The 1000 Solutions Call

The 1000 Solutions Call

Climate policy is a story of false promises and resistance to change by those who still believe they must choose between ecology and economy. Too many governments and companies are announcing carbon neutrality targets for 2050 without having the concrete solutions to achieve them. We will change that.

We are innovators, experts, scientists, financiers, business leaders, politicians, and we want to show the exciting side of the ecological transition that creates jobs and offers new industrial opportunities.

We are optimistic. Since the success of the first solar-powered round-the-world flight, the Solar Impulse Foundation, its experts and partners have identified, assessed and labelled 1,000 technological solutions capable of protecting the environment in a financially profitable way. These solutions are clean, efficient, cost-effective... and available today. They reduce the environmental impact of construction and mobility, industry and agriculture, water and energy consumption, while ensuring economic development and social prosperity for all. Not in a century,nor a decade, but today.

We know there is no miracle solution, but the mere fact that 1000 solutions exist is by itself a miracle. Using them on a large scale would be a huge asset for the environment and the economy, and would provide an ambitious roadmap for a cleaner and more efficient world.

We want to highlight these solutions and encourage their implementation, as they are still too often hidden in start-ups or research labs.

We are not making a new declaration of intent here, but are providing a very concrete way to act. Our solutions speak for themselves. Let's not wait until tomorrow for them to become an integral part of economic discussions, media debates, climate negotiations and political decisions.

We are asking businesses and investors to understand how these solutions will make their operations more efficient and profitable, and to start adopting them.

We are here to support governments by providing them with the tools they need to achieve their environmental goals. This will allow them to create more jobs, grow the economy and improve the quality of life of their citizens, which is their election platform.

We call on legislators to quickly update standards and regulations in line with the new realities generated by these solutions and insure a level playing field across industries. We do not want more laws that impose financial or behavioral sacrifices on the population but see the need to modernize the legal framework and set the right incentives to make it an accelerator for new technologies. The current framework is still based on archaic systems and in fact authorizes pollution, when much better could be done.

We suggest for the billions of dollars and euros earmarked for post-Covid recovery to be allocated to promising sectors of the future, not the past, and enable the implementation of innovative technologies.

Let's be pioneers by acting today, and making our world more efficient, clean, fair and sustainable for all. Because it is possible...

By Bertrand Piccard, Founder and Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation,
The innovators of the 1000 solutions, and the experts which participated in their selection

Co-signatory Csaba Singer