Bill Gates U-turns on climate change as billionaire slams 'doomsday outlook'

The 70-year-old billionaire made these remarks in an open letter released ahead of the UN Cop30 climate summit scheduled for Brazil.

Mr Gates wrote that "people will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future," whilst acknowledging that climate change would "hurt poor people more than anyone else."

While Mr Gates called climate change "a very important problem" that demands a solution, he admitted that “the doomsday outlook is causing much of the climate community to focus too much on near-term emissions goals."

He continued that international governments are "diverting resources from the most effective things we should be doing to improve life in a warming world".

The Gates Foundation has channelled billions into renewable energy research, carbon capture technologies, and climate adaptation programmes across developing nations.

The remarks emerge as global leaders prepare for the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, where nations will assess progress on emissions reduction targets and climate finance commitments.

According to specialists, humanity faces far more immediate dangers that could trigger extinction before climate change reaches its most severe stages.

Dr Rhys Crilley from the University of Glasgow said: "The key difference is time: climate change unfolds over decades; nuclear war could end civilisation in the space of a few hours."

He added: "Climate change is a slow-burning crisis that's already reshaping our world but will get worse in the future, whilst nuclear weapons pose the possibility of instant, total devastation for the planet."

Researchers identify five primary extinction risks: rogue artificial intelligence, nuclear conflict, engineered biological weapons, climate change, and natural catastrophes including asteroid impacts.

Experts warn that nuclear warfare poses the gravest immediate danger to human survival, with over 12,000 warheads currently in global arsenals.

Dr Crilley stated: "These risks are not theoretical: the weapons exist, the tensions between nuclear-armed states are worsening, and it seems that nuclear weapon states are increasingly willing to use force to get what they want whilst threatening to use nuclear weapons."

Research indicates even a limited nuclear exchange involving 100 warheads would trigger a "nuclear little ice age," reducing global temperatures by up to 10C for nearly a decade.

This would devastate agricultural production worldwide, potentially causing two billion deaths from starvation within two years.

Earlier this month, Downing Street confirmed Sir Keir Starmer will attend the Cop30 climate summit, despite reports previously suggesting he would skip the meeting in Brazil.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the move was part of efforts to restore the UK as "a global leader for climate action and green growth".

He added that net zero was "the economic opportunity of the 21st century" and could "reignite our industrial heartlands” and "create good jobs for the future."

Green Party leader Zack Polanski warned that it would be a "huge abdication of responsibility" if Sir Keir Starmer did not travel to Brazil.

Green leader in the Commons Ellie Chowns said: "Cop30 is taking place against a backdrop of continued financial support from governments for the fossil fuel industry. This includes an estimated £17.5billion every year here in the UK.

"The government must also refuse permission for the giant Rosebank oilfield, which would create more emissions than the combined annual CO2 emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world, the very countries that are bearing the brunt of climate breakdown."

Labour MP for Basingstoke and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change Luke Murphy said: "Tackling climate change is the defining challenge of our century and it demands united global action.

"I’m delighted that the Prime Minister will attend Cop30, leading from the front and putting the UK back where it belongs, at the forefront of climate leadership."