Bill Gates is saving the planet. A billionaire’s business or a real desire to save the planet?

Now 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere every year. By 2050, that number needs to be reduced to zero. And Gates believes that goal is achievable.

The main goal of his new book is to clearly identify the sectors of the economy that account for so many greenhouse gases. The billionaire notes that while there is a problem, there was no quantitative basis. Gates doesn’t consider himself a professional in the field, but he admits that he is constantly expanding his knowledge and has substantial resources.

More about greenhouse gases

31% for industrial production, 27% for electricity generation and transmission, 19% for agriculture and animal husbandry, 16% for transportation and 7% for refrigeration and heating.
Bill Gates himself points out that the biggest problems are in steel production, cement production and transportation. The challenge is to develop processes that ensure that the end product does not emit greenhouse gases.

What does the founder of Microsoft suggest?

Back in December 2020, Gates wrote about the need for a set of national institutions for energy innovation in the United States. The main idea is to create a government agency similar to the National Institutes of Health.
Mr. Gates’ next proposal is to expand tax incentives for companies that use renewable energy sources.
But the important point is the availability of innovation not only in first-world countries.

The main sectors in which Bill Gates invests.

In the new book, Gates talks about investing in companies that reduce their carbon footprint. The figure in question is “over $1 billion. The investment comes through Breakthrough Energy Ventures, founded in 2016. So far, Breakthrough Energy Ventures has invested in 40 companies. One of them, QuantumScape, which is not yet profitable, entered the stock market through a third-party company acquired specifically for this purpose, bypassing the IPO.

The companies Gates is investing in include two plant-based meat producers: Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.

Mr. Gates’ biggest project is TerraPower. It is an enterprise in the nuclear power industry. The company was founded by Gates and several co-founders more than 10 years ago. The company planned to assemble its first reactor in China back in 2017. But the U.S. government’s ban on cooperation with China prevented the project from taking place. In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy allocated TerraPower $80 million to build the plant. As part of this agreement, 50% of the funding will be provided by the private sector. Gates predicts the demonstration plant will take five to seven years to build.

Read more about synthetic meat.

Most producers prefer to grow artificial meat from animal stem cells. Consumers claim that the characteristics of cultured meat are completely identical to thawed cuts. It marinates poorly and absorbs different flavors, but is great for eating and creating versatile dishes. By the way, 2019 was a real breakthrough year for meat substitutes: one of the largest producers, American Beyond Meat, went public with record numbers. Similarly, a competitor of the aforementioned company, Impossible Foods, which trades on the OTC market, plans to hold an IPO in 2021. Scientists believe that this approach to meat production may change the attitude to meat food even among convinced vegetarians and animal advocates.

Results

Despite Bill Gates’ commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the billionaire’s investment company bought the largest operator of private airfields back in early February. Private flights were especially popular during the pandemic, but they also involve huge carbon emissions. How does this relate to the billionaire’s initiatives?

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