Branson Pledges $3B To Warming Fight

(AP)  British business mogul Richard Branson said Thursday he would invest about $3 billion to combat global warming over the next decade.

Branson, the billionaire behind the multi-platform Virgin brand, said the money would come from the profits generated by his transportation and airline sectors. It will then be invested in efforts to find renewable, sustainable energy sources in an effort to wean the world off oil and coal.

He made the announcement in Manhattan on the second day of the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual conference of business, political and nonprofit leaders hosted by former President Clinton.

"Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents," said Branson at a press conference with Clinton at his side. "We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment."

Clinton praised Branson, calling him one of the most "creative" and "committed" people he's ever known.

The commitment ensures that the conference, which brings people together to brainstorm tangible solutions to global issues, would more than meet its goal of matching last year's efforts. In 2005, the conference resulted in more than $2 billion in pledges.

The initiative began Wednesday with a slew of world figures, from first lady Laura Bush to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. On Thursday, the opening session featured Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan.

The gathering, in its second year, brings together government, business and nonprofit sectors in an effort to spur action on poverty, health care, global warming and religious/ethnic conflict.

Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., was to attend, as was his former vice president, Al Gore. Other speakers expected on Thursday included former President Jimmy Carter and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.

[paul_pitcl]

You can gasify the billion tons of biomass waste the U.S. generates every year, extract the hydrogen and sequester the CO2. This would take CO2 out of the atmosphere and slow global warming.

[indet00]

$3 Billion! That is fantastic and for an extremely worthy cause! I have an engine that does not use any oil, electricity, or hydrogen. No drilling into the Earth or burning of any fuels needed! I think it's great that people are beginning to see that we can't just keep abusing the planet we live on. I would sure like to talk to him!
Chris

[weezie100]

Good for you Sir Branson! A portion of your pledge would be welcome to support the development of Offshore Wind Projects and technology in the U.S. Europe is way ahead of us in the use of Offshore Wind as a viabable alternate energy source. We could learn a lot from the European experience and we could use some of your money to help fight the anti-offshore wind groups such as the Alliance for Nantucket Sound. Unfortunately, a few other members of the Billionare club have chosen to donate milions of dollars to fight the development of offshore wind.

[alimech]

Ok, I'm sure he would give the USA money with which to solve our problems...BUT

Sir Richard Branson is a citizen of the UK. He lives in London and Oxfordshire.

[reasnmclucus]

He should start by hiring some real scientists to determine whether or not there is actual global warming. Those who claim global warming is occurring don't understand basic math. They don't understand that averaging the high and low temperatures for each day cannot produce a number with any mathematical value. It is not possible to use only the high and low numbers in an irregularly distributed series of numbers to get an average of all the numbers.

Branson should also have someone conduct an actual scientific experiment to determine if the absorption and reemission of specific wavelengths of Infrared radiation by CO2 can actually cause a temperature increase. One of the world's leading 20th Century physicists Niels Bohr claimed that this process simply altered the energy state of a molecule's electrons rather than causing a temperature increase.

If climatologists knew as much as they claim to know about what will happen to the planet's temperature they should be able predict the weather more reliably than they do.

[nothappyatall]

"He should use it to feed kids that have parents that won't feed them because they use their money to buy drugs and alcohol."

"It's a noble gesture. But what about the poverty in this country. Children are hungry, uninsured"


Hey, aren't we *ALL* uninsured, welcome to the club!
Hungry children produced by idiots who shouldnt have had them in the first place because they can't feed them, that's OUR problem?

Offer people like this incentives NOT to have children instead of tax breaks, free food, cash etc to encourage them.

[nothappyatall]

"3 Billion over 10 years..."


Too little too late, by 10 years we could have serious problems- it's already begun and is probably too late to reverse let alone slow down by much.
Besdies, with gas prices having dropped almost a dollar, watch the ethanol and other alternative stuff dry up and fall apart- this stuff only comes out when gas prices get high.

[cathaleen]

It's a noble gesture. But what about the poverty in this country. Children are hungry, uninsured
and living in shelters. Why not start with them. then work your way down to Global warming. All these celebrities running around the world donating time and money - charity should begin at home.