While Sir Richard Branson may lean left in his politics, there can be no doubt that the man understands Capitalism, and how to motivate people.

Case in point, courtest of Yahoo News/AP:

Sir Richard Branson on Friday announced a $25 million prize for the scientist who comes up with a way to extract greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, comparing it to the 17th-century quest to revolutionize navigation by determining longitude.

“Man created the problem, therefore man should solve the problem,” Branson said. “Could it be possible to find someone on Earth who could devise a way of removing the lethal amount of CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere?”

Unlike the vast majority of the people screaming about man-made global warming, Branson is actually putting his money where his mouth is (honorable mention to actor Ed Begley Jr for being another that does).

Branson, whose business interests include Virgin Atlantic airline and Virgin Trains, rejected charges that it was hypocritical for him to sponsor the prize. He reiterated a commitment made in September to invest $3 billion toward fighting global warming, saying he would commit all profits from his travel companies over the next 10 years.

As part of that pledge, he launched a new Virgin Fuels business, which is to invest up to $400 million in green energy projects over the next three years.

And the best part is, whether you agree with the premise that Man is the primary culprit for Global Warming, or it is mostly natural, Branson’s investments will reap benefits for eveyone.

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