An open letter to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
Dear Bill and Warren,
If my figures are correct, you are the two wealthiest men in the world. Your success is undeniable. Your power and influence immense. But with such rewards come responsibilities. While no man, no matter how wealthy, can save the world, you have in your possession the ability to be of profound influence and good will. And no doubt, you're hit on by people from all over for a handout. It's little surprise then, that you have to build a wall around your private lives.
I'm not writing because I want a handout. Anything but. I'm writing you instead to pose a challenge. A $1 Billion challenge. I dare you to open your wallets, each to the tune of $500 Million, and put forward a pot of $1 Billion for the benefit of the world.
What I have in mind is that the proceeds of your generousity would go toward a large prize, a winner-take-all competition. Similar to the space race in the 1960s or the race to win the
Ansari X-Prize competition put forward by Peter Diamandis, I propose that you combine forces to create a competition to develop an economical Hydrogen separation process to create a clean, efficient source of fuel.
From water.
However tricky it may be, extracting hydrogen from a hydrocarbon-rich source such as petroleum is a relative walk in the park compared to extracting hydrogen from water. Physicists will argue that splitting water molocules wastes more energy can can be yielded. But noble minds once argued that the world was flat, and that man would never fly. These arguments don't hold much currency today.
Guys, we have to do something. So long as modern society is dependent on oil, bad things will happen. Worldwide demand for oil is growing rapidly, as countries like China and India grow their economies and naturally seek to modernize their societies. Demand, as you know, drives up prices. And wars have been fought over limited resources. Looking at our national interest, the more beholden the U.S. becomes on oil, the less we are in control of our destiny. And you know who has the largest supply of oil in the world, and the geopolitics behind that. So long as we are dependent on the Middle East for oil, our security is anything but secure.
Our best estimate on the worldwide supply of oil is that supplies are finite and dwindling rapidly. The clock is running. Pollution levels worldwide are rising. We're not sure of whether our climate is heating up or cooling down, but we are sure that pollution is dramatically impacting the world's environment. In short, something must be done.
The upside: water is as plentiful as anything on the planet. So is solar energy. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could figure out how to harness this? Of course we have solar cells, but they could be much more efficient. Here in southern California, the sun shines non-stop. But when you look around, you rarely see solar cells. Why? Efficiency, and the financial incentives to do so. If we could obtain our power from water, wind and sun, the benefits would be incredible. But we have to make it happen.
Of course, we've been saying this for decades. I believe the greatest potential source of global warming is from the hot air spewed by politicians paying lip service to the problem, but without the intestinal fortitude to do anyting about it. Maybe it's time for the private sector to step up and let innovation lead the way. It's time for the two of you to join forces and show leadership on an order that could change the world for the better.
Which brings us to the little issue of money. $1 Billion would catch just about anyone's eye. From a kid with an imagination, to a scientist to a large corporation. It does not matter. The day of the internal combustion engine will eventually come to an end. We are seeing advances in the development of nascent fuel cells as a form of energy generation, with the potential to be used in cars, homes, offices, factories, even PCs. But the day when fuel cells become both practical and pervasive is simply too far off. We need to jump start this. A
Manhattan Project or
Apollo Space Program of sorts. It will take bold thinking, great leadership and the willingness to provide a prize so large that imaginations worldwide would be harnessed.
Yes, I know. $1 Billion is a lot. Even for you. But think of the benefits. What is the national debt we incur each year because of our imports of oil? How much do we spend to fight pollution from oil and gas? What is the cost of healthcare arising from the effects of pollution? What problems do we invite from terrorism simply because of our dependence on oil? What future global political problems could arise over competition for increasingly scarce oil? I'm just getting started. And what would be the degree of savings we could incur from preventing this? What would be the benefit to society for starting an entirely new industry? What is the price of a life saved? What value would you put to making our nation more secure?
This is a challenge too great to ignore, a prize too large to pass by. Guys, you can't take it with you. So let your legacy be one that eclipses the manner in which you became financial superstars. Let the memory of your lives be one in which you changed the world - again. Let this be your greatest triumph. But please do this. Before it's too late.
