The billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, who has long supported efforts to combat global warming, advocated a more measured approach to fighting climate change in a lengthy memo published on Tuesday.
Gates, 70, warned that the climate community was overly focused on “near-term emissions goals”, while diverting resources away from efforts to improve humans’ lives in a warming world. The doomsday narrative that predicted climate change would decimate civilisation was wrong, he said.
“Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise,” he said.
“People will be able to live and thrive in most places on earth for the foreseeable future. Emissions projections have gone down, and with the right policies and investments, innovation will allow us to drive emissions down much further.”
Gates called for a renewed focus on preventing human suffering, particularly for those “in the toughest conditions who live in the world’s poorest countries”.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Okay, so it’s not a recognition that carbon dioxide is not a harmful pollutant that is having negligible impact on global temperatures while boosting plant growth. But by dialling down the catastrophism and regaining a semblance of perspective, it’s a step in the right direction...<<<Read More>>>...
