We need less certainty

Q. You have been described as an “inspioneer” who combines innovation and exploration to find solutions to current and future challenges. Who or what inspired your pioneering spirit and love of adventure?
I was inspired by my grandfather Auguste Piccard, who ascended to the stratosphere, and by my father Jacques Piccard, who dived to the deepest point of the ocean. But I was also inspired by all the explorers, astronauts, divers and environmentalists I met during my childhood. They showed me that it is possible to go beyond the ordinary, to do what has never been done before and to achieve “the impossible”. And they taught me three values – curiosity, perseverance and respect – that are vital to succeed.

Q. The climate crisis is the topic on everyone’s lips these days but you have been talking about it for decades. Has your skill at diagnosing conditions as a physician and psychiatrist helped you to examine the causes of climate change and identify potential solutions to it?
As a medical doctor and a psychiatrist in particular, I know that the symptom is what you see – but it is not the origin of the problem. And the changes in our climate that we are seeing today are also a symptom but not the cause of the problem. So we have to look for the cause, for its origin, for the aetiology. And the cause of climate change is clearly that in our world, we use old sources of energy that are polluting. And we waste energy and natural resources. We are living in a world that burns 1 million tonnes of oil every hour. The way we live is altering the climate, destroying biodiversity and polluting the planet.

Q. You have said that it is possible – and indeed essential – to create innovative solutions to climate change that can protect our environment while still generating profits and creating jobs.
Yes. At present, we have a linear economy where we extract, produce, use and discard goods, rather than a circular economy. That means that we are missing a lot of opportunities. Today, we know there are solutions to climate change that can be profitable because they are efficient: The implementation of clean technologies saves energy, resulting in a higher profit margin that can then pay for the initial investment in those technologies. It is all about efficiency. We need a qualitative economy, where you create jobs and make profits by replacing things that are polluting with alternatives that protect the environment. This is the best way to develop the economy and to protect the environment at the same time. Climate protection efforts also need to be attractive and exciting; they need to bring people together.

Q. What role can the finance industry play in supporting the climate transition?
Today, thousands of solutions exist that can preserve nature while boosting economic growth, but they are often hidden in start-ups or research labs. They remain unknown to decision-makers and are not implemented at industry level. So now is the perfect time for the financial world to come and invest in these companies, these start-ups – and in products, processes, systems or materials to make our world more modern and more efficient. This is currently the best area to invest in because it will generate significant returns. Of course, you have to prove to companies and the finance industry that investing in these solutions is profitable and that you can make more money by being modern than by being outdated. We are basically talking about completely new business models as we move from a linear economy to a more effective, circular economy. For it to succeed, people in the finance industry need to understand and support the transition.

Q. What is the secret to innovation and to inventing new solutions?
Think of the inventions that emerged in the 20^th century – in a very short period in the history of mankind. They include first airplane, expeditions to the North and South Poles, the ascent of Everest Mountain, the dive to the Mariana Trench and the moon landing. They all happened because explorers broke the rules. Explorers are never satisfied with the status quo; they want to go beyond it. They want something better. It is crucial to understand that innovation – and disruption – do not occur when you develop a new idea; they happen when you get rid of an old belief. And this is maybe the biggest paradox. If we want to transform the future, we need to move away from old habits and beliefs in order to have the space to embrace something new. We need less certainty. To change our mindset and build a different future, we need to envisage doing and thinking the opposite from everything we have so far learned to do and to think.

Q. Is that how Solar Impulse came about?
I first wanted to fly around the world non-stop in a hot air balloon. People told me that was impossible so we built a different type of balloon, the Breitling Orbiter, which was hybrid - a gas balloon and hot air balloon combined. We flew for 20 days and covered over 45,000 kilometres. It was the longest flight ever in aviation history. But that was far as we could go with 3.7 tons of liquid propane. When you hear people say, “the sky is the limit”, they are wrong. The fuel is the limit. So the next step was to move beyond conventional thinking and to get rid of the fuel. This is when the idea of Solar Impulse was born – a solar-powered airplane that demonstrates what can be achieved with clean technologies and renewable energies.

Q. What can Solar Impulse teach us when it comes to tackling climate change?
Solar Impulse shows us that “the impossible” is possible. It shows that we really can become more efficient and save energy. With Solar Impulse, we only had solar power to run the electric motors and store solar energy in the batteries during the day – allowing us to break another paradigm by flying at night using only solar power. At the beginning, when I was in the cockpit of Solar Impulse flying above the ocean, I thought: “I'm in the future.” It was like science fiction. And then I suddenly understood that if I was not actually in the future, and still in the present, it meant the rest of the world was stuck in the past – without noticing it. We are so used to living in a world that is inefficient and outdated that we think that is normal. Let me give you an example: We still use thermal engines with a maximum efficiency of 27%, meaning that three-quarters of energy is wasted. With Solar Impulse, our electric motors were 97% efficient.

In today’s world, we also think it is normal to have buildings that are badly insulated and that lose heat or cold due to old and inefficient heating, cooling and lighting systems. We have old industrial processes and use dirty energy sources in the form of fossil fuels. At the same time, we purchase the latest smart phone or computer and think we are so modern – but in reality, our systems and infrastructure are outdated. We still build in the same way and we still consume in the same. We use the same sources of energy as before. So it is not a question of taking the world forward into the future. What we need to do is to transform our world by bringing it up to date and moving it into the present. And this is the biggest opportunity we have. The green transition represents the business opportunity of the century,

Q. Teamwork is key for any venture to succeed. How do you keep your team motivated to achieve your end-goals?
Yes, you need a team of people with skill and talents. You need pioneers and people who come to solve problems – individuals who propose solutions. And when you say that you want to do something “impossible”, one advantage is that the people who come to join your team are exceptional individuals. I keep the team motivated by showing them the purpose of what we do. I explain why we should we do it – rather than telling them what to do. That is leadership, rather than just management.

Q. You have twice circumnavigated the globe – first in the Breitling Orbiter balloon and secondly in Solar Impulse. Would you describe yourself as fearless? What is the secret to your mental and physical resilience?
I practised becoming resilient without really aiming to at first. This was when I failed on my first attempt to complete a mission. I only succeeded in circumventing the globe in a balloon on the third attempt. In fact, the first time, I ditched in the Mediterranean Sea after just six hours. That was the perfect resilience training. If at first you don’t succeed, you have to try and try again.

Q. What advice would you give to members of the next generation who are just starting out on their own adventures?
I would say don't be a prisoner to your habits, your beliefs or anything that is a certainty in your life because otherwise you won’t change anything. Look beyond everything that you have learned to do and to think and envisage something completely different. You then have choices: You have a choice between what you know and what you don't know. All your options are then open, and you can reach a smart decision about what you will do next. And remember that you may need to follow an entirely different direction or to “change altitude”. When you are in a balloon, if you don’t like the prevailing winds, you drop ballast and change altitude until you find the winds you like. This principle also applies more broadly in life: Pioneers, explorers or entrepreneurs – they all drop ballast be shedding old convictions, paradigms – all the things that hold them back. They can then change direction. By calling existing views into question, we become free: Free to think, free to invent, free to change, free to live.