Bill Gates

Why are you asking a businessman to solve a problem well outside his field and not, say, ecologists, anthropologists, biochemists, and environmental scientists? You know, people that study this shit for a living? That's like asking your dentist for plumbing advice. Maybe it's because you don't like the solution given by people in the relevant fields.

He punctuates his letter with a simple mathematical equation he concocted that underscores the need for what he calls an “energy miracle”.

Just say you have no idea if you're going to suggest magical cures.

Gates points out that scientists are calling for an 80 percent drop in carbon emissions by 2050 (and a total end by 2100) to stave off the most dramatic effects of climate change.

Actually, we need to start pulling carbon out of the air ASAP. We need to fully reverse it if we want to not cause a domino effect and kill ourselves and 90% of life with us.

the only way to get to zero carbon dioxide output is to drop one of those inputs to zero.

You have yet to demonstrate that this equation can accurately predict anything. Nor do we need it, because the prediction models environmental scientists already use have proven to already be pretty damn accurate at predicting things.

Since eliminating any carbon byproduct of energy is preferable to a complete human die-off or a stone age suite of services, that’s the only path.

Please elaborate on how you concluded that those are the only paths. Or how we can take a path that isn't currently available to us (a magic non-polluting energy source that allows you to continue expanding energy consumption)?

This also assumes that any reduction in energy consumption would send us back to the stone age. Explain this reasoning. Show your work. Citations needed. You also fail to acknowledge other factors of anthropogenic ecological collapse outside of carbon, such as rapid expansion, real estate development, land clearing, farming, pollution, and pesticides.

The solution to climate change has been made loud and clear, by those who study it, for decades; A society where the economy and production are carefully planned and kept in balance with our environment. In other words, we need to transition away from a capitalist system to a socialist system of government. This is probably why someone that lives in obscene luxury because of the said capitalist system, such as yourself, can't provide a real solution.

The solution needs to happen on multiple fronts; reduce energy consumption to what is necessary for a safe and happy life. No more overproducing just so the super-rich can live cartoonishly lavish lives. If we restrict production to only what we need to live comfortable lives (no, we don't even have to go stone age), then we reduce carbon considerably. As the repair of the ozone after the banning of CFCs has shown us, restrictions and regulations work. Instead of wasting money and effort on a fickle market that controls us, we instead take control of the market and force it to focus on something that matters. No more asking businesses nicely to reduce emissions, they've already had more than enough chances to shape up. No more allowing ridiculous polluters like NFTs to waste resources on things of little benefit. No more allowing big oil to avoid legal repercussions for sabotaging decades of environmental messaging.

We also need to dedicate more to researching and developing ways to pull carbon from the atmosphere. There has been promise shown in certain carbon-trapping plants. Without capitalist waste, we produce enough to reach our goals while reducing the harm overproduction causes. Mobilizing special forces to repair environmentally impacted sites would also need to happen. History has shown that scientific progress happens much faster under well-funded public programs than under a capitalist system that put the practical benefits of a project second to profit.

Transitioning the world to a planned economy that is not controlled by the whims of businessmen is the real 'only path'. It will lead to a less wasteful, less polluting society with the added benefit of raising the standard of living for most people.