The vacuum cleaner prize

“Imagine, if you will, a giant vacuum cleaner for the atmosphere. That is what the British billionaire Richard Branson and the former U.S. Vice President Al Gore seemed to appeal for on Friday, when they announced a $25 million prize to overcome what could be the biggest challenge faced by humankind: To reduce the huge quantities of planet- warming gases that have collected in the atmosphere since the dawn of the industrial revolution.” James Kanter, International Herald Tribune, February 9th.