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View Full Version : Branson, Gore launch prize to cut greenhouse gases



stephanie
02-09-2007, 05:58 PM
by Robin Millard
Fri Feb 9, 1:24 PM ET



LONDON (AFP) - Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has launched what he called the world's biggest prize to inspire innovators to develop a way to remove greenhouse gases from the earth's atmosphere.

Branson announced the 25-million-dollar Virgin Earth Challenge prize at a joint press conference here with Al Gore, the former US vice president turned global environment campaigner.

The prize will go to the individual or group able to show a commercially viable design resulting in the net removal of man-made atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least 10 years, without harmful side-effects.

Branson said: "Could it be possible to find someone on Earth who could devise a way of removing the lethal amount of CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere?

"How could we get every young, creative, innovative thinker, every inventor and every scientist to put their minds to it?

"The challenge we are laying down to the world's brightest brains is: to devise a way of removing greenhouse gases at least the equivalent of one billion tonnes of carbon per year, and hopefully much more.

Both Branson and Gore hope that governments will match the prize fund.

The pair will be joined in adjudicating the prize by diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell, an authority on climate change; scientist, explorer and author Tim Flannery; James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and British scientist James Lovelock.

The judges will meet annually to decide if any project over the past year has met the criteria. The removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate.

Five million dollars will be paid at the time of the judge's decision, with the rest to follow 10 years later if they then decide the goals have been achieved.

Gore said: "Up until now what has not been asked seriously on a sustained basis is 'Is there not some way that some of that carbon dioxide could be scavenged out of the atmosphere?'

"We are now in circumstances where the more difficult questions have to be asked and the more difficult ventures have to be undertaken.

"There are some research teams that have begun to look at possible avenues for solving this problem but it is right at the beginning. This is right at the cutting edge.

Branson added that the winners of the prize "will have the satisfaction of saving thousands of species and possibly even mankind itself.

"You will also be awarded the largest prize ever offered -- the Virgin Earth prize and the 25 million dollars that comes with it."

Doctor Steve Howard, chief executive of The Climate Group and an advisor to the judges, said there were an estimated seven billion tonnes of carbon dioxide currently being emitted every year into the atmosphere.

"This throws a bright spotlight on the issue. We need cultural, business and government imperatives to deal with the problem. We are not there yet and a prize is required to do that," Howard told AFP.

"There's no current real technology that's managing to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. We're nowhere yet.

"For 25 million dollars, people will do extraordinary things. It's to fire people up and say: 'let's do this.'"

It is not the first time Gore and Branson have teamed up to promote green issues: last September Gore backed Branson's pledge to spend three billion dollars (2.3 billion euros) on reversing global warming.

The former vice-president, who brought global warming to prominence in his documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," told the Virgin boss at the time that he was in a unique position to make a difference.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070209/en_afp/environmentclimate_070209132326

Ado
02-09-2007, 06:01 PM
Damn rich liberals :laugh2:

Dilloduck
02-09-2007, 06:15 PM
by Robin Millard
Fri Feb 9, 1:24 PM ET



LONDON (AFP) - Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has launched what he called the world's biggest prize to inspire innovators to develop a way to remove greenhouse gases from the earth's atmosphere.

Branson announced the 25-million-dollar Virgin Earth Challenge prize at a joint press conference here with Al Gore, the former US vice president turned global environment campaigner.

The prize will go to the individual or group able to show a commercially viable design resulting in the net removal of man-made atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least 10 years, without harmful side-effects.

Branson said: "Could it be possible to find someone on Earth who could devise a way of removing the lethal amount of CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere?

"How could we get every young, creative, innovative thinker, every inventor and every scientist to put their minds to it?

"The challenge we are laying down to the world's brightest brains is: to devise a way of removing greenhouse gases at least the equivalent of one billion tonnes of carbon per year, and hopefully much more.

Both Branson and Gore hope that governments will match the prize fund.

The pair will be joined in adjudicating the prize by diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell, an authority on climate change; scientist, explorer and author Tim Flannery; James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and British scientist James Lovelock.

The judges will meet annually to decide if any project over the past year has met the criteria. The removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate.

Five million dollars will be paid at the time of the judge's decision, with the rest to follow 10 years later if they then decide the goals have been achieved.

Gore said: "Up until now what has not been asked seriously on a sustained basis is 'Is there not some way that some of that carbon dioxide could be scavenged out of the atmosphere?'

"We are now in circumstances where the more difficult questions have to be asked and the more difficult ventures have to be undertaken.

"There are some research teams that have begun to look at possible avenues for solving this problem but it is right at the beginning. This is right at the cutting edge.

Branson added that the winners of the prize "will have the satisfaction of saving thousands of species and possibly even mankind itself.

"You will also be awarded the largest prize ever offered -- the Virgin Earth prize and the 25 million dollars that comes with it."

Doctor Steve Howard, chief executive of The Climate Group and an advisor to the judges, said there were an estimated seven billion tonnes of carbon dioxide currently being emitted every year into the atmosphere.

"This throws a bright spotlight on the issue. We need cultural, business and government imperatives to deal with the problem. We are not there yet and a prize is required to do that," Howard told AFP.

"There's no current real technology that's managing to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. We're nowhere yet.

"For 25 million dollars, people will do extraordinary things. It's to fire people up and say: 'let's do this.'"

It is not the first time Gore and Branson have teamed up to promote green issues: last September Gore backed Branson's pledge to spend three billion dollars (2.3 billion euros) on reversing global warming.

The former vice-president, who brought global warming to prominence in his documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," told the Virgin boss at the time that he was in a unique position to make a difference.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070209/en_afp/environmentclimate_070209132326

If I were to try and succeed I could sell it to someone else for at least twice that . :laugh2:

Yurt
02-09-2007, 06:24 PM
And when it freezes over, then what will they bet? Amazing how people get suckered...

Gaffer
02-09-2007, 08:07 PM
I already claimed the prise in another thread.

Plant more trees and bushes. that takes more CO2 out of the atmosphere. And CO2 is the greenhouse culprit. All take it in a casheres check. Not that I don't trust them its just that...I don't trust them.

Ado
02-09-2007, 08:18 PM
You might have to plant so many trees, no one
could drive. Sounds like a plan.

KitchenKitten99
02-09-2007, 09:52 PM
You might have to plant so many trees, no one
could drive. Sounds like a plan.

no one drives, no one can get to work, no work gets done, doctors and surgeons can't get to patients and some die, police can't get to 911 calls, products can't get to stores as fast, prices go up, the poor can't make enough income to even keep a roof over their heads, most people lose their jobs because this entire country runs because of transportation called automobiles, so all commerce just stops and the economy crashes because nothing can be produced at the rates they do now. Must be a great utopia.

Grumplestillskin
02-09-2007, 10:24 PM
There are alternative fuels out there. It is their viability that is the problem. Your take Fuzzy, is to the extreme...

Dilloduck
02-09-2007, 10:33 PM
There are alternative fuels out there. It is their viability that is the problem. Your take Fuzzy, is to the extreme...

Where and at what price though ? Somehow using our arable land to produce energy as opposed to food seems like a disaster in the making to me.

Grumplestillskin
02-09-2007, 10:37 PM
Where and at what price though ? Somehow using our arable land to produce energy as opposed to food seems like a disaster in the making to me.

There have been hydrogen-based cars. If there is one thing this planet has, it's plenty of water. Salty, but water nonetheless. As for arable land. True.

Dilloduck
02-09-2007, 10:44 PM
There have been hydrogen-based cars. If there is one thing this planet has, it's plenty of water. Salty, but water nonetheless. As for arable land. True.

I imagine there will be a slow conversion to them as they become affordable and support sevices can adjust accordingly but who knows. Unanticipated variables could throw everything out of whack.

Gaffer
02-09-2007, 10:52 PM
I want my 25 million.

They said they wanted a way to clear the air. I gave them the answer.

Anyone silly enough to plant trees in the streets deserves what they get.

Now if the libs want anymore problems solved I will be glad to take care of those too.

Ado
02-09-2007, 10:54 PM
I think it's a challenge we should be excited about.

We need a new frontier to create new jobs anyway,
since we outsourced all the others. And to get away
from oil would be great--even just half would be better.

We have to do things about pollution anyway.
Air quality is getting bad in places that never had problems
before. That's not good, if you want your kids to live
passed 30, without wearing gas masks.

Grumplestillskin
02-09-2007, 10:56 PM
I imagine there will be a slow conversion to them as they become affordable and support sevices can adjust accordingly but who knows. Unanticipated variables could throw everything out of whack.

Yep, I concur. Maybe if we go back to the horse and cart, at least I'll get more fit!

red states rule
02-10-2007, 07:44 AM
How much in green house gases are Gore and Pelosi putting into the air while they fly all over in their large private jets?

Oh, threy are liberals. We never do as they do - we are to do as they say

KitchenKitten99
02-12-2007, 02:47 PM
There are alternative fuels out there. It is their viability that is the problem. Your take Fuzzy, is to the extreme...

ummm, my 'take' is what would happen if no one could drive. Not an extreme view. If it is SO extreme, what would happen in your view if no one could drive, including stock trucks, EMS/FD/PD vehicles, and the average daily commuter? Think realistically.

red states rule
02-12-2007, 03:34 PM
Enviros: Valentine's Flowers Contribute to Global Warming
Posted by Matthew Sheffield on February 12, 2007 - 11:41.
Forgetful men everywhere rejoice! You now have the perfect excuse if you forget to give your significant other flowers this Valentine's Day. Just say you didn't want to contribute to global warming:

The Valentine's Day bouquet — the gift that every woman in Britain will be waiting for next week — has become the latest bęte noire among environmental campaigners.

Latest Government figures show that the flowers that make up the average bunch have flown 33,800 miles to reach Britain.

In the past three years, the amount of flowers imported from the Netherlands has fallen by 47 per cent to 94,000 tons, while those from Africa have risen 39 per cent to 17,000 tons.

Environmentalists warned that "flower miles" could have serious implications on climate change in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from aeroplanes.

Andrew Sims, the policy director of the New Economics Foundation, said: "There are plenty of flowers that grow in Britain in the winter and don't need to be hothoused.

"Air freighting flowers half way round the world contributes to global warming.

"You can argue the planes would be flying anyway but the amount of greenhouse gases pumped out depends on the weight of the cargo."

http://newsbusters.org/node/10774

Roopull
02-13-2007, 02:50 PM
Branson, huh? I wonder how much C02 is emitted from his airline every year.. or how about his ventures with his space ships? Or how about his cheap ass products made in China... a nation with virtually no environmental restrictions at all...

manu1959
02-13-2007, 08:56 PM
HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER SNOW/ICE STORM
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash8.htm