Branson, Gore launch carbon cutting prize
Feb. 9th, 2007 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slyyderBranson, Gore launch carbon cutting prize
Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has launched what he calls the world's biggest prize to inspire innovators to develop ways to cut greenhouse gases.
Mr Branson announced the $US25 million ($A32 million) Earth Challenge prize at a joint press conference with former US vice president Al Gore.
"The Earth cannot wait 60 years," Mr Branson said.
"I want a future for my children and my children's children. The clock is ticking."
Mr Branson says the future wellbeing of the planet is at stake.
"Unless we can devise a way of actually removing CO2 from the earth's atmosphere, we will lose half of all species on earth, including the polar bear and the walruses," he said.
"We'll lose all the coral reefs ,including the Great Barrier Reef.
"One hundred million people will be displaced due to rising sea levels; farmlands will become deserts; rainforests - wastelands."
It is not the first time Mr Gore and Mr Branson have teamed up to promote green issues: last September Mr Gore backed Mr Branson's pledge to spend $US3 billion ($A3.85 billion) on reversing global warming.
The former vice-president, who brought global warming to prominence in his documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, told the British Virgin boss at the time that he was in a unique position to make a difference.
- AFP/BBC
Hmmm well its something, a start...
Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has launched what he calls the world's biggest prize to inspire innovators to develop ways to cut greenhouse gases.
Mr Branson announced the $US25 million ($A32 million) Earth Challenge prize at a joint press conference with former US vice president Al Gore.
"The Earth cannot wait 60 years," Mr Branson said.
"I want a future for my children and my children's children. The clock is ticking."
Mr Branson says the future wellbeing of the planet is at stake.
"Unless we can devise a way of actually removing CO2 from the earth's atmosphere, we will lose half of all species on earth, including the polar bear and the walruses," he said.
"We'll lose all the coral reefs ,including the Great Barrier Reef.
"One hundred million people will be displaced due to rising sea levels; farmlands will become deserts; rainforests - wastelands."
It is not the first time Mr Gore and Mr Branson have teamed up to promote green issues: last September Mr Gore backed Mr Branson's pledge to spend $US3 billion ($A3.85 billion) on reversing global warming.
The former vice-president, who brought global warming to prominence in his documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, told the British Virgin boss at the time that he was in a unique position to make a difference.
- AFP/BBC
Hmmm well its something, a start...