molds: the brainless blobs that can learn, make decisions, and navigate mazes. (27s)
The Great Australian Slime Mold Bakeoff
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep12 | 3m | The purpose of this experiment was to see how Physarum regulates its nutritional needs. (3m)
Brainless Slime Molds Navigate Mazes and Make Decisions
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep12 | 2m 46s | Can a slime mold find food placed at the far end of a labyrinth? (2m 46s)
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S47 Ep15 | 27s | Spacecraft OSIRIS-REx attempts to grab a piece of an asteroid to bring it back to Earth. (27s)
Living with Sickle Cell Anemia
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S47 Ep11 | 3m 22s | Sickle Cell Anemia is caused by a single change in the DNA sequence. (3m 22s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.