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Climate change is a very overwhelming and systematic problem, and it is easy to feel that there is nothing an individual can do to combat it.
But Microsoft Co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates Made some concrete suggestions in Online Q & A session At Reddit on Thursday.
Save money by buying climate-friendly products
As a consumer, if you choose to buy a more expensive product with lower carbon emissions, it may feel like a drop in the bucket. But if enough people buy those products, it will drive demand, lead to larger scales, and push down the prices of those climate-friendly options, he said.
“There will be a bit of extra cost as green products like electric cars, synthetic meats and heat pumps for home heating / cooling come out. Buying these products will help scale up and price. Because it can be lowered, the “green premium” is reduced. “Gates talked about Reddit.
Ideas “Green Premium” is what Gates frequently discusses.. This is the price difference between traditional products and climate-friendly alternatives.
Gates can help the government reduce green premiums by lowering prices for climate-friendly options and making traditional varieties more expensive, Gates blogged about 2020 Green Premium. Said in. Businesses and investors can also help reduce green premiums by investing in climate-friendly alternatives, investing in innovation, and advocating for government.
But individuals can also make a difference in the development of the market for new, cleaner product options.
“If you buy an electric car or plant-based burger as more expensive than other products, you tell the companies that make these products:'” Gates wrote in a blog post on a topic published in 2020.. “It encourages investment in research, lowers prices, and ultimately makes clean products more affordable for everyone.”
Of course, for some, more expensive alternatives aren’t economically feasible, and Gates admits this in his blog post.
Vote and get started locally
According to Gates, individuals can not only support the new green industry, but also influence the companies they work in and help fight climate change by voting for elected officials who prioritize climate policy. increase.
In his Reddit answer, Gates 2021 blog post excerpted from his book, “How to avoid climate disasters” So he emphasized the importance of voting without having to spend money, unlike buying green products.
“Participating in the political process is the most important single step that people of all disciplines can take to avoid climate disasters,” Gates wrote in his book.
Gates writes that politicians are constantly coordinating a myriad of priorities, and if their members express concerns about climate issues, they are more likely to focus their energy there.
“Any other resource you may have, you can always use your voice and your vote to make a difference,” Gates wrote in his book. “Calling, writing, attending the city hall. Helping leaders understand that thinking about the long-term issues of climate change is about thinking about work, education, and health. It’s just as important. Care. “
Also, when using your voice politically, be specific and start locally, Gates says.
“For example, in the United States, electricity is primarily regulated by state-wide public utility commissions and consists of elected or appointed members. Know who your representative is and contact them. Please fight, “Gates wrote in the book.
And if you want it, run for a politician, Gates writes.
Infrastructure changes
Also on Thursday at Reddit, Gates considered the industrial infrastructure grade changes that need to be made to address climate change.
“The key is to be able to produce electricity, steel, cement, meat, etc. without emissions, at less than today’s costs,” Gates said. Through the Climate Investment Fund, he invests in entrepreneurs and start-ups working on these categories. Breakthrough energy venture..
He also showed support for nuclear energy, including nuclear fission and future fusion, with a reputation for “if costs, security, and waste concerns can be resolved,” but the technology is commercially available. He said that he would go further to the transformation and expansion. But because he is an investor in nuclear power, he admitted that there was “prejudice.”He founded TerraPowerA company working on the commercialization of advanced fission reactors.
Gates One of the wealthiest people in the worldAnd in his big house and private jet, He is a bicarbonate emitter, And he admits it. He said in a 2021 blog post that he offsets emissions and sees investment in climate change as a kind of antidote to high emissions.
“Investing in a company doesn’t reduce carbon emissions, but if you choose a winner, you’re responsible for removing much more carbon than I create,” Gates wrote. ..