Is billionaire Bill Gates turning his back on climate protection? Some media outlets have made such comments after the founder of “Microsoft“ addressed the public with a letter called “Three harsh truths about the climate“.
The tone of the letter is indeed quite unexpected, ARD points out. “Climate change will indeed have severe consequences, but it will not lead to the end of humanity“, Gates writes. The strange thing is that until now the founder of “Microsoft“ attracted attention with his decisive appeals for greater climate protection, the German public media recalls.
Temperature and quality of life have no connection?
The opinion that “global temperatures say nothing about the quality of people's lives“ is also surprising, because the main goal of climate policy is to stop global warming so that our planet can survive in the long term, continues ARD.
Isn't Gates just another businessman who, at the behest of everyone, is abandoning his previous cause? If this is the case, it would fit perfectly into the new trend - in Silicon Valley in the US, the topic of climate protection is no longer popular at all, the German public media commented.
Change of perspective or turnaround?
Gates' position, however, is more complicated, notes ARD. It is not about criticizing climate policy, and even less - about denying climate change. Bill Gates emphasizes that it is real and the fight against it is important. However, he emphasizes that a lot has already been achieved in this direction and the focus should now be on people and their well-being, because not every climate policy brings them benefits. According to him, a more precise view based on proven facts is now needed.
Gates gives as an example the ban on climate-damaging synthetic fertilizers in a poorer country. From a climate protection perspective, this may make sense, but farmers will hardly be able to afford the more expensive alternatives. The result: less food, higher prices and a political crisis.
Much criticism of Gates
The combination of climate and social policies sounds convincing. However, the letter has drawn a lot of criticism. Christoph Bals from the German environmental NGO Germanwatch told ARD that “the letter is contradictory”: “Gates is wrongly contrasting two important political goals – the fight against poverty and improving health care on the one hand, and climate protection on the other“.
The director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research Ottmar Edenhofer notes: “For the world community, such a conflict between the goals of climate policy and the fight against poverty does not exist, because, if climate change is not prevented, it will cause damage that will destroy the successes in the fight against poverty“. Bals says: “Every euro we invest in climate protection also has a positive effect on health care and the fight against poverty“.
Is the fight against malaria more important than rising temperatures?
There is indeed an ambiguity in the billionaire's letter, ARD points out. On the one hand, it is stated that climate change is a serious and threatening phenomenon that should not be ignored, and on the other hand, it is emphasized that policies to protect health and well-being need more attention and funding.
Gates' idea becomes clearer in response to a journalistic question: if he were faced with the choice of fighting to eradicate malaria or against global warming by one tenth of a degree, Gates said that he would choose the former.
What is the logic? The billionaire believes that poverty and disease also cause great suffering, which should not be forgotten because of climate change. One of the reasons for Gates' letter is probably that the United States, under President Donald Trump, left the World Health Organization, whose most important donor it was, which is why funds are now lacking, writes ARD.
The role of technological change
But what is the reason for this change in priorities, asks the German public media. It notes that in his manifesto Gates appears to be progressive and optimistic. His belief that we should not worry too much about climate change is also fueled by the successes so far in terms of technological change and its effects on well-being.
The gains in welfare achieved through targeted poverty reduction policies will also halve the number of victims of climate change, Gates writes, citing a study. He also writes that over the past ten years, the global community has managed to reduce projected harmful emissions by more than 40 percent. And in the future, the agricultural sector will also be able to achieve successes through more climate-adapted plants and domestic animals, as well as through AI.
Experts emphasize the importance of climate policy
Christoph Bals of Germanwatch also says that some progress has been made recently in reducing harmful emissions. Some of the countries that create the most greenhouse gas pollution, such as China, have reached their zenith - including thanks to technological progress. “But we should not rely solely on technological changes“, the expert points out.
The director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, Ottmar Edenhofer, emphasizes: “Better technologies presuppose the presence of smart climate policy. It was only the financial assessment of carbon dioxide emissions that led to the fact that renewable energy sources became profitable, and the consumption of coal, oil and gas decreased“.
Trump has already referred to Gates' letter
Gates has also been criticized for his optimism about the possibility of storing carbon dioxide emissions. “This is not some magic bullet - the technique is much more expensive than a number of other measures, and there are also thermodynamic limitations. “This technique is intended only for niche use – "where there really are no other solutions," Bals told ARD.
But why is so much attention being paid to one voice, even Bill Gates'? Bals is concerned that important progress could be stopped in this way - if the philanthropist's views prevail. The German public media notes that US President Donald Trump recently referred to Gates' letter - and he is not known for his commitment to climate protection.
Author: Alina Laimbach ARD