Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III (in English: William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates) considers himself a realist when it comes to climate change - even if it means admitting that the world has no chance of limiting warming to 1, 5 degrees Celsius, Reuters reported.

Given "the overall scale of our industrial economy ... we're going to have to do a mind-boggling job to stay below 2 degrees Celsius," he says.

And the 1.5 degree Celsius target enshrined in the Paris Agreement?

Nobody wants to be "the first to say it," but the math shows it's no longer within reach, Gates said in a video interview with Reuters.

The software developer-turned-philanthropist, however, is optimistic about climate innovation, noting a number of areas where low-carbon technologies are developing.

Some of them were also financed by Breakthrough Energy Group, which Gates founded in 2015. 

It has invested over $2 billion in technology, including air carbon capture, solar power, and more.

But these things take time, said Gates, who is also a co-founder of Microsoft.

Bill Gates has pledged $1.5 billion for climate change infrastructure projects

He spoke to Reuters ahead of his annual report to shareholders - sobering up for 2022 and detailing what excites him most about the year ahead.

Breakthrough operates independently of the Gates Foundation. 

In his letter to shareholders, he explains that the climate problem is too big to be solved by philanthropy alone.

"There is not enough money, so there has to be innovation," he told Reuters.

"The idea that it can be done by brute force just doesn't stand a chance."

Companies need investment and technical support to prove low-carbon ideas beyond their pilot phase - and then to scale up their use in production, he adds. 

According to Gate, "fantastic" progress has been achieved in the steel and cement industries, adds BTA.

Expert: Over the last 30 years we have had a shift in climate zones

These industries are responsible for about a third of global warming emissions.

Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III (in English: William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates) notes that since the world will not meet the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the challenge shifts to helping people how to adapt to a harsher and hotter future.

Bill Gates

climate change