Overview
- In a 17‑page memo, Gates argues climate change is serious but not civilization‑ending and says alarmist rhetoric diverts resources from improving health, infrastructure, agriculture and energy access in vulnerable countries.
- He says he would choose eradicating malaria over averting an extra 0.1°C of warming to reduce immediate suffering, and he urges measuring climate success by lives improved rather than temperature alone.
- Coverage reports recent shifts in his ecosystem, including Breakthrough Energy staff reductions and the closure of its climate think tank, as well as redirected philanthropy toward health and poverty where public aid has fallen; he is not expected to attend COP30.
- Gates emphasizes technology‑led pathways such as cutting the “Green Premium” and advancing nuclear projects like TerraPower to reach net‑zero without sacrificing development goals.
- Scientists offered mixed to critical reactions, and newly released peer‑reviewed reports from The Lancet and BioScience document millions of annual deaths tied to heat and fossil pollution and record‑level planetary ‘vital signs,’ underscoring demands for faster mitigation and adaptation.