Google philanthropy targets global warming, poverty, and disease

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google's philanthropic arm on Thursday said it is taking aim at global warming, poverty, and pandemics with millions in cash and the Internet giant's global resources.

Google.org executive director Larry Brilliant said the group had a "brutal" job selecting priorities from the world's ills and crafting five core initiatives it feels best match Google's strengths.

"It means we left some heart-breaking problems off the table," Brilliant said in a conference call with news reporters.

"How do you not take on female genital mutilation? How do you not take on the need for clean water? These problems we are not addressing are not less important ... we are trying to do the things that fit who we are."

Google.org announced more than 25 million dollars in grant money being invested in groups combating environmental, energy, poverty, or health woes.

"We started with an idea and a vision to make the world a better place," said Google vice president of online operations Sheryl Sandberg, a member of the Google.org board of directors.

"We now embark on trying to work with people all over the world. We realize we are a small player, but we hope to be a player that catalyzes others."

Google.com has been a money-making juggernaut with quarterly profits of a billion dollars or more due to revenues from online advertising.

"We are really just coming to the starting line," Brilliant said of Google.org.

"It's not just money we are talking about. What can you do with all the Google engineers and its capabilities to achieve these initiatives."

Google founders Larry Page and Serge Brin are committed to devoting one percent of the company's equity, annual profits and employee time to philanthropic endeavors, the US firm said.

One initiative focuses on identifying "hot spots" in Africa and Southeast Asia where droughts, famines, infectious diseases or other disasters are likely and then bolstering warning and response systems there.

Google.org is giving two million dollars to Pratham to create an institute monitoring India's education sector and five million dollars to TechnoServe to help small businesses flourish in Ghana and Tanzania.

"If you talk to villagers and ask them if they want aid or trade they will tell you they want jobs," Brilliant said.

"So we support small and medium-sized enterprises. This is the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker that really generate the most jobs."

Initiatives announced on Thursday join a Google goal to come up with a renewable energy source is cheaper than coal.

"We can't win the battle to preserve Earth's atmosphere unless the oil and the coal stay in the ground," Brilliant said. "We need to find a way to make renewable energy at such a low cost that it becomes the choice of everyone."

Google.org is investing 10 million dollars in eSolar, a California company that uses solar heat to generate electricity in utility-grade power plants.