Friday, 09 Feb 2007

Sir Richard to the Rescue?

Virgin founder Branson offers $25 million atmosphere-scrubbing prize

Virgin mogul Sir Richard Branson is dangling $25 million for anyone who can figure out how to scrub vast amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The Virgin Earth Challenge -- which Branson announced today with the ubiquitous Al Gore by his side and which we're pretty sure was also a Star Trek episode -- will be judged by a panel that includes, besides Branson and Gore, NASA scientist James Hansen, Gaia theorist James Lovelock, Aussie scientist Tim Flannery, and U.K. eco-hero Sir Crispin Tickell. "The Earth cannot wait 60 years," Branson said. "If I write this check ... it will be the best check I've ever written." Despite grumbling from some who pointed out that Branson's endeavors, including plans for commercial space travel, don't exactly help the climate cause, others offered praise. "Richard Branson is ahead of the pack in getting to grips with CO2," said University of Edinburgh geology professor Stuart Haszeldine. "I hope all other businesses, large and small, follow his lead."


After six years of dodging the climate issue, the Bush administration is finally having to face it head on. A letter released by the White House on Wednesday claimed that "climate change has been a top priority since the president's first year in office" and that "President Bush has consistently acknowledged climate change is occurring and humans are contributing to the problem." Yes, really -- it said that. Muckraker takes a hard look at the administration's new talking points, finding considerably less than meets the eye.

You Put Your Seed in There

Norway reveals design for "doomsday" seed vault

Architecture geeks are salivating over Norway's release of the design of an agricultural "doomsday vault." The structure, which will cost $5 million to build and $125,000 a year to run, will hold seeds for the world's 1.5 million distinct crop varieties. You know, in case the guy who survives the apocalypse gets the nibbles. Lined with three-foot-thick concrete, it will sit nearly 400 feet inside a mountain on the Svalbard archipelago, near the North Pole. "It will be the best freezer in the world by several orders of magnitude," says Cary Fowler of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a project partner. "The seeds will be safe there for decades." Designers say the vault's entrance will "gleam like a gem in the midnight sun," but sadly, few will ever see that. Scheduled to open in 2008, the ark will require just one annual inspection. "If you design a facility to be used in worst-case scenarios," Fowler points out, "then you cannot actually have too much dependency on human beings."


After reading a batch of questions from readers, InterActivist Gary Lagerloef wrote to Grist, "We have some learned and perceptive readers out there." Gary, you know it's true. Lagerloef, an oceanographer with nonprofit Earth & Space Research, had his brain picked this week about the chances of runaway global warming, the impact of satellites on ozone, and why a carbonated ocean isn't a simple answer to our problems. Drink it up.


The annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has in past years been a pep rally for irrational exuberance or an alternate red carpet for do-gooding celebs, but this year the mood was different, our Full Disclosure columnists report. Corporate bigwigs and political heavy-hitters alike were focused on critical global issues -- climate change in particular. From British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the CEO of insurance giant Swiss Re to environmental entrepreneurs running small but highly effective projects in their home countries, it seemed that everyone was thinking and talking about how to tackle the looming climate crisis.

Hybrid Lowdown

Toyota will introduce new advertising, incentives for Prius

To many, the Toyota Prius is synonymous with months-long waiting lists. But just as the automaker has stepped up production on its hybrid darling, sales have plateaued. Fearing that the car lacks mainstream appeal, Toyota is training dealers in Prius sweet talk, hyping incentives like low- and no-interest financing, and kick-starting its very first Prius ad campaign. Priuses (Prii?) made up half of U.S. hybrid sales last year. While there are murmurings that competition from other hybrids is hurting sales, Toyota spokesperson Bill Kwong disagrees: "The Prius is like the icon for hybrids. For most people there is no second choice." But the icon recently slipped off the list of the nation's 10 fastest-selling vehicles for the first time in over three years, and Toyota hopes to boost U.S. sales by 70 percent in 2007. It may be an uphill battle against revised fuel-economy figures, a reduced federal hybrid credit, lower gas prices, and want-what-I-can't-haveness -- but hey, somebody's gotta do it.