LA PROMESA de Richard Branson* de dedicar 1.900 millones de euros en la lucha contra el calentamiento global es puro humo. O mejor dicho algo que tiene poco de altruista porque le permitirá llenar sus propios bolsillos:

The promise earned Branson headlines around the world. Media outlets carried photos of him, Bill Clinton and Al Gore at a Clinton Global Initiative press conference in New York. Adults, Branson solemnly told the assembled media, had a duty to pass a ‘‘pristine’’ planet on to the next generation. Politicians and campaigners were effusive in their praise for his imagination and generosity.

However, a look at the not-very-small print revealed that this amazing gesture would not be a matter of taking the profits from Branson’s polluting industries and using them to protect vast tracts of the Amazon.

In fact, the money would go to a new division of the Virgin conglomerate, called Virgin Fuel. Branson was simply gearing himself up to make more money. But as always, the PR spin was that he’d be doing the rest of us a favour in the process.

Branson sigue siendo un genio de las relaciones públicas.

(* había una errata en el apellido, que he corregido)

ACTUALIZACIÓN. Por supuesto no me parece mal en absoluto que Branson gane dinero con sus iniciativas, faltaría más. La crítica venía por no admitirlo: por presentar la iniciativa como algo altruista. Como si hubiese algo pecaminoso en el beneficio económico.