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The Senate also is considering a bill that would extend renewable-energy tax credits for eight years (see Policy Food Fight: Feed-In Tariffs Vs. Tax Credits, Solar Sharpens Weapons for Incentive Battle and Solar Industry’s Five-Step Plan).

Allowing them to expire would essentially raise taxes on renewable energy -- "a brilliant plan," Doerr sniped.

Still, he hasn’t given up hope. 

"I do believe that our policies, innovations and American entrepreneurs can make all the difference, so I can’t wait to see what they do -- what you do -- to tackle this problem," he said.

Another part of the problem is mainstream public opinion, he said.

A sign reading "Global warming is a hoax!" on a bulletin board outside the symposium underlined that challenge.

And that’s where Kleiner Perkins’ new partner, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, is helping.

"The most important thing you can do is move mainstream public opinion," he said, adding that Gore is working on a $300 million project to do that.

Gore also participates in Kleiner Perkins meetings, either in person or via phone, every week, Doerr said.

"He’s very involved, very energized by technology," he said. "He introduces innovation, large customers in the markets and energizes everybody by the way he talks."

Important technology solutions to the global warming include more efficient cars that "don’t burn dirty oil," cleaner fuels and technologies that make coal use cleaner, as well as large-scale substitutes for coal, he said.

The world is definitely making progress, he said, pointing to examples such as Wal-Mart’s green initiatives, California’s low-carbon law, Brazil’s "ethanol miracle" and development from thin-film solar company Miasolé (see Light Bulbs’ Time to Shine and Wal-Mart Seeks Green Ideas).

In the last two weeks, Miasolé, which has been in the news because of its layoffs and the departure of its CEO, has gotten its second-generation solar technology working, he said, adding that the technology will cut the cost of solar cells in half.

Still, he said, it’s really hard to change consumer behavior and much more progress is needed. What’s needed is an economic solution that helps make people aware of their impact on the environment, he said: "Going green should be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century."

"If it’s business as usual, the world’s going to go out of business," he said. "There is a time when panic is the appropriate response. We really can’t afford to underestimate this problem. We really could have irreversible and catastrophic climate change. So we’ve got to act quickly."