Innovation is the only way the world can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from about 51 billion tonnes per year to zero by 2050, Bill Gates said.
The world's attention is on the ongoing COP26 (Conference of the Parties) meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. World leaders and leaders will meet to come up with an agreement on how to tackle the impacts of climate change, including Gates.
"Before the last COP meeting, in Paris in 2015, innovation was hardly on the climate agenda. Shifting the world's focus to creating clean technologies was one of the biggest successes of the Paris COP. Continuing that success, the biggest opportunity is probably this year, because innovation is one the only way the world can reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he wrote in a note quoted by the Financial Times.
According to him, there is currently more funding for research, and more financiers for green start-ups in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise than ever before.
"As a result, some important clean technologies such as sustainable aircraft fuel, 'green' steel, and highly durable batteries are now available and ready for further development," he said.
He said, if the world is truly committed to climate innovation, then all these breakthroughs must be the beginning of the story. Gates argues, at COP26, people need to think about how to turn a lab-proven concept into a product that people can buy and want.
This will require a massive effort to fund hundreds of early-stage climate technology commercial pilot projects. Therefore, according to Gates, funding clean technology is a way to avoid climate catastrophe.
What Gates says is in line with the results that world leaders and leaders expect from COP26:
Funding from developed countries to combat and mitigate climate change
Compensation from developed countries for the impact that will befall them
Funding from a group of developed countries to help them implement a more environmentally friendly economy.
"At COP26, the world must step up clean technology innovation, both to mitigate the worst impacts of climate and to adapt to the effects we are already experiencing, on the agenda in the same way that R&D did in 2015," Gates said.
The Microsoft founder will talk a lot about tackling climate change at COP26. To note, the COP meeting is held every year (this year is the 26th). This year's conference is of particular concern so that each country agrees to update every five years on their efforts to reduce emissions.
