Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
46
As a doctor, I always learned that a problem is called a symp-
tom, that a symptom has a cause, and that the cause has a
treatment. When we speak of climate change, when we speak
of CO
2
,
we are not looking at the source of the problem: We
are only looking at a symptom that has a very clear cause.
This cause is our dependence on fossil energy. It is a fact that
we use far too much non-renewable energy, which is expen-
sive and pollutes our world. Yet there is a treatment called
CleanTech. This allows us to decrease our consumption of
energy and produce renewable energy, all the while creating
jobs, making profit, and sustaining growth.
What we are doing with the Solar Impulse program is giving
a concrete demonstration of the efficiency of these technolo-
gies. Everything we are using in our plane in order to fly day
and night without any fuel, you can also use. This is not the
secret technology of tomorrow but the technology of yesterday,
the same solar panels, batteries, electrical motors, insulation
foam, LED lighting system, construction techniques, and
software. You can use them yourself. When governments
state that they still cannot reduce the consumption of fossil
fuels before investing in more research and innovation, it is
completely false. The technologies already exist.
If all of the existing technology – all the CleanTech – was
used in our society, we would already be able to halve our
total energy consumption and produce half of the rest from
renewable sources. It would leave 25 percent of the supply
coming from fossil energy, which would be acceptable for
the environment.
International conferences on the climate depress me. Heads of state all come to say exactly
the same thing: “Climate change is a huge problem. It is going to be very expensive to resolve
and we can’t find the money.” How is it possible to motivate people when speaking only of
problems and costs?
By Dr. Bertrand Piccard
Join Our
Clean
Generat
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