Having built up a net worth of well over $100 billion, Bill Gates has committed his energy and dollars to trying to solve some of the most vexing problems of our time: HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria, Covid-19. He is also focused on climate change and has just published a new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. In it he argues persuasively that the world needs to get to zero carbon emissions by 2050. He wants readers to know that achieving that goal won’t be easy but it can be done, particularly if we find ways to spur green innovation. Gates recently spoke with HBR’s editor in chief, Adi Ignatius, from his office in Seattle. Here’s an edited version of the conversation.
A version of this article appeared in the March–April 2021 issue of Harvard Business Review.
