The technology industry can play a major role in tackling global disease and battling climate change, according to the executive director of Google.org, Larry Brilliant.
Speaking at Salesforce.com's Dreamforce user conference in San Francisco this week, Brilliant said Google's charitable arm, Google.org, has donated around $150m (95m) in grants to charitable organizations since 2004 and allotted around $350m in online advertising space to not-for-profit organizations.
But Brilliant stressed that "ideas, flexibility and entrepreneurship" are even more important than donating money. Google uses the same model as Salesforce.com, in which one percent of revenue, one percent of equity and one percent of employees' time is devoted to good causes. Google.org also uses the Google Maps and News technology in its HealthMap system, to track outbreaks of diseases and help health organizations target them before they turn into epidemics.
Brilliant said: "The world is on a precipice of new diseases. This is an example of using emerging technology to tackle emerging diseases."
Brilliant has significant experience of combating diseases, having played a leading role in the successful global effort to eradicate smallpox while working for the World Health Organization.
Brilliant also explained Google.org's efforts to tackle climate change, including the RE
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