Gates Revises Climate Stance, Scientists Push Back

Bill Gates published a memo ahead of next month’s UN climate summit saying climate change is serious but “will not lead to humanity’s demise,” and urging abandonment of doomsday framing in favor of measuring progress by improvements in human welfare. He called for redirecting attention and funding toward health, development, resilience and investments that both reduce emissions and alleviate poverty, arguing that innovation and recent downward revisions in emissions projections mean policy should balance emissions cuts with protecting vulnerable populations. Gates’ intervention marks a notable shift from his 2021 book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and years of prior climate funding. Climate scientists and other critics have pushed back, warning that downplaying urgency could weaken mitigation efforts and raising concerns about Gates’ support for unproven solutions such as modular nuclear reactors and geoengineering.