Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be turning the ideas in my book into action and trying to turn this plan into reality.īelow is an excerpt from the introduction, which gives you a sense of what the book is about and how I came to write it.
We’ll be supporting great thinkers and cutting-edge technologies and businesses, as well as pushing for public- and private-sector policies that will speed up the clean energy transition. The effort I founded called Breakthrough Energy, which started with a venture fund to invest in promising clean energy companies, has expanded to a network of philanthropic programs, investment funds, and advocacy efforts to accelerate energy innovation at every step. I also included ways in which everyone can contribute-whether you’re a political leader, an entrepreneur, an inventor, a voter, or an individual who wants to know how you can help. I didn’t assume that readers know anything about energy or climate change, though if you do, I hope it will deepen your understanding of this incredibly complex topic. Instead, we need to invest in technologies that will allow emerging countries to develop in a sustainable manner, without increasing their carbon footprints.I kept the jargon to a minimum because I wanted the book to be accessible to everyone who cares about this issue. It is inconceivable to ask African countries, for example, which today account for only 2% of carbon emissions, to continue living in poverty in order to avoid a climate disaster. The fight against global warming must take these issues into account, and must not condemn human beings to live in poverty. This makes promoting the economic development of the poorest regions vital.
He states that it is imperative that every individual has access to electricity, transport and quality food. Gates also reconciles the fight against poverty with the fight against climate change. Carbon could be removed either at the source of the emission or in the atmosphere.
He defines this as reducing emissions as much as possible, in combination with carbon removal techniques.
He also explains that achieving “zero emissions” does not mean that our economic activities will no longer result in carbon emissions, but that we are talking about net zero emissions. He explains with great clarity that reducing our emissions will not be enough, because as long as carbon accumulates in the atmosphere, temperatures will continue to rise, threatening all life on this planet. Bill Gates’ entire argument is based on a single fact : the need to aim for carbon neutrality.
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