Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, recently caused some surprise with a new blog post that somewhat mitigates his earlier alarming warnings on climate change. He suggests that, while the issue is serious, it does not spell doom for human civilization.
In a memo titled “Three Tough Truths About Climate,” published Monday on his Gates Notes website, Gates pushed back against what he called the “doomsday view” of global warming. He argued in the memo that while rising temperatures do pose real challenges for humanity – especially for certain vulnerable populations – the narrative of a soon-incoming catastrophe has overshadowed how mankind approaches practical solutions.
“This is a chance to refocus on the metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change: improving lives,” Gates wrote.
The change of tone, or in what may be seen as a wider range of cadence from Gates on the environmental issue, has drawn in a wide array of responses.
The comments show a change from Gates’ past statements on the issue, where he compared the climate fight to feats like the moon landing or eradicating smallpox. Additionally, he warned that its overall lethal impacts could surpass those of COVID-19.
Gates, who has invested billions through his Breakthrough Energy Ventures in green technology, now claims that humanity’s resilience will prevent its extinction, even as “extreme weather events” continue to occur throughout the world.
The change in tone from Gates sparked an online slew of reactions, particularly among voices that accused Gates of flip-flopping after years of what they referred to as his “fear-mongering,” which they claimed had fueled costly political policies and even some cultural shifts.
On social media, X user @DC_Draino referred to Gates’ memo as a big win, writing, “This is a huge victory. Bill Gates & the climate change alarmists are finally admitting humans will be just fine. Truth-tellers were demonized for years for saying the extremism was unwarranted, but even with massive censorship, the data keeps proving that human activity isn’t causing the planet to combust.”
The discussion also highlights recent data indicating the public’s growing fatigue with apocalyptic media discussions, including those on social media.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten posted on X, saying, “Bill Gates & climate change… He’s not alone in doubting a doomsday scenario. Only 2% rank climate change as the top issue facing the USA. The % who are greatly worried has been steady since 1989. Just 17% say climate change will make it harder to stay in their home area.”
President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, declaring victory over the “Climate Change Hoax” and crediting Gates’ admission as a turning point for common-sense policies.
“I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax. Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue. It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful. MAGA!!!,” the President wrote.