Bill Gates' recent climate essay has drawn sharp criticism for what prominent commentator George Monbiot describes as a dangerous denial of political realities and the role of billionaire power in addressing climate change.
The Politics Denier
In his latest 5,000-word essay published ahead of the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil, the Microsoft founder argues that delegates should redirect funds away from near-term emissions goals towards climate adaptation and spending on poverty and disease. Monbiot contends that Gates treats climate issues as existing in a political vacuum, completely ignoring the realities of political power and the influence of billionaires.
The fundamental problem, according to Monbiot, is Gates' assertion that funds are limited for climate action. This scarcity isn't due to natural economic laws but political choices, particularly the war on state spending led by oligarchic power that has destroyed USAID and caused drastic cuts to aid budgets in countries including the UK.
The Wealth Paradox
Monbiot highlights the stark contrast between Gates' concerns about funding limitations and the simultaneous revelation from Oxfam that the net worth of the 10 richest US billionaires grew by $698bn in just one year. This staggering sum alone is almost ten times the annual amount required to end extreme poverty worldwide.
There's a direct connection between the poverty Gates claims to care about and the wealth he fails to address. As homelessness breaks records in the US, the share of assets owned by the top 0.1% reaches new heights. The ultra-rich thrive through practices that impoverish others: holding down wages, increasing rents, busting trade unions and securing tax cuts.
Ultra-Rich Worldview and Trump Omission
A revealing study in Perspectives on Politics found that ultra-wealthy individuals have radically different priorities from the general population. Multimillionaires saw budget deficits as their most important issue and climate breakdown as the least significant. They overwhelmingly supported cutting social security and federal healthcare while opposing redistribution.
Monbiot notes the telling absence of any mention of Donald Trump in Gates' essay, despite the former president's active efforts to impede the green transition. Trump himself celebrated Gates' essay as an admission of being "completely WRONG" on climate change, calling it a victory in the "War on the Climate Change Hoax."
Despite Gates' claim that his foundation divested all direct holdings in oil and gas companies in 2019, the foundation's fossil fuel stock and bond holdings have actually increased, raising questions about alignment between his words and investments.
Billionaire Blind Spots
Monbiot suggests Gates might suffer from what could be called "billionaire brain" - a profound inability to see the world from others' perspectives. Research indicates that acquiring extreme wealth can scramble cognitive functions related to empathy and perspective-taking, similar to taking a blow to the head.
Gates' essay also fails to account for potential climate tipping points, where Earth systems could collapse suddenly rather than progressing gradually. This oversight makes his argument for aligning funding with current "data-based analysis" potentially dangerous, as it might cause us to ignore the greatest threats.
While Monbiot wishes we could ignore Bill Gates on climate matters, the billionaire's economic and political power makes this impossible. Unlike Gates, however, we can recognise that when this power speaks, it does so primarily in its own interests.
