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Bill Gates warns that manufacturing could challenge climate goals

Bill Gates exudes optimism indiscussing the world’s ability to tackle climate change – untilhe hits on manufacturing. The software-developer-turned-philanthropist has investedsome $2 billion toward the development of clean technologies.But those investments are in electricity generation and storage,not in manufacturing. Read More...

By Katy Daigle

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Bill Gates exudes optimism indiscussing the world’s ability to tackle climate change – untilhe hits on manufacturing. About that, he is worried.

There is currently no way to make steel or cement withoutreleasing climate-warming emissions. Yet, neither governmentsnor investors are looking hard to solve that problem, Gatessaid.

“That’s the sector that bothers me the most,” Gates said ina video interview with Reuters ahead of the publication thisweek of his book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.”

The software-developer-turned-philanthropist has investedsome $2 billion toward the development of clean technologies.But those investments are in electricity generation and storage,not in manufacturing.

Manufacturing – especially in the cheap construction staplessteel and cement – accounts for roughly a third of globalgreenhouse gas emissions. That makes manufacturing morepolluting than the power or transportation sectors, whichreceive far more attention in policies and investments. And themanufacturing sector is set to grow, as the global populationclimbs and countries further develop.

“People still need basic shelter, certainly in developingcountries,” said Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp.“It’s unlikely we’ll stop building buildings.”

Gates plans to push for more research and innovation at theU.N. climate conference in Glasgow in November. “The idea is toget innovation, including R&D, onto the agenda … not justlooking at the easy stuff.”

During the 2015 U.N. climate talks in Paris, Gates helped tolaunch a global initiative called Mission Innovation along withU.S. President Barack Obama, France’s President FrancoisHollande and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to linknational governments with the private sector in pursuing andsharing clean technology.

We need “total coordination, and in fact some overlap is avery good thing to have,” Gates told Reuters. But he said thereshould be diversity in the solutions being sought so governmentsdo not end up duplicating efforts.

Right now, for example, “they’re doing a lot of greenhydrogen products,” Gates said. “But who’s doing the hardstuff?”

Some manufacturing plants may be able to lower theiremissions by plugging into an electricity grid run on renewableenergy. But that will not solve all emissions from steel- andcement-making, both processes that release carbon dioxide as abyproduct.

In the United States, it hasn’t helped to have energy policyyo-yo between presidential administrations, he said. “Thisstop-start approach, that’s too risky for the private sector.”

On a personal note, Gates says in his book that, after yearsof dismissing activists’ calls to divest from fossil fuels, hesold his direct holdings in oil and gas companies in 2019. TheGates Foundation’s endowment did the same – but not becauseGates became convinced that divestment would push companiestoward clean energy.

Rather, “I don’t want to profit if their stock prices go upbecause we don’t develop zero-carbon alternatives,” he writes.“I’d feel bad if I benefited from a delay in getting to zero.”(Reporting by Katy Daigle; Editing by Howard Goller)

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