This Changes Everything

“The Green Billionaires Won’t Save Us” (Pages 230-232)

Klein tells the story of billionaire businessman Richard Branson’s conversion to the green cause. He was visited by Al Gore in 2006 and convinced of the huge danger the planet was facing from global warming. A year later, he pledged to spend $3 billion on developing biofuels as alternatives to oil and gas and on technology to battle climate change. The funds would come directly from the profits made in his fossil fuel-intensive transport businesses. He also launched the Virgin Earth Challenge, offering $25 million to an inventor who could find a way to take 1 billion tons of carbon out of the atmosphere.

He put his own business and fortune forward as a test case for how billionaires and big business could voluntarily drive a climate solution. His pledge was met with great approval from major politicians and environmentalist groups, but Klein notes that his goal was finding a miracle, new-technology solution that would enable his main businesses and way of life to carry on as usual.

“Billionaires and Broken Dreams” (Pages 232-238)

For moderate greens, Branson was a dream come true: He showed that fossil fuel-reliant companies could be convinced to change and could lead the way to a green future, using profit as a potent tool.