archive.today • Opinion | Bill Gates: Fighting Climate Change Should Be Affordable. The Rich Can Make It So. - The New York Times

I think his "Yeah, I fly all over the globe in my private jet" take is horror comedy.

Very wealthy individuals should also be making changes to their lifestyles to bring their emissions close to zero. If you fly in a private jet, as I do, you can afford the extra cost of sustainable aviation fuel made from low-carbon crops and waste. You’ll not only lower your own emissions; you’ll also help drive demand for clean fuel, which will increase the supply and eventually make it cheap enough to use more widely in commercial aircraft. That will be a game changer for reducing emissions from long-distance air travel, which remains one of the toughest climate problems.

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A comment...

Edward

Wichita, KS

2h ago

Dear Mr. Gates, thanks for your concern. Having just read in these pages that ethanol is now going to be the the basis for jet fuel, I'm sure every farm in the US will now grow corn exclusively. That should be great for the purveyors of bottled water, as the aquifers will drain even faster. But private jet owners can congratulate themselves that their global emissions are pure.

How about just paying taxes?

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    The top comment wasn't what I expected at all.

    LA Filmer

    Bay Area

    2h ago

    My son and I were in San Diego a couple of years ago looking at yachts. We saw one enormous yacht and we looked it up on the Internet. It turned out it was Bill Gates’s support yacht for his primary yacht. It was probably 300 feet long. Its role was to carry fancy water, toys, extra staff, and fuel and food for the primary yacht.

    Why do we even listen to this guy? Until he walks the talk, he’s just another major contributor to the problem. You can’t be green if you fly in a private plane. You can’t be green if you live in a mega mansion. You can’t be green if you own multiple mega yachts. It doesn’t matter if you use sustainable fuels or renewables. Bill, live like the rest of us and then you’ll have more credibility.

    Also, Bill, I’d like to hear you talk about the negative impact you’ve had on the planet through anti-competitive practices and stimulating the growth of the personal computer. For all of your investments in clean tech, you’re still deep down a negative carbon debt hole I bet.

    Quit telling us how to live our lives and why don’t you fix your own. You can start by selling your plane, your mega mansions and your yachts.

    • buttwater [they/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      maybe-later-honey terribly uncivil the way he points out specific criticisms of someone with more money than him. closing this comment section since y'all just can't behave

    • GarfieldYaoi [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      porky-scared-flipped: "Clean up AFTER MYSELF! BUT AH DUN WANNA! That's your job, poor!"

      Our so-called betters are mentally spoiled 5-year old children. Literally they won't even clean up after their own mess because they're too lazy to.