Readers reply: what would be the most socially useful way to spend a billion dollars?

"I've always thought it would be good to acquire an old warehouse in every town throughout the land and convert it into low-rent community workspaces for artists, local charities and small businesses getting off the ground. A kind of people's WeWork. What would others do with a humungous, but not unlimited, pile of dosh to benefit society? Roland Freeman, West Yorkshire Send new questions to [e-mail]."

"A few years ago I wrote a book taking this idea and running with it. In How to Spend a Trillion Dollars I end up using most of the money on transitioning to a net zero society, and in restoring nature globally. With a billion dollars, I would set up a progressive thinktank funding climate-positive and nature-positive lobbyists to counter the malign, fossil-fuel funded influence of Tufton Street and the Heritage Foundation."

"I would form a company to install solar panels and batteries. A typical three-bed house can generate enough electrical power for maybe 75% of domestic usage. This would reduce stress on the grid and allow for more capacity for industry and charging electric vehicles. A billion dollars would allow economies of scale in purchasing the panels and batteries and I could train my own set of installers, giving them valuable trade skills in roofing, electrics, etc."

Proposed uses include acquiring old warehouses nationwide and converting them into low-rent community workspaces for artists, charities, and startups. Large-scale investment in transitioning to a net-zero economy and global nature restoration is suggested. A proposal calls for creating a progressive thinktank to fund climate- and nature-positive lobbyists to counter fossil-fuel-funded influence. Another plan envisions a company installing solar panels and batteries at scale while training installers in roofing and electrics. Additional ideas include scholarships for cathedral-chorister-level singing training and a covert organisation intended to disrupt and destroy from within actors opposing unspecified targets.

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