Bill Gates on “Che Tempo Che Fa” (CTCF)
“I am truly fortunate. I worked on software when I was young, open-minded, and believed something miraculous could happen. Then I focused on global health through the work of the Foundation. We have made tremendous progress, far more than I expected.
I am really lucky… My education, the ability to speak with experts, and the joy of learning new things make my work meaningful and fun,” said the American entrepreneur and philanthropist during his appearance on Fabio Fazio’s show Che Tempo Che Fa on Rai3. This was on the occasion of the global release of his highly anticipated book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.”
Bill Gates on CTCF: the birth of ideas
“The idea of believing in software, of not sticking to the old ways of doing things, the idea that there could be a PC on every desk – even though it seemed absolutely crazy to most people in the industry – excited me! For me, software was a big deal…
We were a small group of kids who started a revolution, and from that moment on, I tried to teach good new ideas to others. Then I tried to understand the innovation process. For example, I tried to do something to solve malaria, like creating a new type of mosquito net or developing a new vaccine… Now I am orchestrating innovation in areas where, truly, like climate change, it makes a huge difference!”
On Climate Disaster and the Pandemic
“The pandemic is like climate change in the sense that our governments did not prepare us, did not look ahead, and did not do what they should have done to make the pandemic a secondary event. It is harder to do the same with climate change because the effects worsen over time, and the truly terrible consequences will be felt in a few decades.
And those who suffer the most are people in poor countries, where subsistence farmers struggle. If they fail to harvest, they face malnutrition, instability, and begin to migrate in much larger numbers than in the past.
So, we must look ahead and act now if we want to solve the climate problem. With climate, we don’t just need one solution, like a vaccine for the pandemic. We need many discoveries across the entire economy to eliminate the 51 billion tons of CO2 emissions we currently produce.”
Bill Gates on CTCF: the positive and negative effects of technology
“Life is certainly better today than 200 years ago, when the average life expectancy was 35 years. Now we are more educated, have more free time, so I don’t think technology has fundamentally negative effects. Of course, there are negative side effects, like CO2 emissions.
It will be difficult to manage this issue, but I don’t think looking back in time is the right solution. Instead, I believe we can innovate. We can make green technologies more affordable, saving the entire world, not just rich countries.
So, please adopt a green approach, not just for transportation but for all products. We need innovations, and we don’t have much time.”
On Solutions to Zero CO2 Emissions
“Emissions are increasing year after year, even during the pandemic, they decreased by less than 10%. This is because we continue to build coal plants and produce more gasoline cars, so emissions keep rising. If we want a significant decline, we need to change quickly. Take the electric car industry, for example.
Today, they might be more expensive, but as production volumes increase and competition grows, costs will decrease, and there will be more options. Charging stations will become more accessible.
In the next 10 to 15 years, electric cars will be far preferable to gasoline cars and will be completely green. This is the ideal scenario: if this could happen in every industry, with products that replace others and are appealing to consumers.
We need to do this everywhere there are emissions. Most industrial sectors are far behind the automotive industry. Cement, steel, and even airplane fuels create significant emissions. The green approach is still expensive, so green products cost more right now.”
Bill Gates on CTCF: the sectors producing the most CO2
“The main sector is manufacturing. People don’t realize that the use of cement and steel in construction is harmful. Then there’s electricity, agriculture—another sector with more problems than expected.
For example, take cattle farming: the fact that cows ruminate leads to significant methane emissions. So, anyone who thinks it’s easy probably doesn’t consider what needs to be changed, but it’s not impossible.
I believe that young generations in every country understand that this is an ethical and moral cause, so they are ready to support these ideas. Environmentalism and climate are critical issues. We need all of this because politicians must receive the message that climate innovation and transition are worth prioritizing”.
On balancing economy and environment
“There are economic signals in the market. We need to create practices that incentivize companies to go green and encourage new companies to show how to be green without bearing extra costs.
This cost difference must decrease. We have examples like solar and wind energy, which are now affordable. There are companies leading the development of electricity from these green sources.
We need reliability and to maintain it, especially as we approach 80% or more of electricity being produced this way. Specialized companies are working on these issues. The only way to eliminate the green premium is to convince entrepreneurs and intellectuals that it’s possible to reduce these costs.
The next generation of cars gives us hope. In the next 30 years, everything will be completely green. There are other challenges in manufacturing, agriculture, and aviation… Now we need batteries with enough energy for long-haul flights.”
Bill Gates on CTCF: about Biden
“I knew him when he was a Senator and Vice President. I spoke with him before and after the elections, several times since he was elected. I am very enthusiastic about what he has done, including his climate priorities.”
On the idea of entering politics and running for U.S.A. President
“I don’t think I’ll run. I don’t think being a candidate is the best use of my skills. I prefer to focus on pandemics and climate. Of course, I collaborate with governments, especially the U.S. government, and I admire those who want to become politicians. But no, between managing my foundation and the Breakthrough Energy project, I have enough to do.”
Bill Gates on CTCF: his project for safe nuclear energy
“We have renewable sources to rely on, but unfortunately, there are weather conditions where electricity from wind and solar can drop to almost zero. Reliability is crucial to prevent people from freezing in winter or being unable to use air conditioning during heatwaves.
We need to store as much energy as possible for later use. It’s not yet clear if we can do this, as it’s 20 times harder than working on current batteries. Right now, 20-25% of electricity comes from green sources that don’t depend on weather conditions.
Nuclear fusion and fission can play a role, but I am the first to admit that current reactors are too expensive and not designed to be inherently safe.
There have been few accidents so far, but we should take the current generation of reactors and try to improve them. For example, I founded TerraPower, a company working on this. This new generation of reactors could be part of the solution to climate problems.
I hope to build this pilot plant in the U.S., as we are doing now, so that this and future generations can have something significant from a climate perspective. This could be a major breakthrough in terms of safety.”
