by a siegel
Fri Sep 12th, 2008 at 12:30:37 AM EST
At the Corporate ECOforum, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a talk that looks well worth hearing. Schmidt began his talk with a Google Earth heavy discussion "of rising temperatures and government policies that are either speeding up or slowing down climate change."
There's a total failure of political leadership, at least in the United States, if not in the world.
His plan deals with three interrelated challenges: over-reliance on oil; sluggish world economy; and global warming.
His $2.7 trillion plan would provide real benefits:
Get all electricity from renewable sources in 20 years.
Eliminate half of the gasoline cars on U.S. roads.
That $2.7 trillion "cost" doesn't point to the very real and very strong real benefits, such as that much in energy savings (generated power) and huge numbers of job creation.
Google.org is investing heavily in these realm, with a very interesting portfolio (such as its efforts to produce renewable energy for a cost less than coal). And, "Green" is a core part of Google's business future. As Schmidt says,
This is the largest opportunity that I could possibly imagine.
And, if you wish to watch the speech and presentation, put aside 46 minutes and 46 seconds.
NOTE: Here is a useful 36 minute Tom Friedman interview with Google leadership about Climate Change.
