Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates looks forward to working with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to resolve some of the problems the US is facing in the days ahead. Gates specifically mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and says that despite these weighty pressures, he has hope for the future.
"I look forward to working with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to address some of our greatest challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change," Gates tweeted on Wednesday. "This was a troubling time in America, but I see promise for the months and years to come."
I look forward to working with the President @Joe Biden and Vice President @ KamalaHarris address some of our toughest challenges like COVID-19 and climate change. This has been a troubling time in America, but I see promising results in the months and years to come.
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 20, 2021
In three more tweets, Gates encouraged Americans to practice social distancing, wear masks, and get the COVID-19 vaccine, noting that this will eventually return the country to a more normal life. He also praised Biden for his "commitment to reintegration into the world" and for his decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden actually did Sign papers re-oblige the US to do just that on Wednesday afternoon.
Almost 200 countries are part of the agreement and have agreed to fight global warming by reducing CO2 emissions. In 2017 then President Donald Trump pulled the nation out of the climate agreementand said it was unfair to the US and would cost the country jobs.
As Americans across the country work together, more people are getting a COVID-19 vaccine every day, bringing us closer to a time when life will be much more normal. Until then, we can slow the spread of the virus and save lives by keeping our distance and wearing masks.
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 20, 2021
The President's commitment to reconnecting with the world gives me hope that the recovery will reach everyone, including the color communities in the US and people in poor countries around the world.
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 20, 2021
And while COVID-19 will rightly continue to dominate the agenda, the United States also has the opportunity to lead the world in preventing climate catastrophe. The President is taking a big first step by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.
- Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 20, 2021
COVID, climate change in focus
Gates, who funds medical research and vaccination programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, stepped down from the Microsoft board of directors earlier this year to "devote more time to philanthropic priorities such as global health, development, education, and his increasing commitment to combat of climate change, "According to a March statement. Since then, he has made several media appearances discussing the pandemic and the warning about climate change. His new book "How to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe" will be published in February.
Gates warned in a blog post in August that while COVID-19 is "terrible," the climate crisis could be even worse. He acknowledged that it is difficult to focus on anything other than the coronavirus pandemic right now, but warned the US that it must accelerate efforts to address climate change to avoid a climate catastrophe.
"If you want to understand the damage climate change is going to cause, look at COVID-19 and spread the pain over a much longer period of time," Gates wrote on his blog in August. "The loss of life and economic misery caused by this pandemic is in line with what will happen regularly if we do not eliminate global carbon emissions."
In December, in another blog post, he suggested creating a new government agency called the National Institutes of Energy Innovation to tackle climate change.
"There is no central office responsible for evaluating and promoting great ideas," Gates wrote. "For example, research on clean fuels is administered by offices in the Energy, Transportation and Defense departments - and even by NASA. Likewise, responsibility for research on energy storage is shared between at least four offices in the Department of Energy."
Gates said the National Institutes of Health could serve as a model for the agency, providing a clear and specific mission that would allow independent researchers to follow the science, rather than political staff who change a presidential administration every few years Priorities changes.
During the campaign, Biden had promised to reintegrate the US into the 2016 Paris Agreement. He had also called for limits on oil and gas drilling on public land. And promised a stronger emphasis on renewable energies, which would also create millions of new jobs.
But Gates said the US should do more.
In his December blog, he also advocated a drastic increase in government funding for research into renewable energies. Currently, the US spends $ 7 billion on renewable energy research, while it spends $ 35 billion annually on medical research. He said increasing funding to at least the level of medical research is a good first place to start.
Gates was optimistic that the US could lead the world in reversing the climate.
"I believe we can avoid climate catastrophe - if we wisely use the clean energy tools we have now and make major breakthroughs that touch every aspect of our physical economy. The creation of the National Institutes of Energy Innovation would allow us to bring. " on the right way. "
