Copyright Benzinga
President Donald Trump prematurely declared victory in the “War on the Climate Change Hoax” after thanking Bill Gates for allegedly "admitting" that his stance on climate change had changed—an interpretation Gates quickly dismissed. The Microsoft co-founder, speaking at a conference on Monday night, referenced a memo he had written, in which he argued that humanity should focus on poverty and human issues in addition to climate issues. Trump caught wind of the statement, and took it as an admission that one issue was more important than the other. But Gates clarified that he intended to highlight innovations, not question the scientific consensus on climate change. "I didn’t think the memo was going to convert the non-believers into believers, and sure enough, it didn’t convert them,” Gates said. Trump's interpretation, he added, was "a gigantic misreading of the memo." Gates’ funding for public health and climate change initiatives would increase, he added. Read Next: Michael Burry Is Super-Bearish On Palantir — With 5 Million Puts Geoengineering Gates also suggested that society might need to explore geoengineering—controversial technologies capable of temporarily cooling the planet—if climate conditions reach critical tipping points that trigger rapid, unpredictable changes. As a supporter of research in the field of geoengineering, he acknowledged both its potential and its risks. Gates warned that reliance on geoengineering could weaken the global resolve to cut greenhouse gas emissions. He also said that scientists must thoroughly understand its possible local and regional effects before any large-scale implementation is considered. The Takeaway The response to Gates' climate memo has exposed the divide over how to approach climate research and policy. On one hand, Trump’s supporters seemingly saw the memo as validation for their long-standing skepticism of alarmist climate narratives and costly regulations. On the other, Gates insisted that the memo was misunderstood and that the threat of climate change remains serious. Read Next: IREN, Cipher Bag Billion-Dollar AI Deals: Which Company Is Next? Image created from photos taken from Shutterstock.
