Global warming “will not lead to humanity’s demise,” writes Bill Gates in a new memo that reframes the billionaire philanthropist’s approach to poverty and environmentalism in the run-up to the latest round of international climate negotiations.
The Microsoft co-founder, whose prolific donations have made him one of the world’s most influential voices on climate action, wrote Tuesday that a “doomsday view of climate change” has misled advocates into overemphasizing near-term emissions reductions.
Climate change is a serious problem like malaria or malnutrition, he wrote, but a fixation on emissions has crowded out more effective ways to help people.
“Although climate change will hurt poor people more than anyone else, for the vast majority of them it will not be the only or even the biggest threat to their lives and welfare,” Gates wrote. “The biggest problems are poverty and disease, just as they always have been. Understanding this will let us focus our limited resources on interventions that will have the greatest impact for the most vulnerable people.”
