According to the American billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates, global warming “is not going to lead to the disappearance of humanity”. While climate change will have “serious consequences, particularly for people in the poorest countries, […] people will be able to live and prosper on most of the planet in the near future,” writes Bill Gates.
Ironically, Gates’ plea for improvement of living conditions for the poorest comes simultaneously with Oxfam’s report stating that since 1990, the share of global CO2 emissions accounted for by the very richest 0.1% has risen by 32%, while the share of global CO2 emissions accounted for by the poorest half of humanity has fallen by 3%.
A person from the wealthiest 0.1%, of which Bill Gates undoudably is part, being one of the wealthiest men on earth, emits more carbon pollution in one day than someone in the poorest 50% emits in a whole year.
A few days before the opening of the 30th United Nations climate conference (on November 10th, 2025, in Bélem, Brazil), the Microsoft co-founder published a text on his website on Monday evening, calling to refocus the debate on “improving living conditions”, rather than on temperatures and emissions.
He believes that the summit in Belém at the beginning of November “is an opportunity to refocus attention on the measure that should count much more than emissions and temperature: the improvement of living conditions”.
Essentials problems
According to Gates, poverty and disease remain humanity’s most important problems, and tackling them will help the most vulnerable people live in a warmer world. He argues that while reducing emissions remains essential, we must also invest in adaptation, in protecting the most vulnerable, and in deploying technology that allows people to “live and thrive” even in a warming world.
“We must continue to support the advances that will help the world reach zero emissions,” he says. Still, the priority objective, according to him, must be to drastically reduce the cost difference between CO2-emitting solutions and decarbonised alternatives, which are currently more expensive.
‘False choice’
Bill Gates, who founded Breakthrough Energy in 2015 —a fund that invested heavily in emerging technologies —is a fierce defender of innovation as a central solution in the fight against climate change.
And that is precisely what irritates scientists: they say that every fraction of a degree of global warming matters and accuse him of proposing a false choice between climate action and reducing human suffering.
Gates is optimistic that innovation will curb climate change and that artificial intelligence is helping accelerate advances in clean energy technologies. In short, Gates is steering the narrative away from ‘end-of-humanity’ panic toward a more hopeful tone, and our strategy should emphasize human welfare and innovation. Scientists, however, disagree.
Hurricane Melissa
“Global warming is undermining efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve human development goals around the world,” Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists told AFP.
And she added: “Hurricane Melissa, a storm boosted by climate change, is just the latest example of the deadly and costly consequences of climate change for nations already suffering from complex humanitarian situations.”
Meanwhile, global CO2 emissions continue to rise. The most recent Oxfam climate report – “Climate Plunder: How a powerful few are locking the world into disaster” – even shows that one person in the world’s richest 0.1% emits more CO2 per day than the poorest 50% emits in an entire year.
“If everyone were to emit like someone in the wealthiest 1 percent, the carbon budget would be depleted in less than three months,” the report explains. The carbon budget is the maximum amount of CO2 that can be emitted globally to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to Oxfam’s analysis, 89 percent of the carbon budget remaining in 1990 has already been used up.
‘Inequality crisis’
However, to keep global warming below 1.5°C, the wealthiest 0.1% would need to reduce their emissions by 99% (from 800 kg of CO2 per day to 8 kg of CO2 per day).
“The climate crisis is an inequality crisis,” says Oxfam climate expert Jacqueline Persson. “This crisis is hitting the very poorest hardest, with an increase in devastating floods, extreme heat, crop failures, and hunger. At the same time, low-income countries bear little responsibility for the current climate crisis.”
In the run-up to the UN climate summit in Brazil, Oxfam is therefore calling on governments to reduce emissions from the super-rich, make the most significant polluters pay for the global climate damage they cause, and impose stricter sustainability rules.
Conclusion?
Both Gates and Oxfam agree that climate change is a serious issue. They both acknowledge that the poorest and most vulnerable people will suffer disproportionately and support the idea that innovation/solutions are needed.
Bill Gates advises investing in tech, human welfare, and adaptation, not only in emissions cuts, while Oxfam says we cannot ignore the massive emissions inequality—those highest emitters must be part of the solution and the accountability.
