Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Bill Gates: Solving Covid easy compared with climate

Bill Gates: Solving Covid easy compared with climate

Fifty-one billion and zero - the two numbers Bill Gates says you need to know about climate.

Solving climate change would be "the most amazing thing humanity has ever done", says the billionaire founder of Microsoft.

By comparison, ending the pandemic is "very, very easy", he claims.

Mr Gates's new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, is a guide to tackling global warming.

Don't underestimate the scale of the challenge, he told me when we spoke last week.

"We've never made a transition like we're talking about doing in the next 30 years. There is no precedent for this."

Fifty-one billion is how many tonnes of greenhouse gases the world typically adds to the atmosphere each year.

Net zero is where we need to get to.

This means cutting emissions to a level where any remaining greenhouse gas releases are balanced out by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. One way to do this is by planting trees, which soak up CO2 through their leaves.

Mr Gates' focus is on how technology can help us make that journey.

Renewable sources like wind and solar can help us decarbonise electricity but, as Mr Gates points out, that's less than 30% of total emissions.

We are also going to have to decarbonise the other 70% of the world economy - steel, cement, transport systems, fertiliser production and much, much more.

We simply don't have ways of doing that at the moment for many of these sectors.

'Governments must lead'


The answer, says Mr Gates, will be an innovation effort on a scale the world has never seen before.

This has to start with governments, he argues.

At the moment, the economic system doesn't price in the real cost of using fossil fuels.


Most users don't pay anything for the damage to the environment done by pollution from the petrol in their car or the coal or gas that created the electricity in their home.

"Right now, you don't see the pain you're causing as you emit carbon dioxide," is how Mr Gates puts it.

That's why he says governments have to intervene.

"We need to have price signals to tell the private sector that we want green products," he says.

That is going to require a huge investment by governments in research and development, Mr Gates argues, as well as support to allow the market for new products and technologies to grow, thereby helping drive down prices.

Yet Mr Gates was famous for arguing that regulation stifled innovation when he was building Microsoft into the multi-billion-dollar behemoth it is now.

So isn't it a bit rich for him now to demand government intervention?

He replies he has always supported "the basic role of government in terms of roads and justice and education and scientific research".

And, on the climate issue, he maintains it will be impossible to avoid a disaster, particularly for those who live near the equator, without governments around the world getting behind the effort.

The Republican Party in America needs to recognise the importance of tackling climate change, says Mr Gates.

This needs to be a "constant 30-year push", he maintains. "Business just can't change all that physical infrastructure unless the market signals are constant and very clear."

Who is Bill Gates?
Melinda and Bill Gates set up their charitable foundation in 1994


*  Co-founded Microsoft in 1975

*  World's fourth richest person with a net worth of $124bn, according to Forbes

*  Has donated nearly $50bn through charitable foundation set up with wife Melinda in 1994

*  Stood down from day-to-day-role at Microsoft in 2008 to concentrate on philanthropic endeavours

*  Current focus includes global health and development, education and tackling climate change

Private jets permitted


Simply consuming less stuff - fewer flights, local food, less electricity and gas - won't solve the problem.

"India is going to build housing for their people, provide lighting at night, air conditioning to make conditions liveable," Mr Gates believes, so global demand will not reduce.

He argues political action is more important, demanding government do the right thing, and, using our voices as consumers, insisting the same of companies.

"If you buy an electric car, a hamburger made of a meat substitute, an electric heat pump for your home you are helping increase the production of these products and therefore helping drive prices down."

Mr Gates still enjoys the trappings of the billionaire lifestyle.

He uses private jets, but insists that they are powered by biofuels - aviation fuels made from plant products.

"I pay three times as much now for my aviation fuel, you know, over $7m [£5m] a year in all my offset spending."

And he has joined a £3bn bidding war to buy one of the world's largest private jet services companies, a business called Signature Aviation.

Is that appropriate when you've just written a book telling the world how to avoid a climate disaster?

"I don't think getting rid of flying would make sense," he replies. "That type of brute force technique won't get us there."

He says the answer has to be "a type of aviation fuel that doesn't cost much extra and is zero emission and that's got to be biofuels or electric fuels or perhaps using green hydrogen to power the plane".

Covid conspiracies


Mr Gates has become something of a bogeyman for coronavirus conspiracy theorists.

He has been accused of everything from concocting the virus in a secret laboratory as part of a project by global elites to depopulate the world, to using vaccinations to implant microchips in people to track and control them.

He laughs when asked about this.

"Why would I want to track people? You know, I'm just not that interested in where people are going."

The main focus for his huge charitable efforts to date has been tackling health issues in developing countries.

He tells me he is used to people getting bored when he talks about tuberculosis and malaria at cocktail parties, so this is a real change from what he calls "the normal obscurity of working on infectious disease".

But he says he was worried that speaking out on climate might attract similar controversy.

"I don't want to dilute my voice on issues like polio eradication or malaria," Mr Gates explains, but says he felt this was the right time to publish his plan for tackling climate change.

He says he wants his ideas to feed into the green stimulus packages being proposed around the world and to be discussed in the run-up to the crucial climate conference the UK is hosting in Glasgow in November this year.

We are at a crucial point in the climate debate, Mr Gates believes.

He describes the young generation as having a "moral conviction" that they have to be involved in bringing change on the issue.

"Now we have to take that energy and make sure it's directed at the policies that will make a difference," he argues.

But it isn't going to be easy, he warns.

This has to continue to be a huge priority for the world year in, year out.

The hope is "we get a bit lucky" and succeed in developing innovative new technologies that really do solve the hard areas, he says.

But he is optimistic that we can still avoid the worst effects of climate change.

"You know, I've seen many times, innovation surprises us in a positive way."


Speaking via a big screen link at the Natural History Museum, Bill Gates said achieving net zero would be 'humanity's greatest ever achievement'


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×