Barbados Times

Barbados, Caribbean & World News
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2023

Bill Gates defends use of private jet amid fight against climate change

Bill Gates defends use of private jet amid fight against climate change

The Microsoft co-founder contested that he is 'part of the solution' to addressing climate change

Billionare philanthropist Bill Gates argued that it's not hypocritical for him to travel by private jet while simultaneously trying to fight climate change.

"What do you say to the charge that if you are a climate change campaigner, but you also travel around the world on a private jet, you're a hypocrite," BBC's Amol Rajan asked Gates during an interview in Kenya last week.

The co-founder of Microsoft – a fierce advocate for fighting climate change — said he isn't the problem. Rather, he contends he is the solution given all his efforts to address this issue, in part, though investing billions in climate technologies.

Bill Gates attends the World Leaders' Summit "Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment" session on day three of COP26 on November 02, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.

"Well I, by the gold standard of, funding Climeworks, to do direct air capture that far exceeds my family's carbon footprint," Gates replied.

Climeworks is a Swiss company that uses direct air capture (DAC) technology to fight climate change. The company said on its website that it "captures CO₂ directly from the air, reducing the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ by only using renewable energy, energy-from-waste, or other waste heat as energy sources."

Last year, it became Microsoft's first long-term carbon removal supplier.

The billionaire continued saying he spends "billions of dollars on climate innovation."

"I'm comfortable with the idea that not only am I not part of the problem by paying for the offsets, but also through the billions that my Breakthrough Energy group is spending, that I am part of the solution," he said.

Breakthrough Energy was founded by Gates in 2015. According to its website, Breakthough Energy funds "work on the actual climate technologies our world will need to meaningfully reduce emissions" and brings public and private sectors together "to accelerate market formation, spur further innovation, and reduce Green Premiums."

It also advocated for "public policies that will give new technologies a chance in the marketplace, incentivize investment in carbon-reduction technologies, and drive down clean technology costs," the website continues.

According to Reuters, Gates has already invested over $2 billion toward climate technologies. This includes investments in direct air capture in addition to solar energy and nuclear fission.

However, according to the World Wildlife Fund, air travel is still currently considered "the most carbon intensive activity an individual can make."

"Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change," the World Wildlife Fund's website reads. "In fact, if the entire aviation sector were a country, it would be one of the top 10 carbon-polluting nations on the planet."

Private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial planes, according to a report from the European Federation for Transport and Environment.

One private jet can emit two tonnes of CO₂ within an hour, according to the report.
Comments

Oh ya 48 days ago
This nutjob can not meet his maker soon enough. CO2 feeds plants and in return the plants make oxygen to feed humans and all animals. He is helping you like he helped you with the biological agent that they call a vaccine, how is that working out for the folks as they die suddenly and have cancer rates explode. The life insurance companies are seeing a 40 % rise in deaths. They track death every closely as its their business

Newsletter

Related Articles

Barbados Times
Close
0:00
0:00
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
Nashville style execution
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
UK: Humza Yousaf replaces Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister in Scotland
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
×