Bill Gates, long known for warning about the dangers of climate change, is now urging a shift away from what he calls "doomsday" rhetoric, arguing that while climate change is serious, it won't spell the end of humanity. "People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future," Gates wrote in a 17-page memo released on his 70th birthday, per the New York Times. The Microsoft co-founder, who has spent billions on clean energy and adaptation projects, is now calling for more focus on improving lives in developing countries rather than fixating on short-term emissions targets.
Gates' new message—which he calls a "strategic pivot," per the AP—comes just ahead of the United Nations' annual climate summit in Brazil, though he won't be attending as he's done in the past. Despite the change in tone, Gates isn't abandoning climate action entirely, per the Times. He continues to invest in clean energy startups and nuclear power through ventures like Breakthrough Energy. But with the Gates Foundation set to wind down and Breakthrough Energy making cuts, Gates is increasingly directing his philanthropy toward health and poverty in the developing world, partly to fill gaps left by shrinking US foreign aid under the Trump administration.
Gates argues that alarmist messaging about climate change may backfire, suggesting that optimism is more effective at inspiring action. He contends that focusing on lowering the cost of clean energy and making industries less polluting is more productive than obsessing over temperature targets. Critics point out that Gates' memo sidesteps some of the most dire scenarios that scientists warn about, such as irreversible tipping points and mass coral die-offs—issues he has acknowledged in the past. "If you think climate is not important, you won't agree with the memo," Gates told reporters before its release, per the AP. "If you think climate is the only cause and apocalyptic, you won't agree with the memo." Read the memo in full here.
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