Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Soros to Invest $1B to Develop Clean Energy

He's also creating advisory group for policy-makers

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 10, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – George Soros is putting his vast resources—or at least $1 billion of them—behind his passion for the environment. Soros plans to invest that amount into developing technology to create clean energy. He's also starting an organization called the Climate Policy Initiative, which will be based in San Francisco, to help policy makers figure out programs to fight climate change. “We will be part advisory service, part policy developer, and part watchdog,” says a Stanford professor who will run it.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Financial analyst George Soros. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

George Soros. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The problem of global warming is primarily a political problem at this point. The science is beyond dispute, but how do we achieve the objectives we all know are necessary? That is a political problem. - George Soros

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

'No Global Warming'? Critics Slam 2 Articles

Science scribes lambaste articles in the Wall Street Journal , Daily Mail

(NEWSER) - Science writers are in a tizzy over two articles this weekend that deny the existence of global warming. One, signed by 16 scientists in the Wall Street Journal , notes "the lack of global warming for well over 10 years now." It argues that a world economy unburdened by carbon controls would enjoy an excellent "benefit-to-cost ratio" and strengthen developing countries. Another, in the Daily Mail , warns readers that solar activity will soon die down and plunge Earth into "cold summers" and "bitter winters." Enter the critics: More»

Study: 14 Practical Steps Can Slow Climate Change

Try ditching wood cook stoves in developing world

(NEWSER) - Just because the world can't agree on a battle plan against carbon dioxide doesn't mean we can't take big strides against climate change, scientists say. In fact, a dozen or so relatively simple steps could cut global warming by nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit by mid-century, a process that could save countless lives and increase crop production, a study in Science asserts. That's because carbon dioxide isn't the only problem: Methane and soot are big contributors to climate change, too, the Washington Post reports. More»

CO2 Emissions 'Will Defer Ice Age'

Carbon dioxide levels creating long 'interglacial' period

(NEWSER) - On the glass-half-full side, our carbon dioxide emissions may fend off the next Ice Age, the BBC reports. Researchers say the Ice Age due in about 1,500 years won't happen because CO2 levels will be too high: "At current levels of CO2, even if emissions stopped now we'd probably have a long interglacial" period, says Luke Skinner of Cambridge University. The Earth's CO2 level must drop by about 150 parts per million to allow for another Ice Age, in case you're counting. More»

Scientists Find Dozens of New Hybrid Sharks

The animals are the first hybrid sharks in the world

(NEWSER) - Shark Week will have some new additions this year: Scientists found the first hybrid sharks in the world—57 of them—off the coast of Australia. The animals are a cross between the Australian blacktip shark and the common blacktip shark, and their existence may show that sharks are adapting to climate change, CNN reports. While such interbreeding occurs among fish, which lay eggs, it's more deliberate among sharks, which physically mate, notes a scientist. More»

Melting Peru Glaciers Threaten Water Crisis

Water is in decline 20 to 30 years earlier than expected

(NEWSER) - Peru’s arid Rio Santa watershed could find itself facing a serious water shortage, as rapidly melting glaciers are causing a decrease in supply 20 to 30 years earlier than anticipated. The glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which covered some 530 square miles in the 1930s, now cover less than 375, a new study finds. The glaciers are too small to maintain past water flow levels, meaning they will likely be 30% lower than historic levels during coming dry seasons. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Soros to Invest $1B to Develop Clean Energy