Bill Gates: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has turned his attention to climate change. But is his new book a welcome perspective or just another “rich guy with an opinion”?
Illustration by Laura Cuppage.
Dedicated “to the scientists, innovators and activists that lead the way,” Bill Gates’ new book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, is a pragmatic and straightforward manual that largely achieves its goal of “[cutting] through the noise” of the climate change debate. Many of the technologies will likely be familiar to our readers, however Gates does a great job of putting them into context, summarising which sectors are the biggest contributors of emissions and where innovation is needed. A series of animated TED-Ed lessons was recently released based on the book.
Gates’ writing is optimistic and solution-focussed; Bloom in Doom readers should feel at home. However, if you’re looking for a rousing call to arms reminiscent of Extinction Rebellion, or another Greta Thunberg-like figurehead, you may be disappointed. Perhaps inevitably, due to the high-profile status of its author, the book has been subject to controversy since its release in February. Gates himself admits the problem - “I can’t deny being a rich guy with an opinion.” However, with looming deadlines to meet in order to prevent a catastrophic 2 degree rise in global temperatures, is this rich guy’s opinion worth hearing? And does it matter that he’s an “imperfect messenger”?
Gates breaks down global emissions into an easy-to-understand goal: reduce the 51 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent released each year to zero by 2050. In an interview with TED, Gates admits that the 2050 goal won’t prevent all damage. It’s just the most ambitious goal he believes is possible to meet. The problem of climate change is so hard, he explains, because it’s so multifaceted; greenhouse gas emissions are a ubiquitous part of our lives and we don’t yet have all the tools we need to eliminate them. The number one most important thing, according to Gates, will be to reduce so-called “green premiums.” These are the differences in cost consumers and businesses pay when they choose green products and energy sources over polluting ones.
The plan is simple: governments developing, subsidising, and creating the infrastructure for green tech will make it cheaper and more accessible for everyone. The world will naturally make the switch to green energy; it’ll be the obvious choice. Developing countries will follow suit and we’ll be able to keep eating cheeseburgers and imported grapes to our hearts’ content. Of course, this also hinges on giving funding to the right solutions: those that have the potential to bring emissions to zero rather than just reduce them, and those that tackle the biggest problems like cement manufacture. Gates goes into detail about the areas he thinks are most worthy of funding, summarised in a handy table on page 200. Most of these are areas that Gates himself funds through his company Breakthrough Energy. It’s clear that he has put a lot of thought into his investments, but the whole thing reads a bit like Gates giving himself a big pat on the back.
If you don’t have a private jet, you might be wondering whether Bill has any intention of changing his own lavish lifestyle. After all, the richest 1% cause 175x more emissions than the poorest 10%. Gates doesn’t shy away from self-congratulatory references to money he has invested in green companies and offsetting schemes. But as for actual lifestyle changes, it seems all he is willing to do is eat slightly fewer cheeseburgers and buy biofuels for his private jet. Could he be right?
Convincing people accustomed to an affluent lifestyle to change too much too quickly might be a futile effort and if we can get to zero emissions without the need to change, why should we give up our luxuries? On the other hand, technological solutions often require us to use more land and disrupt natural systems. In the extreme case of geoengineering, we would change environments dramatically in a desperate attempt to reduce global temperatures or remove carbon. The ecological consequences could be severe.
To his credit, Gates admits that getting to zero will be easier if rich countries reduce waste and become more efficient, simultaneously allowing developing countries to increase their energy use. “The complexity of fighting poverty and climate change at the same time” is a key theme of the book. In his first chapter, Gates spends several pages describing the tragedies that will affect the poorest people in the world worst of all.
However, in an astounding lack of sensitivity, he follows this with an invitation to rich countries to take advantage of the situation - “this is a huge economic opportunity. The countries that build great zero-carbon companies and industries will be the ones that lead the global economy in coming decades.” Worryingly, environmental activist and ecofeminist Vandana Shiva recently called Bill Gates the next Monsanto. GM crops seem to be an inevitability in adapting to climate change. But will small scale subsistence farmers thank rich countries for selling them solutions to problems those same rich countries caused?
Nevertheless, it would be hard to accuse Bill of not caring about poverty. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has made amazing progress towards tackling inequality and improving quality of life for the poorest people on the planet. He raises good points about gender equality in farming regulation; improving women’s access to land rights and financing will be invaluable in feeding a growing population. Throughout the book he makes it clear that letting poorer countries develop uninhibited is non-negotiable. To impose climate taxes and tell them to use less energy would be a moral failure. Western countries have the responsibility here.
According to Gates, the main burden is on the governments and big businesses. While his chapter “What Each of us Can Do” points out political campaigning and consumer demand are important drivers of policy, much of this chapter will only apply to the CEOs of large businesses. We just have to hope the governments and big businesses are listening. And maybe they are. During the 2015 Paris climate summit, Gates played an instrumental role in getting governments to agree to increase their funding for green innovation. With COP26 approaching, the first of the symbolic deadlines to increase climate efforts every 5 years after the Paris agreement, perhaps we will see some of Bill Gates’ principles applied.
The current pandemic paints a clear picture of what needs to happen. Mike Ryan, WHO director of health emergencies speaking about COVID-19, said, “perfection is the enemy of good when it comes to emergency management.” Looking at the response in New Zealand, it’s clear that he’s right. Time is of the essence. Bill Gates urges a similar approach with climate change – “I hope you’ll spend more time and energy supporting whatever you’re in favour of than opposing whatever you’re against.”
I’m not sure important debates about the problems of technological solutions like geoengineering and nuclear power can be overlooked so easily. Nevertheless, Bill Gates is an important ally in the fight against climate change, and whether or not you agree with everything he says, we should be grateful he’s joined the cause.
Lauren Newitt
Lauren is an aspiring ecologist with a particular interest in insects. Looking forward to graduating summer 2021 with a degree in Zoology from Exeter Uni, Lauren is currently working on her research into cowpat insects of the New Forest. In her free time, she enjoys tree climbing, sea swimming, and watching bumblebees.