Climate Change More Revolutionary Than the Internet?

While speaking to Reuters at the Cleantech Investors conference in Frankfurt, Sun co-founder Bill Joy was quoted as saying, "A global response to climate change will spur a business revolution bigger than the internet." Although I was ready to bolt out of my chair and throw it in protest when I read that, Joy goes on to make some valid points: "Solar cells are semiconductors, heat to electricity is semiconductors, software to manage systems comes out of Silicon Valley."

It's a little disjointed, but I think I can see where Joy is going with this. If the innovators in Silicon Valley (who are also huge power consumers) were to break some new ground in terms of energy efficiency, they'd have more in the way of capital to promote innovation.

It's a bit of a leap as far as how the reallocation of revenue is typically handled, but it's still an interesting take on the influence that conservation could have on innovation in the valley. Sun is already known for its sustainability efforts both in the workplace and at its JavaOne conference, so it'll be interesting to see if anyone else in the valley makes a strong effort to follow suit.