No, this isn’t a post about Google’s huge power over the Internet, iPhones vs gPhones , data protection or Google taking over the planet. It’s about power: Google’s power, the Pope’s power, the power of politics, and the power of the individual.

On Tuesday Google announced RE<C (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal).

Their aim is to promote research and development into making renewables cheaper than coal; specifically researching technologies to build a 1 Gigawatt power production capacity (enough to power the electricity needs of a huge city). It’s a large challenge. Coal currently provides 40% of the world’s electricity, and should the economics be cheaper to use renewable sources than coal, the benefits would be huge.

Larry Page, co-founder of Google, said:

If we meet this goal and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well.

When John Howard was Prime Minister of Australia they rejected the Kyoto Pact, however the Prime Minister-elect, Kevin Rudd, has this week announced that he will immediately ratify it, leaving the United States rather out in the cold.

Even Pope Benedict XVI is getting in on the act, calling for a “moral awakening” in favour of the environment. I for one had no idea that Vatican City has become the first fully carbon-neutral state in the world and has solar panels on the roof of St Peter’s Basilica.

When the news is so often crushingly depressing, these three stories give me hope. I find all three of these stories fascinating, given they cover the technological, the spiritual and the political. Which of the three will have the greatest impact on the world? There is no ‘quick fix’ to the environmental problems we face. It will take individual choice (perhaps inspired by religious leaders?), political will (perhaps inspired by the number of people making individual choices?) and technological solutions, (perhaps brought into being by a company whose motto is “Don’t be evil”? ) in order to get us out of the hole we’ve dug for ourselves.

It’s pretty difficult to argue against the current science pointing to severe climate effects if we don’t alter our behaviour.
Even if you don’t believe the overwhelming science (and I find it hard to comprehend how anyone could not), simple logic and reason are powerful tools.

We as a company are trying to do our little bit to help, and as individuals we can all make proactive choices as well.

I’ve been extremely lucky in my life, having had the privilege to travel across the globe, flying to exotic locations from America to Zanzibar, Cuba to Croatia. My travels have shown me a wider world, but have also let me see firsthand the impact that a changing climate is having, and seeing how other people across the world live.

Last year I made a choice, which I’m finding incredibly difficult - to give up flying for good. I won’t step foot on a plane again. I reasoned that I could recycle as many plastic bags as I could lay my hands on, and that wouldn’t make a dent in my personal impact upon the world while I kept flying.

Of late my will power has been faltering - I’ve loved traveling, and as news filters in of plans for Heathrow Terminal 6 and scientists’ increasingly stark warnings of time running out, I’d begun to lose hope that anything can be done.

But these three stories I’ve mentioned have renewed my faith; that perhaps through the use of power - our own power as individuals, the power of companies, and the power of politicians and public figures, we can hand our pale blue dot over to our kids without shame.

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