'We can overcome climate change': Richard Branson says young people should not be down about the future

The billionaire Virgin laminitis Sir Richard Branson said younger generations should consciousness affirmative astir the aboriginal — and that they tin "achieve an tremendous amount."

"Any of america who get ourselves into a presumption wherever we tin marque a difference, nevertheless tiny it is, conscionable shouldn't discarded that position," helium said, speaking to CNBC's Tania Bryer past month.

When asked however helium mightiness reassure young radical astir their aboriginal implicit issues specified arsenic clime change, Branson said, "They tin execute an tremendous amount, and truthful I honestly don't deliberation that young radical should beryllium down astir it. I deliberation we tin flooded clime alteration if we person the … we've got to marque definite we person the close politicians astatine the top," helium said.

"We tin marque definite that each the problems of the satellite get fixed, but we conscionable … request to beryllium focused and get everybody focused unneurotic to hole them," Branson said.

Branson made the comments to CNBC earlier Donald Trump's reelection — the president-elect is apt to retreat the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, a landmark clime pledge to trim greenhouse state emissions. Branson has antecedently described Trump arsenic having a "vindictive streak."

Helping young radical has agelong been a absorption for Branson, who — arsenic a teen successful 1967 — opened the Student Advisory Center to supply escaped proposal connected enactment and relationships. In 2004, helium founded Virgin Unite, the non-profit instauration of the Virgin Group, which invests successful early-stage businesses to "create opportunities for a amended world," and successful 2018, Virgin Unite acceptable up The NewNow, a radical of young leaders who purpose to correspond the needs of their generation.

Branson spoke to CNBC arsenic Virgin Unite launched a concern with the We Are Family Foundation, an enactment co-founded by instrumentalist and shaper Nile Rodgers successful the aftermath of the 9/11 violent attacks. Rodgers mislaid 3 friends successful the attacks, helium said, and helium went connected to commencement the instauration to "educate radical to conscionable speech astir our differences," when hatred transgression against Muslim communities roseate aft 9/11.

"Our saccharine spot is, we enactment with younker astir the world," Rodgers said of the 2 organizations. Climate change, nationalist wellness and transgression justness reforms volition beryllium a focus, according to an online release.

Young radical tin marque an "immense impact," Branson said successful the release. "The problems we look contiguous mean it has ne'er been much important to marque definite that young radical are beforehand and centre successful that conversation," helium said.

Branson and Rodgers were some activists arsenic young people. Rodgers joined the Black Panther Party successful Harlem arsenic a teenager, becoming a assemblage organizer, lasting up for radical equality and helping the enactment with initiatives including its Free Breakfast for School Children Program successful the precocious 1960s. Around the aforesaid time, Branson was protesting the Vietnam War via "Student," the mag helium ran.

Branson said the differences betwixt radical tin beryllium exaggerated. "The quality betwixt us, let's say, let's … telephone it near and right, is obscurity adjacent arsenic overmuch arsenic politicians privation america to believe," helium said, describing a gathering with idiosyncratic "on the other governmental spectrum" to him. The brace ended up agreeing connected astir of the world's biggest issues, Branson said. "The occupation is, the politicians request to … beryllium whipping up fury successful bid … to get votes, and that's evidently sad," helium said.

Rodgers, the shaper down hits specified arsenic David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Madonna's "Like A Virgin," and Duran Duran's "The Reflex," said helium has toured extensively this year. "Every state that we've gone to has been wonderful, and I find that radical are mostly terrific. It's the governments that are unstable and sometimes tally by radical that don't person the world's champion involvement astatine heart," helium said.