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Bill Gates Rejects 'Doomsday' Climate Narrative, Urges Focus on Poverty Reduction
28 Oct
Summary
- Bill Gates argues climate change is not the biggest threat to the world's poor
- Gates says "doomsday" climate outlook diverts resources from adaptation efforts
- Upcoming COP30 climate talks present "chance to refocus" on improving lives
In a surprising move just weeks before the upcoming COP30 United Nations climate talks in Brazil, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has published an essay that downplays the threat of climate change and calls for a greater focus on development in poor nations.
Gates argues that "climate change is not the biggest threat to the lives and livelihoods of people in poor countries, and it won't be in the future." He believes the "doomsday" outlook on climate change has caused the climate community to overly emphasize near-term emissions goals, diverting resources from efforts to help the world's poor better adapt to a warming world.
Instead, Gates says the COP30 talks present "a chance to refocus on the metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change: improving lives." The Microsoft founder, who is also a major figure in global health philanthropy and clean energy investment, believes the world's attention should shift away from the climate crisis and towards tackling other pressing issues like malaria and malnutrition.
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Gates' contrarian views have drawn sharp criticism from climate scientist Michael Mann, who accused the billionaire of promoting "soft denial" of climate science. However, the essay has also received praise from controversial political scientist Bjorn Lomborg, who shares Gates' perspective that climate change is not the most urgent threat facing the world's poor.
