Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is shifting his approach in the fight against the dangers posed by climate change, warning against a so-called “doomsday outlook.” In a memo released Tuesday, Gates aimed to push back against alarmist sentiment on climate change and called for a shift in the approach to helping impoverished nations withstand a warming planet.
“Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise,” Gates wrote. “People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.”
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
The memo marks a significant change in messaging for Gates, who published a book titled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” just four years ago.
Aim to alleviate human suffering
Gates said world leaders should aim to end suffering, particularly for people in the most poverty-stricken regions of the globe.
He told reporters that if given an ultimatum between eradicating malaria and a tenth of a degree increase in the Earth’s temperature, “I’ll let the temperature go up 0.1 degree to get rid of malaria,” Gates said. “People don’t understand the suffering that exists today.”
But some climate researchers warn that Gates’ new messaging could be misused by climate change skeptics.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Earth’s temperature has increased by an average of 0.11 Fahrenheit per decade since 1850, according to NOAA.
Criticism of Gates’ new memo
“Despite his efforts to make it clear that he takes climate change seriously, his words are bound to be misused by those who would like nothing more than to destroy efforts to deal with climate change,” Michael Oppenheimer, a professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton, told The New York Times.
Gates’ shift comes a week before global leaders meet in Brazil for the United Nations annual climate summit. Despite attending in years past, Gates said that he does not plan to attend this year, and declined comment on his new memo.
Over the years, Gates has invested billions of dollars into efforts related to fighting climate change, including pushing for policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and scale up renewable energy projects.
Shifting focus spurred by Trump administration actions
As the Trump administration has cut funding for foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Gates has shifted his focus to donate more money to impoverished nations, which now face a funding gap due to a loss of funding from the U.S.
Gates has already spent tens of billions of dollars on health care, education and helping combat diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world.
