Bill Gates discovers the way to fight climate battle actually involves helping humans

Bill Gates challenges COP30 climate priorities using poverty reduction arguments, citing data showing energy access prevents more suffering than emissions targets alone.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation, heads the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation.

His argument rests on three key premises: climate change poses serious challenges but does not represent an existential threat to civilization; temperature metrics alone inadequately measure climate-related progress; and improved health and economic prosperity provide the most effective defense against climate change.

Gates provides data to show that achieving net-zero emissions would result in a 1.9-degree Celsius temperature increase from 1990 levels, while inaction would produce a 2.9-degree increase. This one-degree differential, he argues, suggests that resources allocated toward net-zero goals might yield greater humanitarian benefits if redirected toward energy access and disease prevention.