According to Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world will not be able to limit the overshooting of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, established in the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, compared to pre-industrial levels.
The billionaire philanthropist said this while answering to question during his annual ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit on Wednesday last week. A handful of the questions asked during the session revolved around climate change.
“The pace of innovation is really picking up even though we won’t make the current timelines or avoid going over 1.5,” wrote Gates while answering to a query about how well the world is responding to climate change.
However, Gates is not the only person who has this view.
The UN environment report released at the end of October revealed there is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”. The report said that the failure to reduce carbon emissions means the only way to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis is a “rapid transformation of societies”.
“Climate will slow down the progress we make on improving the human condition but I still believe we can avoid a terrible outcome,” he further said.
He pointed out that in some parts of the world more than 10% of kids die before the age of five and 30% have malnutrition due to which their brains and bodies don’t fully develop. “I still believe we can avoid a terrible outcome,” Bill Gates hoped.
Responding to a question on the progress with molten salt Thorium reactors, Gates said that the advanced nuclear reactors TerraPower are building use liquid sodium as the coolant and uranium as a fuel source. “We are making excellent progress,” Gates said while acknowledging that the Ukranian war has thrown a wrench in TerraPower’s plans because the reactors planned to operate with fuel coming from Russia and that relationship is no longer viable, reported CNBC.
“The first reactor is being built in Wyoming and should be running by 2030. This can make a huge contribution to climate challenges since it will be low cost and super safe. I was just in West Virginia learning about their energy economy and hearing about projects there like the FORM battery factory (a BEV company) that was just committed,” Gates wrote.
According to a breakdown provided by Gates in his book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster”, he said making electricity is responsible for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions, growing things like plants and animals is responsible for 19% of emissions.
Answering a question on his view of veganism/plant-based diets as a mean to reduce climate impact, he said, “For people who want to go Vegan that is great but I don’t think most people will do that. There are companies making “beef” in new ways and people working to still use cows but reduce the methane emissions.”
Talking about plant-based meats, Gates said he has backed several companies working to make meatless meat products, including Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. He had also supported Memphis Meats (which has since rebranded under the name Upside Foods).
“I think eventually these products will be very good even though their share is small today,” Gates told Reddit.
The key on climate is making the clean products as cheap as the dirty products in every area of emission – planes, concrete, meat etc… This is the only way we can ask all the countries in the world to change. If it costs a lot extra we won’t succeed,” Gates said on Reddit.
When a Reddit user asked how an individual can contribute to the climate solution, he said, “You are a voter, a consumer, a giver and a worker. In every one of those roles you can help. Buying an electric car helps. There will be options to pay a bit extra to offset your travel emissions coming soon (I do this for all of my emissions and my family). We need support on climate from both parties in the US and in all countries. Staying hopeful is a good thing!”
