Those living in poverty need cheap energy to help them get a better life. Lectures by wealthy countries saying poor countries need renewable energy now to cut carbopn emissions is unrealistic and will keep them in poverty. Instead, such countries need cheap, clean fossil fuels. So says Bill Gates, whose foundation has serious influence and clout.
Even as we push to get serious about confronting climate change, we should not try to solve the problem on the backs of the poor. For one thing, poor countries represent a small part of the carbon-emissions problem. And they desperately need cheap sources of energy now to fuel the economic growth that lifts families out of poverty. They can’t afford today’s expensive clean energy solutions, and we can’t expect them wait for the technology to get cheaper.
Gates features a video from the highly controversial Bjorn Lomborg, saying “I certainly don’t agree with Bjorn (or the Copenhagen Consensus) on everything, but I always find him worth listening to. He’s not an ideologue. He’s a data-driven guy who cares about using scarce resources in the smartest possible way.
Greentechmedia explains why they think Gates is wrong.