Posted by Frank Rijsberman, Director of Water and Climate Adaptation Initiatives, Google.org

I write from Kyoto, shrine to Japanese history and culture with eight world heritage sites, shrine to science and technology with 37 universities and colleges, and host to the “Davos of the scientific world,” the Science and Technology for Society Forum.

The event unites some 600 leaders of the world’s research establishment each year to debate the future of science and technology in society. The forum, now in its fourth year, is organized by Koji Omi, former Minster of Finance and Science and Technology of Japan. The dual theme of the forum was “returning to harmony with nature” and “innovation”. It examined the linked challenges of climate, energy, and water, together with impacts and contributions of the digital, biotechnology, and nanotechnology revolutions.

The new Japanese Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, kicked off the meeting by stressing the need to make the transition to a sustainable society through science and technology. There was remarkable consensus in the forum that creating a sustainable society is one of the greatest challenges we face. Science and technology helped humanity alter the face of the planet at an unprecedented rate, and human activities are now threatening the geo-bio-chemical systems on which all life on earth is based. Science and technology must now be deployed to help regain balance.

The most amazing side of the meeting is how “mainstream” this message has suddenly become. As a sustainable development professional, I have gone to environmentalist meetings with pretty much the same message for two decades. Then, however, I was preaching to the converted. Suddenly, mainstream leaders from government, business, and academia are now singing the same song. Al Gore’s film awakened an environmental consciousness in the general population, and it seems we have finally passed a tipping point! To me that is great news.

There was debate on how to best balance the allocation of resources for climate change mitigation (i.e. greenhouse gas emission reduction) and for climate change adaptation (i.e. increasing society’s resilience in dealing with a changing climate). Clearly something must be done to help those who have contributed the least to global warming but will bear the brunt of its impact - particularly in Africa. There, farmers throughout the continent will face catastrophic crop losses due to increased droughts, people in the highlands of countries such as Ethiopia will be introduced to malaria and East African coastal countries will face sea level rise that can cost up to 10% of GDP.

I was there to give my perspective on water-related challenges for science and technology, and although only a handful of the participants shared my area of expertise, I was pleasantly surprised to see this meeting put in its final statement that, “Water, whether it is for drinking or for agriculture, is now one of the most pressing global issues we must deal with.”

Japan will chair and host next year’s G8 summit, and Koji Omi fully intends to have the conclusions of this year's Science and Technology in Society Forum influence next year's debate. In a world where small steps count, this meeting was a small step in the right direction.

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Posted by Chris Walker, Acumen Fund Fellow

Interested in joining a diverse group of young leaders from around the world who are dedicated to reducing poverty? Want to learn about the role the private sector can play in international development? Curious what it would be like to help a company based in a developing country address some of its most pressing strategic needs? If your answer, like mine, is an emphatic yes, it's not too late to apply for the Acumen Fund Fellows program, which is accepting applications until October 24 for its next class of fellows.

Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture capital fund based in New York City, invests in entrepreneurial approaches to reducing global poverty. In addition to providing capital, Acumen Fund offers management support to its investees through its year-long Fellows program. I joined the second annual class of Fellows in September to begin two months of orientation and training in New York. In the first four weeks of the program, the other Fellows and I have met with a series of non-profit and business leaders, discussed case studies of businesses working in developing countries, participated in leadership development activities, and begun to research the businesses to which we have been assigned. I will soon be heading out to work for an ambulance company in Mumbai, India to assist with its marketing strategy as it strives to meet the emergency medical needs of the city's poorest. After nine months in the field, I will return to New York for a month to share the lessons I've learned and wrap up the one-year fellowship program.

The program has attracted a diverse group of fellows from around the world who share an interest in meeting the needs of the poorest through sustainable private sector approaches. My own path to the Fellows program is as different as the rest of those in the program. After receiving my Masters degree in public policy with a focus on international development, I worked on a range of international economic issues as well as on development and foreign aid policy at the State Department, the US Treasury Department, and most recently at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Having worked on poverty from a high-level policy perspective, I was interested in getting back into the field and learning about the constraints that the private sector faces in developing countries. I was also curious to learn about innovative business approaches that seek to address poverty in a sustainable way.

While I have spent my career in government and diplomatic circles, the six other Fellows in the program come from completely different backgrounds. They have worked on microfinance in Kenya, design thinking to solve business problems, refugee resettlement, low-income housing development in Pakistan, and management and organizational consulting. Each of us brings a unique perspective to our discussions of business, international development, and leadership, creating a rich learning environment for all of us.

If you're interested in applying for this unique program, you can find additional information here.

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Posted on behalf of the Google.org team by David Bercovich, Product Marketing Manager, Google, Michael Terrell, Team Member, Google.org, and Adam Borelli, Team Coordinator, Google.org

Last week the Nobel Foundation awarded Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the Nobel Peace Prize. Former U. S. Vice President Al Gore was honored for his work on climate change and his Oscar winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The IPCC, a joint project of the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization, was honored for its efforts over the past two decades to educate the world about climate change. Earlier this year, the IPCC issued its strongest statement to date, finding the evidence of climate change "unequivocal" and concluding with 90% certainty that humans are the cause.

In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to leaders in the battle against climate change, the Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasizes that the problem's effects go beyond climate, and extend to individual security and opportunity. In the award press release they state:

"Indications of changes in the earth's future climate must be treated with the utmost seriousness, and with the precautionary principle uppermost in our minds. Extensive climate changes may alter and threaten the living conditions of much of mankind. They may induce large-scale migration and lead to greater competition for the earth's resources. Such changes will place particularly heavy burdens on the world's most vulnerable countries. There may be increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states...the Norwegian Nobel Committee is seeking to contribute to a sharper focus on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control."

Al Gore has argued for rising to meet the challenge of climate change from a moral perspective: "The climate crisis offers us the chance to experience what few generations in history have had the privilege of experiencing: a generational mission; a compelling moral purpose; a shared cause; and the thrill of being forced by circumstances to put aside the pettiness and conflict of politics and to embrace a genuine moral and spiritual challenge."

We agree wholeheartedly, and congratulate Al Gore and the IPCC on this historic recognition!

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Posted by Stacy Brown-Philpot, Director, Finance - Online Sales, Google

In partnership with Google.org, Technoserve recently completed the second Believe Begin Become program in Ghana, identifying 10 new winners of its annual business plan competition. As a Google volunteer, I had an opportunity to interact with this year’s participants by teaching a class on presentation skills, judging the final round of the competition, and conducting one on one consulting sessions. I also visited the growing operations of 3 winners from last year and saw firsthand how the Believe Begin Become program has contributed to the success of their business.

I was both impressed and humbled by every entrepreneur I met. They all exhibited a level of energy, passion and enthusiasm that was overwhelmingly contagious. Operating in an environment where sound infrastructure is not a given, poverty is a reality, and health issues abound, they are seeking to create and build sustainable businesses that will change their community and their country for the better.

This year’s top winner of the overall business plan competition, Sheila Ocansey (pictured below, left, with me, right), embodies this energy and passion. With FrutyFresh, she plans to package and distribute quality fresh fruit to local Ghanaian professionals, families, and children. Sheila was thoughtful enough to bring a sample of her product to her oral presentation, something that impressed all of the judges. I craved FrutyFresh fruit for its freshness, quality, and taste throughout the rest of my stay in Ghana. The other top winners include: Darko Abednego, Stanley Adjei, Yaw Agyei-Henaku, Joseph Brenyah, Savior Deikumah, Nikoe Gavu, Mary Koranteng, Daniel Oduro, and Joseph Tettey.

I observed firsthand the promise of what is possible for this year’s winners through visits with three winners from last year. Nicholas Vordzgbe of City Wash launched his mobile car wash service using a highly profitable, environmentally friendly approach to a common activity. City Wash is capable of washing an SUV with just 2 liters of water! His next move includes opening a point of service location and expanding his mobile activities. Isaac Bohulu launched Natural Scientific Pharmaceuticals in a style characteristic of Silicon Valley. In a room that should have been his master bedroom, he is running a government approved production facility for his flagship product, Neemfresh Herbal Mouthwash, made from completely natural ingredients. Finally, last year’s overall winner, Joseph Tackie of MeatyFoods, showed us how a shift in his marketing strategy allowed him to quintuple his revenues in one month. While we sampled the butcher’s spicy sausage, he told us of his plans to open his second store.

The Believe Begin Become program was launched with the hope that we would create an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, investors, customers, and employees that contribute to the growth and economic development of Ghana. Participating in the judging process, seeing the operations in action, and spending time with the entrepreneurs provided evidence that this is exactly what is happening. Participants from last year have become customers and/or suppliers of each other. Last year’s winner was a mentor to at least 3 of the winners from this year. The judges and potential investors have high standards; not only are they funding these businesses, but they are personally engaged and interested in their success. The program creates employment opportunities and causes capital to flow back into communities. With 120 alumni in the Believe Begin Become program, the newly-created alumni association will help fuel and expand on the already growing ecosystem that has been created.

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