Bill Gates has admitted to flying on a private jet to the Paris climate change summit in 2015. Green campaigners say the revelation, made in his new book on reducing carbon emissions, undermines the billionaire philanthropist鈥檚 message.
The Microsoft co-founder鈥檚 book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, lays out how and why he thinks the world can get from emitting 51 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases a year today to net zero by 2050.
Gates concedes that he is an 鈥渋mperfect messenger on climate change鈥�, citing his wealth, ownership of large houses and flights in private planes. 鈥淚n fact, I took one to Paris for the climate conference,鈥� he writes. Gates attended this United Nations summit, which agreed a historic pact to avoid dangerous warming of more than 1.5掳C, .
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In addition to his work on health and development, the billionaire has been increasingly vocal on the urgency of addressing climate change and has invested in several energy companies that he thinks are key to bringing down emissions. Yet his interest in private jets remains. His investment vehicle, Cascade Investment, .
Rolf Skar at Greenpeace USA says: 鈥淏ill Gates鈥檚 new book is about avoiding a climate disaster, but his investment in private jets and Microsoft鈥檚 AI contracts with Exxon, Chevron and BP to extract more fossil fuels are adding to the crisis. Billionaires like Mr Gates need to lead by example or they won鈥檛 be taken seriously.鈥�
Private jets are one example of why the richest 1 per cent of people to emit more than twice as much as the poorest half of humanity, says Mark Raven at US-based non-profit 350.org.
Gates has also previously that fossil fuel divestment has 鈥渮ero鈥� impact on climate change, and his book shows he remains unconvinced of its effectiveness. However, he also writes that he has divested all his holdings 鈥� and the endowment of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 鈥� in oil and gas companies because 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to profit if their stock prices go up because we don鈥檛 develop zero carbon alternatives鈥�.
Gates didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment before publication.
