ANNOUNCER: IN 1990, THROUGH THE UNITED NATIONS, THE WORLD COMMITTED TO CUT IN HALF THE THEN 28% OF HUMANITY LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY BY THE YEAR 2015.

IT WAS THOUGHT BY MANY AN UNREALISTIC GOAL, BUT THE GOAL WAS ACTUALLY MET YEARS BEFORE, AND BY 2016, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, THE PORTION OF HUMANITY LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY WAS REDUCED TO LESS THAN 10%.

NOW THE WORLD HAS SET A GOAL OF ABOLISHING ABSOLUTE POVERTY BY 2030.

CAN IT BE DONE?

WHAT POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE NEEDED TO MAKE REAL THIS AGE-OLD DREAM, AND WHAT OBSTACLES STAND IN THE WAY?

THIS EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH" WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE MILL SPRING FOUNDATION, THE DORAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, AMETEK, AND BY... FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COURTROOMS AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE HAVE SWORN AN OATH TO TELL NOT ONLY THE TRUTH BUT RATHER THE WHOLE TRUTH.

THE OATH REFLECTS THE WISDOM THAT FAILING TO TELL ALL OF A STORY CAN BE AS EFFECTIVE AS LYING IF YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THE FACTS SUPPORT YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

IN THE COURTROOM, THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH ALSO RELIES ON ADVOCATES ADVANCING FIRM, CONTRADICTORY ARGUMENTS AND DOING SO WITH DECORUM.

ALL OF THESE APPLY TO THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION, WHAT JOHN STUART MILL CALLED "THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS."

THIS SERIES IS A PLACE IN WHICH THE COMPETING VOICES ON THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF OUR TIME ARE CHALLENGED AND SET INTO MEANINGFUL CONTEXT SO THAT VIEWERS LIKE YOU CAN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES THE WHOLE TRUTH.

IT'S COMMONPLACE TO NOTE THE EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES AND DANGERS OF THE 21st-CENTURY WORLD, FROM GLOBAL WARMING TO THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

ALL OF THESE ARE TRUE PROBLEMS, BUT AREN'T THE WHOLE TRUTH OF OUR TIME.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE OF THIS PROGRAM, WE HOPE TO ELUCIDATE SOME OF THE REASONS FOR HOPE ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES UNIQUE TO THE 21st CENTURY.

IT IS AN INDISPUTABLE FACT THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF HUMANITY LIVING IN ABSOLUTE POVERTY, ONCE THE FATE OF ESSENTIALLY ALL OF HUMANKIND, HAS NOW FALLEN TO ITS LOWEST LEVEL EVER, LESS THAN 10%.

ACROSS THE WORLD, THERE ARE NEWLY THRIVING CITIES FILLED WITH MANY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF NEWLY MINTED, MODERN MIDDLE-CLASS INHABITANTS.

OF COURSE, THE GAINS OF GLOBALIZATION ARE UNEVENLY SPREAD.

MANY ARE LEFT BEHIND, AND THERE IS REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IN THE LONG RUN, IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS OR SO, THE MAGIC OF THE MARKET REALLY COULD, AND PERHAPS WILL, LIFT VIRTUALLY ALL OF HUMANITY TO SOMETHING RESEMBLING THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE-CLASS AMERICANS, BUT MANY MILLIONS MIGHT STILL LIVE LIVES THAT ARE CLASSICALLY NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT ALONG THIS ROUTE OF TRANSITION AS WE MAKE OUR WAY TO THAT BETTER FUTURE.

THERE ARE MANY DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS OUT THERE WHO ARE WORKING ON MANY RELATIVELY SMALL IDEAS, BUT WHICH, TAKEN TOGETHER, OFFER THE REAL PROMISE OF ENDING ABSOLUTE POVERTY BEFORE THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF A GLOBAL ECONOMY REACH TO THE WORLD'S FURTHEST QUARTERS.

JOINING US TODAY TO DISCUSS SOME OF THESE INNOVATIVE, DISRUPTIVE, AND HOPE-FILLED IDEAS ARE... DR. CHARLES YARISH, A GLOBALLY RENOWNED EXPERT ON SEAWEED AND ITS USES AND PROFESSOR OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT; DR. CODY FRIESEN, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF ZERO MASS WATER; ALI JAFFER, GLOBAL C.O.O.

OF GENERATION, AND DR. SASHA KRAMER, CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC INTEGRATED LIVELIHOODS, S.O.I.L., WHO IS JOINING US VIA SKYPE FROM THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN HAITI.

DR. KRAMER IN HAITI, I WOULD SAY WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE MOST BASIC AND THE MOST CURRENT QUESTION BEFORE US RIGHT NOW, AND THAT IS WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROBLEM OF ABSOLUTE OR ABJECT POVERTY IS IMPROVING IN THE WORLD, BUT HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE IT?

IT CAN BE STRONGLY ARGUED, OR IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT, UH, THIS BEGINS WITH BASICS LIKE CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION.

ABSOLUTE POVERTY HAS BEEN DEFINED AS A DOLLAR QUESTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE IT PERSONALLY, AND WHAT IS S.O.I.L.

DOING TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM IN HAITI?

THANKS VERY MUCH, DAVID.

SO, AS WE SAID, I'M CALLING IN FROM HAITI, AND I HOPE THAT YOU CAN HEAR ME WELL.

I THINK THAT...

SO, I FIRST CAME TO HAITI IN 2004 AS A HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVER, AND IT WAS JUST AFTER THERE HAD BEEN AN OVERTHROW OF THE GOVERNMENT.

AND IT WAS A TIME WHEN THERE WAS A LOT OF VERY ACUTE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES HAPPENING.

BUT WHAT I REALIZED DURING THOSE 2 YEARS THAT I WAS HERE AS A HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVER WAS THAT REALLY THE MOST PERVASIVE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN HAITI AND IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD IS POVERTY AND THE MANY SYMPTOMS THAT COME ALONG WITH POVERTY.

AND IT WAS THROUGH THAT REALIZATION THAT I BEGAN WORKING WITH MY COLLEAGUES IN HAITI AND TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES THAT THEY FACED WERE.

AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WE HEARD PEOPLE BRING UP THE ISSUES OF WATER, NUTRITION, JOBS, AND SANITATION.

AND SO IT'S VERY EXCITING TO BE HERE WITH THIS PANEL TODAY BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THOUGH THE WORK THAT S.O.I.L.

DOES IS VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON SANITATION, WE REALLY WORK AT THE INTERSECTION OF AGRICULTURE AND LIVELIHOOD CREATION AS WELL.

- UH-- - AND, SO-- YES, GO AHEAD.

DAVID: WELL, WOULD YOU ASSIGN A PRIORITY?

THESE ARE 4 ASPECTS.

OF COURSE, NUTRITION WOULD BE A PRIORITY--WATER.

BUT, UH...ABSOLUTE POVERTY, IN YOUR MIND, MEANS WHAT?

ABSOLUTE POVERTY MEANS THE INABILITY TO MEET YOUR BASIC HUMAN NEEDS.

SO, THE INABILITY TO FEED YOUR FAMILY, THE INABILITY TO HAVE A HOME OR A HOUSE OVER YOUR HEAD THAT YOU CAN RELY ON, THE INABILITY TO HAVE A SAFE AND DIGNIFIED PLACE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.

I THINK THAT ABSOLUTE POVERTY IS NOT BEING ABLE TO MEET THOSE BASIC NEEDS THAT MANY OF US TAKE FOR GRANTED.

DR. YARISH, LET'S ASSUME FOR THE MOMENT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE ADEQUATE SANITATION.

IS IT GONNA BE POSSIBLE-- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ABSOLUTE POVERTY AS IT IS NOW.

WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND THE PROSPECT OF OVERCOMING THIS PROBLEM OR PERHAPS THE IDEA THAT THE PROBLEM WILL GET WORSE AS WORLD POPULATION GROWS.

IS IT GONNA BE POSSIBLE TO FEED 10 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY?

WELL, ACTUALLY-- IS THAT AN ACCURATE NUMBER, BY THE WAY?

WELL, COULD BE AN ACCURATE NUMBER, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON TODAY, THERE ARE ACTIVITIES IN ASIA, WHERE THEY HAD TO FACE OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS FEEDING A POPULATION AND VERY LITTLE ARABLE LAND.

SO, THEY MOVED INTO THE OCEANS, INTO THE SEA.

THEY DEVELOPED FARMING TECHNOLOGIES GROWING SEAWEEDS, AND THEY'VE DONE THIS VERY EFFECTIVELY.

NOW THE QUESTION IS, HOW CAN YOU TAKE SOME OF THAT UNDERSTANDING, BUILD UPON THAT, AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO OTHER PARTS OF THE GLOBE?

THE NICE THING ABOUT SEAWEED AQUACULTURE IS, IT DOESN'T REQUIRE WATER.

THAT'S IMPORTANT.

HMM.

IT DOESN'T REQUIRE ADDING ANY FERTILIZER.

THAT'S IMPORTANT.

AND SO, WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE SYSTEMS THAT CAN BE USED IN OPEN-WATER SYSTEMS, THEY ARE VERY EFFICIENT BECAUSE THE DRIVER OF THOSE SYSTEMS IS SOLAR ENERGY.

AND WE'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY, HOW THAT LINKS INTO ISSUES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN SUSTAINABILITY.

SO, WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY FOR DOING THAT.

AND PEOPLE HAD ONLY THOUGHT YOU COULD DO THIS IN ASIA AT A PARTICULAR PRICE BECAUSE OF THE LOW LABOR COST.

WELL, THE CHALLENGE IS, HOW DO YOU DO THAT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES?

DAVID: BUT IF IT DOESN'T REQUIRE WATER, THERE MUST BE-- THERE ARE RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS, SO... YARISH: AH!

RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS ARE POSSIBLY REQUIRED IN THE PROCESSING, BUT IN THE GROWING OF THE SEAWEEDS IN THE OCEANS IN OPEN-WATER FARMS-- AND I MUST SAY, THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT JUST RECENTLY STIMULATED THE WHOLE DEVELOPMENT OF AQUACULTURE OF SEAWEEDS IN U.S. COASTAL WATERS BY A NEW PROGRAM CALLED MARINER.

THE REALIZATION IS, THE U.S. HAS GOT ONE OF THE LARGEST EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONES, FROM 3 MILES OFF THE COAST TO 200 MILES.

THOSE--THAT AREA OF 3 TO 200 MILES GIVES US A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP THE LARGE-SCALE FARMING TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE NEED TO FEED A GROWING POPULATION AS WELL AS DEALING WITH THE GROWING POPULATION NEEDS FOR OTHER TYPES OF PRODUCTS.

NOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING TO FEED PEOPLE, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO THINK WHAT PEOPLE LIKE TO EAT.

PEOPLE LIKE TO EAT ANIMALS.

AND SO, ANIMAL FEEDS WILL ALSO BE A BENEFICIARY OF THIS NEW PROGRAM ON CULTIVATION CALLED MARINER.

AND THEN, FINALLY, IN MAYBE A DECADE FROM NOW, WHEN RESOURCES BECOME VERY LIMITED, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DOING BIOFUELS AT A VERY CHEAP PRICE.

$80 A DRY TON IS THE NUMBER THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO FOR BIOFUELS, BUT ALONG THE WAY, ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS IN CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES, THEY'RE GONNA BE DRIVEN BY THIS NEW PROGRAM, OF WHICH I'M PART OF, IS GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE FOOD RESOURCES FROM THE OCEANS.

WE'RE MOVING FROM FARMING IN THE WATER TO WATER.

AND, DR. FRIESEN, PLEASE TELL OUR VIEWERS ABOUT ZERO MASS WATER AND, MORE BROADLY, ABOUT THINKING ON THIS QUESTION OF WATER SCARCITY.

WE WERE TALKING BEFOREHAND-- SOME OF THIS-- WE'RE ALL AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THIS PLANET MIGHT BE DRYING OUT IN SOME WAY, THAT WE MAY HAVE LESS ACCESS TO FRESH WATER.

AND SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE MANMADE, PERHAPS GLOBAL WARMING, PERHAPS--WE WERE TALKING BEFORE THE SHOW, THE COLORADO RIVER-- FRIESEN: MM-HMM.

THE WAY THAT HAS BEEN DAMMED AND PLANNED.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS IN THIS AREA.

FRIESEN: THANKS, DAVID.

SO, ZERO MASS WATER WE FOUNDED TO FUNDAMENTALLY IMPROVE THE HUMAN RELATIONSHIP TO THE WATER WE CONSUME.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LOWER PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE, THE TROPOSPHERE, THERE'S MORE WATER VAPOR IN THAT-- IN THAT PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE THAN ALL THE FRESH WATER ON THE PLANET.

DAVID: HMM.

AND SO THERE'S THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EFFICIENTLY, POTENTIALLY EFFICIENTLY, PRODUCE FRESH DRINKING WATER, HIGH-QUALITY DRINKING WATER, FOR PEOPLE ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET.

AND SO, WE SET OUT TO DEVELOP NOW A PRODUCT THAT WE REFER TO AS "SOURCE," WHICH IS A HYDROPANEL, WHICH IS A NAME GIVEN TO THE PRODUCT TO RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT IT IS LIKE A SOLAR PANEL, BUT IT DOES NOT MAKE ELECTRICITY.

INSTEAD, IT TAKES SUNLIGHT AND AIR AND PRODUCES HIGH-QUALITY DRINKING WATER EFFECTIVELY ANYWHERE.

SOURCE IS NOW IN 10 COUNTRIES ON 5 CONTINENTS, RANGING FROM EQUATORIAL JUNGLE-TYPE CONDITIONS TO EXTREME DESERT CONDITIONS.

AND SO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WATER SCARCITY AND WATER STRESS GOING FORWARD, IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE LAST HANDFUL OF DECADES, WHERE WATER STRESS HAS BECOME AN EVER-GREATER PROBLEM FOR HUMANITY.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK TOO FAR INTO THE FUTURE.

IN FACT, YOU CAN LOOK INTO THE PAST AND SEE THAT AT ALMOST EVERY LEVEL OF ECONOMIC STATION, IN ALMOST EVERY GEOGRAPHY AROUND THE WORLD, PEOPLE HAVE WATER STRESS, RANGING FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, AS YOU INDICATE, WHERE IT'S ABOUT WATER SCARCITY, TO...I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN INDONESIA, WHERE THERE'S 3 METERS OF RAINFALL PER YEAR, AND YET THERE'S NOTHING TO DRINK.

DAVID: HMM.

AND SO, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT TRANSLATING, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT LEAPFROGGING INFRASTRUCTURE, DISINTERMEDIATING A LOT OF BROKEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND MANY OTHER THINGS?

RESILIENCY, AND A TECHNOLOGY THAT IS ENTIRELY INFRASTRUCTURE-FREE MEANS WE CAN JUST SHOW UP.

SO, WHEN HURRICANE MARIA HIT PUERTO RICO, WE SENT PANELS THERE.

BASIC NEEDS LIKE FOOD, WATER, AND SANITATION ARE MET.

AREN'T WE...SEEING THE BEGINNINGS OF A DIFFERENT KIND OF EXISTENTIAL CRISIS IN THE WORLD?

THIS IS NOT FOOD OR SUSTENANCE.

OR WHATEVER WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.

DIGNITY IN A WAY.

AND THAT IS LARGE-SCALE UNEMPLOYMENT, THE PROSPECT OF THAT, PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE, WHERE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR JOBS CONTINUE TO CHANGE AND RISE.

YOU WERE WORKING ON THIS PROBLEM.

AND PLEASE TELL US ABOUT GENERATION AND BROADLY ABOUT HOW YOU THINK THIS IS ADDRESSING WORKFORCE ISSUES.

ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

SO GENERATION IS A NONPROFIT THAT IS TRYING TO TACKLE THE ISSUE OF THE FACT THAT ACROSS THE WORLD, THERE ARE 75 MILLION OR SO UNEMPLOYED YOUNG PEOPLE AND PROBABLY 3 TIMES THAT NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS AS WELL, AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, 40% OF EMPLOYERS ARE SAYING THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ENTRY-LEVEL TALENT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT SKILLS.

SO THERE IS THIS-- YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A VERY INTERESTING STAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE MORE WATER IN THE AIR THAN IN THE GROUND.

THERE MAY BE MORE JOBS OUT THERE UNFILLED THAN THERE ARE UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO TACKLE THAT VERY SAME NOTION.

AND THERE'S A FEW WAYS THAT WE DO IT, WHICH, I THINK, ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE CURRENT SOLUTIONS OUT THERE.

NUMBER ONE IS THAT WE TAKE A FULL END-TO-END STAKEHOLDER REVIEW, AND WE THINK OF STAKEHOLDERS NOT JUST AS THAT PERSON RECEIVING THAT TRAINING BUT ALSO THE EMPLOYERS OR EVEN THE SYSTEM THAT SURROUNDS THEM.

BUT FOR THAT YOUNG PERSON, THEY NEED NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THE RAW TECHNICAL SKILLS TO ACTUALLY DO THE JOB, BUT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE MIND-SETS AND THE BEHAVIORS THAT ALLOW THEM TO SUCCEED NOT JUST IN THAT JOB BUT ALSO IN THE LIVES AROUND THE JOB.

WE SPEND SO MUCH FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING "WHAT IS THIS SPECIFIC TECHNICAL SKILL," THAT WE FORGET THAT WHEN THAT PERSON IS DOING THAT TECHNICAL SKILL, SOMETIMES THEY NEED TO INTERACT WITH CUSTOMERS.

SOMETIMES-- THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT THEIR CHILD WHO DOESN'T HAVE CHILD CARE.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, "HOW AM I GONNA GET TO WORK TOMORROW," AND, YOU KNOW, "THIS CRISIS MAY OCCUR."

SO THERE'S ALL THESE INFLUENCING FACTORS THAT COMPLICATE THAT PERSON'S ABILITY TO DO THAT JOB AND TO SHOW UP EVERY DAY.

THERE SEEMS TO BE A NOTION THAT...ONLY A POPULATION OF A CERTAIN SIZE WOULD BE SUSTAINABLE IN THE WORLD.

DO YOU THINK IN THOSE TERMS?

IS THERE A CROSSOVER POINT WHERE OUR ABILITY TO INNOVATE IS OUTSTRIPPED BY POPULATION GROWTH AND WE FACE, THEN, A DRASTIC WORSENING OF AN ABSOLUTE POVERTY SCENARIO?

IS THERE A CROSSOVER POINT IN YOUR MIND?

WELL, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW OF A CROSSOVER POINT.

I JUST KNOW THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF THE OCEANS AND BEING ABLE TO USE THE OCEANS TO--PROVIDE THE VERY CROPS THAT WE WANT IS AVAILABLE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FRESH WATER AVAILABILITY BASICALLY IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, VIRTUALLY UNTAPPED WHILE OUR OCEANS, WHICH COVER MOST OF THE PLANET, ARE VIRTUALLY UNTAPPED.

ONCE YOU GO INTO EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONES, THEN YOU CAN GROW CERTAIN TYPES OF SEAWEEDS THAT ARE GOOD FOR YOU, COULD BE PART OF YOUR DIET, AND THAT CAN BE DONE WHETHER YOU'RE IN A DEVELOPED COUNTRY OR A NON-DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO.

WE HAVE TO THINK OUT OF THE BOX, AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE LIMITATIONS OF OUR AGRICULTURE ON LAND-- FERTILIZER AND WATER.

THAT'S A LIMIT.

THOSE ARE TWO LIMITATIONS.

THE TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO HELP.

AND, DR. FRIESEN, YOU'RE SAYING IN EFFECT THAT-- WATER IS... WATER-PLENTY IS POSSIBLE AS WELL, AT LEAST TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE.

FRIEDMAN: ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK TO THE BROADER POINT, WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT AS PEOPLE ARE LIFTED UP ECONOMICALLY, POPULATION GROWTH GOES DOWN IN THOSE REGIONS.

EISENHOWER: RIGHT.

RIGHT.

AND SO I'M A BIG BELIEVER THAT...

IN THE CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM MOVEMENT THAT WAS FOUNDED BY JOHN MACKEY, THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF WHOLE FOODS, AND THIS IDEA THAT CAPITALISM IS THE GREATEST FORCE THAT HAS EVER BEEN DERIVED BY HUMANITY.

EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT PERFECT, WE'RE LIFTING PEOPLE UP.

AND I'M ALSO A BIG BELIEVER THAT INNOVATION CAN SOLVE GRAND PROBLEMS, RIGHT?

SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SMALL THINGS HAVING BIG IMPACTS, RIGHT, THESE SMALL THINGS-- THESE THINGS THAT DISINTERMEDIATE INFRASTRUCTURE, LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH SOURCE, WHERE YOU CAN ALL OF A SUDDEN OWN A RESOURCE THAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT THAT HISTORICALLY YOU HAD THIS BIG SUPPLY CHAIN AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEED BETWEEN YOU AND THAT RESOURCE.

SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE DOING THAT AND OTHERS ARE THINKING ALONG THOSE LINES, WHERE WE ARE LIFTING PEOPLE UP WITH THOSE TECHNOLOGIES, WE ARE ALSO INTRINSICALLY BRINGING THOSE PEOPLE UP WITH EDUCATION, WITH ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY NEED.

NOW, THESE ARE OPTIMISTIC PICTURES, ALI.

ONCE AGAIN, WE HEAR A LOT OF DOOMSDAY THINKING IN THE AREA NOT ONLY OF, I WOULD SAY, INTERNATIONAL, I WOULD SAY, JOBS AND SCARCITY AND SO FORTH.

EVEN IN OUR OWN DEVELOPED NATIONS-- THE UNITED STATES-- THERE'S A GREAT CONCERN ABOUT DISPLACEMENT, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

SO IF WE HAVE A GOOD JOB PICTURE NOW-- THAT IS, COMPANIES LOOKING FOR WORKERS-- DO YOU SEE A POINT DOWN THE ROAD WHERE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION CREATES A SORT OF DYNAMIC WHERE PEOPLE ARE JUST SIMPLY WHOLESALE MARGINALIZED?

AND WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THAT?

AND HOW CAN THEY BE ADDRESSED?

ARE YOU LOOKING THAT FAR INTO THE FUTURE?

I MEAN, IT'S AN INTERESTING WAY OF FRAMING IT.

SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, TWO EXAMPLES OF HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN ACTUALLY ALLOW US TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE RESOURCES THAT THE EARTH HAS GIVEN US.

AND THEN HERE WE'VE GOT A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE SAYING, "WELL, TECHNOLOGY ALSO HAS A FLIPSIDE OF, YOU KNOW, IT MAY TAKE AWAY JOBS; IT MAY HAVE NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS.

AND TO BE HONEST, I THINK TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO KEEP GROWING, RIGHT?

THERE'S NO REAL END TO POTENTIALLY HOW FAR WE CAN ACTUALLY LEVERAGE IT.

BUT WHAT I DO THINK-- AND THIS AFFECTS JOBS--IS THAT WHENEVER THERE'S A TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ACTIVITIES THAT SURROUND THAT TECHNOLOGY AND THE SKILLS THAT GO INTO THAT ARE ACTUALLY KEEPING UP.

AND RIGHT NOW WHAT I SEE IS THAT THEY AREN'T KEEPING UP.

SO EVEN IF THAT TECHNOLOGY IS CREATING A POSITIVE BENEFIT FOR JOBS, OR NEGATIVE, REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATION, WE'RE MISSING THE OPPORTUNITY.

AND SO I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PROCESS CHANGES THAT NEED TO ACCOMPANY ALL THESE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES.

YOU KNOW, THE EMPLOYEE THAT GETS MORE SUPPORT, THAT GETS MORE TRAINING WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO STAY ON THE JOB LONGER, PERFORM AT A HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY LEVEL, MAKE MORE SALES, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE.

AND THERE'S A TREMENDOUS RETURN FOR THE EMPLOYERS.

NOW, SO THE SOLUTIONS ARE AT HAND.

I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, NOW HOW DO YOU MOVE THESE SOLUTIONS TO MARKET?

IS THIS PRINCIPALLY A PRIVATE MATTER?

SASHA, HOW DO THINGS LOOK IN HAITI, WHERE WE'VE HAD A SORT OF, I WOULD SAY, A CONSTANT PROBLEM OVER YEARS.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT DOWN THE ROAD, WILL THIS BE MET PRINCIPALLY BY PRIVATE EFFORTS, NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL?

YOU'RE AN INTERNATIONAL WORKER YOURSELF.

SO HOW DOES IT LOOK THERE?

YEAH.

AND I'M ACTUALLY WORKING IN A COUNTRY THAT IS OFTEN KNOWN AS THE REPUBLIC OF NGOs, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE ARE SO MANY INTERNATIONAL AID ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ACTIVE HERE, AND YET ALTHOUGH YOU SEE A LOT OF MONEY GOING INTO THE SECTOR, YOU SEE VERY LITTLE CHANGE.

AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THAT IS BECAUSE, TRULY, TO SEE THESE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TAKE OFF, THEY NEED TO BE PICKED UP BY THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.

SO I THINK MANY AID ORGANIZATIONS ARE MISTAKEN IN THINKING THAT IT'S THEIR ROLE TO SORT OF EXPAND AND MEET THE BASIC NEEDS OF A POPULATION.

I THINK THAT AID ORGANIZATIONS CAN DO VERY VALUABLE WORK WHEN IT COMES TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

SO TAKING RISKS TO TEST INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR SIMPLY COULD NOT TAKE AND PERHAPS THE PUBLIC SECTOR DOESN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO TAKE AND THEN TESTING AND DEVELOPING THOSE SOLUTIONS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THAT MODEL CAN BE ADOPTED BY THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS AND CAN BEGIN TO CREATE THOSE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH ARE REALLY WHAT'S GOING TO HELP IT GO TO SCALE.

SO WE VERY MUCH SEE OUR ROLE AS DOING THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND THEN HAVING THAT REPLICATION AND SCALE COME THROUGH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.

AND THAT'S WHERE GOVERNMENT COMES IN.

GOVERNMENT CAN PROVIDE SOME OF THE BASIC RESOURCES FOR THE R. AND D. AND THEN MAKE IT AVAILABLE.

AND THERE'S ONE THING THAT IS AVAILABLE TODAY THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE DECADES AGO.

R. AND D. AND THIS IS THE WORLDWIDE WEB.

I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIP THAT WOULD PROVIDE TECHNICAL MANUALS, PROVIDE VIDEOS, AND HAVING THESE AVAILABLE NOT ONLY IN ENGLISH BUT ALSO IN OTHER LANGUAGES AS WELL.

HOW DO THINGS LOOK?

TO THE BROADER QUESTION-- AND I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID-- IN ADDITION, THE FLOW OF CAPITAL INTO THE EMERGING MARKETS AND THE DEVELOPING REGIONS OF THE WORLD ABSOLUTELY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSTRAINTS, AND SO SOME OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT'S CONSTRAINING IT, BUT I THINK BROADLY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MULTILATERALS, THE DEVELOPMENT BANKS, WHICH DO GREAT WORK, EXPANDING THEIR ROLES, I THINK, WILL ACTUALLY REALLY ADVANCE THE ACCELERATION OF TECHNOLOGIES INTO MANY OF THESE PLACES, BECAUSE THE SOLUTIONS EXIST, BUT, OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH CREDIT AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER ISSUES AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL AND, OF COURSE, AT COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENTAL LEVELS.

AND SO WHEN YOU START BRINGING MULTILATERAL MONEY ON TOP OF PRIVATE INDUSTRY, WE BRING DEVELOPMENT BANK MONEY ON TOP OF PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO PROVIDE CONCESSIONAL FINANCING, PROJECT FINANCING TO SOME OF THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES, THAT'S WHEN YOU CAN REALLY ACCELERATE ANY NUMBER OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE FIELD.

WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THIS HAS BEEN A FASCINATING DISCUSSION AND A VERY ENCOURAGING ONE.

AND, DR. KRAMER IN HAITI, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US... FROM A DISTANCE.

THANK YOU.

AND, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT TO THIS DISCUSSION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ON THIS EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH," WE'VE HEARD FROM JUST A FEW OF THE MANY TECHNOLOGISTS, ENTREPRENEURS, SOCIAL ACTIVISTS, AND THINKERS, OFTEN WORKING IN ISOLATION FROM ONE ANOTHER, WHO COLLECTIVELY ARE FORGING PATHS TOWARD THE POSSIBILITY OF A WORLD WITHOUT ABSOLUTE POVERTY.

CAN HUMANITY CREATE A WORLD THAT CAN ADEQUATELY FEED THE POPULATION OF 10 BILLION, PREDICTED FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY?

CAN WE PROVIDE CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION FOR EVERY ONE OF THOSE 10 BILLION SOULS?

CAN WE DEAL WITH WIDESPREAD DROUGHT AND OTHER CLIMATE AND GEOLOGICAL THREATS?

AND IN A WORLD OF ROBOTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-- A WORLD IN WHICH SOME NATIONS HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED PERCENTAGE OF SENIOR CITIZENS WHILE OTHERS HAVE A MAJORITY OF THEIR POPULATIONS IN THEIR TEENAGE YEARS AND YOUNGER-- WILL THERE BE WORK FOR EVERYONE?

AND WILL THE SKILLS AVAILABLE MATCH THE WORK WHICH STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE BY HUMANS?

THESE ARE AMONG THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE 21st CENTURY.

AND THE WHOLE TRUTH OF THE MEANING OF THIS CENTURY WILL BE FOUND IN HOW HUMANITY COMES TOGETHER TO ANSWER THEM.

I AM DAVID EISENHOWER.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.

WOMAN: THIS EPISODE OF "THE WHOLE TRUTH" WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY...

THE MILL SPRING FOUNDATION, THE DORAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, AMETEK, AND BY... AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.