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$25 million prize to fight global warming mongabay.com February 12, 2007
"The Virgin Earth Challenge will award $25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design which will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate," stated a release from The Virgin Earth Challenge. Branson, a billionaire entrepreneur from Britain, and a panel five judges -- Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, Jim Hansen and James Lovelock -- will determine the winner with assistance from the Climate Group, an industry pressure group dedicated to advancing business and government leadership on climate change. "We all now know that something radical has got to be done to turn back the tide of global warming," said Branson in a statement. "By launching the $25 million Virgin Earth Challenge, the largest ever science and technology prize to be offered in history, we want to encourage scientists and individuals from around the world to come up with a way of removing lethal carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere. By competing for this prize they will follow in the footsteps of many of history's greatest inventors and innovators. But in this case potentially save the planet."
"However, it is important to remember that there is a real possibility that no one will win this prize," Branson added. "Governments, and their people, must continue to use every effort to radically reduce CO2 emissions. " "Carbon dioxide levels already are far above anything measured in the prior 650,000 year record, and just last week in Paris scientists gave us their strongest warning yet of the consequences of inaction. So the dangers are clear. But the opportunities, if we take action now, are innumerable, and Sir Richard's initiative to stimulate exploration of this new approach to the climate crisis is important and welcome," said panel member Al Gore. "I think we have a very brief window of opportunity to deal with climate change ... no longer than a decade, at the most. This is why I am supporting the Virgin Earth Challenge as a judge — we must explore all means, both known and unknown, to help alleviate this crisis," added Dr James Hansen, Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Entrepreneurs are already developing ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with techniques ranging from mechanical scrubbers installed on smokestacks to biological agents, namely bacteria, that metabolize CO2. This article is based on press materials from STRI Comments? News options
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