$25 million climate prize offered by Branson
Scientists must 'put their minds to it today,' he says of removing emissions
http://www.virginearth.com/
To encourage a viable technology which will result in the net removal of
anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years
without countervailing harmful effects.
"Today, Sir Richard Branson and Al Gore announced the setting up of a new
Global science and technology prize The Virgin Earth Challenge in the
belief that history has shown that prizes of this nature encourage
technological advancements for the good of mankind. 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 Earths climate.
Sir Richard also announced that he would be joined in the adjudication of the
Prize by a panel of five judges - all world authorities in their respective
fields: Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, Jim Hansen and James
Lovelock. The panel of judges will be assisted in their deliberations by The
Climate Group and Special Advisor to The Virgin Earth Prize Judges, Steve
Howard (see Editors notes for biographies).
The timing of the announcement of the Virgin Earth Challenge was particularly
apt given the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Changes, which last week announced that temperatures on earth could increase by
as much as 6.4C by the end of this Century.
The report, the most comprehensive to date from a UN Agency detailed the
catastrophe results which even seemingly small temperature raises could have on
our planet: at + 2.4C coral reefs around the world would become extinct; +
3.4C would result in the rain forests becoming deserts; an increase of + 4.4C
would result in the ice caps melting and severe heat waves across the globe
displacing millions; the IPCC further predicted that sea levels could rise by 5
metres if temperatures reached + 5.4C which would result in ten of millions of
climate refugees.
For the first time ever a 6.4C raise was mentioned within UN predictions. If
this were to occur it would result in most of life on our planet being
exterminated.
Sir Richard Branson commented: We all now know that something radical has got
to be done to turn back the tide of global warming. 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 earths atmosphere. By competing for this prize they will follow in the
footsteps of many of historys greatest inventors and innovators. But in this
case potentially save the planet. It is our hope and belief that the winner of
The Virgin Earth Challenge will help to reverse the collision course our
beautiful world is currently on. They will not only make history but preserve
history for many, many generations to come.
However, it is important to remember that there is a real possibility that no
one will win this prize. Governments, and their people, must continue to use
every effort to radically reduce CO2 emissions.
The Virgin Earth Challenge will initially be open for five years; the judges
will meet annually to determine whether a design has been submitted during the
previous year that in their view should win the prize and, if so, they may
award the prize without waiting for the five year period to elapse. If no
winner has been selected at the end of five years, the judges may decide to
roll the prize forward for a further period on the same.
Al Gore commented at todays Press Conference: 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 Richards initiative to stimulate
exploration of this new approach to the climate crisis is important and
welcome.
James Lovelock continued: "To escape the consequences of global heating we
need far more than Kyoto, far more than renewable energy and sustainable
development. What we need is a near miracle to undo the harm that we have
done. Sir Richard Branson's hugely generous prize could sow the seeds for a
miraculous invention that would let us make a sustainable retreat to that lush
and comfortable world we once knew. We have all spent far too long sleepwalking
towards extinction."
Sir Crispin Tickell: We need a significant, lasting and harmless reduction in
the volume of green house gases in the atmosphere. To this technology can make
an important contribution. This Prize is a marvellous encouragement to all who
have bright and practical ideas on how best to tackle one of the major problems
of our time.
Dr James Hansen, Director of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies: 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.
Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers, gave a stark warning on the cost of
inaction: If we continue as we are, humanity will so pollute our atmosphere
this century that we will create another world, the likes of which has not been
seen for 50 million years. And we will destroy human civilisation in the
process.
Sir Richard Branson concluded: We would also like to call on governments and
members of the international community to join us in The Virgin Earth Challenge
by matching or adding to the prize pot available to encourage the greatest
number of entrants of those who could come up with a solution which could save
our planet. If the greatest minds in the world today compete, as Im sure they
will, for The Virgin Earth Challenge, I believe that a solution to the C02
problem could hopefully be found a solution that could save our planet - not
only for our children but for all the children yet to come.
The creation of the Virgin Earth Prize is one of a number of initiatives
including investment in renewable energy research, development and production
as part of Virgin Group's "Gaia Capitalism" project and 3 billion dollar
Clinton Initiative pledge of September 2006.
Editors Notes:
Sir Richard Branson comments on the use of Prizes to fuel innovation: History
has shown that Technology Prizes have been invaluable in encouraging
technological advancements and innovation in many, many areas of science and
industry. From the very first recorded prize offered by the British government
in 1714, offering three financial incentives to the inventor who developed a
device capable of measuring longitude within a given degree of accuracy. The
Prize, which has been immortalised in the book Longitude, was won by John
Harrison, a self-educated clock maker. Harrison was awarded £20,000 in 1773
for devising an accurate and durable chronometer.
But prizes were not just the domain of the British; in the 18th Century the
French also used Prizes as an incentive to fuel innovation. In 1775 a 100,000
franc prize was offered to the individual who could produce an artificial form
of alkali the wining of this prize was to form the basis of the French
chemical industry. Today, vacuum packed food in our fridges and cupboards is
nothing remarkable, but it may surprise some to know that it was actually a
Prize offered by Napoleon in 1810 which led to Nicolas Appert coming up with a
method of vacuum packing cooked food in glass bottles it took him 15 years of
experiments but in the end won him 12,000 francs!
It wasnt long before newspapers and private sector companies became involved
in setting up Prizes to encourage development in many areas. The American
automobile industry was encouraged to grow through inducements to win prizes by
competing in races set up by newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune in the late
19 th Century. Aviation and the development of long distance flying were
greatly encouraged by similar prizes to those offered in America for the
fledgling automobile industry. The Daily Mail prize for example, for the first
flight across the Channel, was won byLouis Bleriot in 1909; and ten years
later, Alcock and Brown won the Mail prize for crossing the Atlantic.
Lindebergh was competing for a prize when he flew in the Spirit of St Louis,
non-stop from New York to Paris in 1927. The Spitfire was the result of the
Schneider trophy, which was a series of prizes for technological development.
The most recent technological Prize was awarded in the area of space travel,
and is one that I have come to know very well - the Ansari X Prize a $10
million dollar Prize set up by Peter Diamandis and funded by the Ansari family.
The Ansari X Prize was won in 2004 by Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites when
they successfully flew SpaceShipOne to space and back twice within two weeks.
The technological feat of SpaceShipOne resulted in the Virgin Group licensing
that technology to build five space ships and two White Knight carrier crafts
and has given birth to a commercially viable space tourism industry for the
future. Using the latest technology in hybrid rocket motors and next generation
turbo fan engines SS2 and WK2 will be environmentally benign. "
