Bill Gates warning… “More damage comes from corona”

“We have to make 51 billion tons of zero.”

`Computer Emperor` Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft (66), published a new book `How to avoid a climate disaster` (published by Kim Young-sa) in 21 years. Called for a response to climate change. It is a warning that if the global village does not create zero carbon by 2050, it will face more damage than Corona 19. Gates, who foresaw the information and communication and digital revolution by publishing’The Road to the Future’ in 1995 and the’Speed ​​of Thought’ in 1999, is an evaluation that the third book on environmental issues is meaningful.

The 51 billion tons he emphasized in his book is the amount of greenhouse gases the world emits into the atmosphere each year. It is a figure obtained by converting various greenhouse gases such as nitrogen dioxide and methane into carbon dioxide emissions. Gates presented a goal to make it net zero by 2050 and then presented a practical roadmap. Zero carbon is the concept of substantially reducing emissions by taking measures to eliminate greenhouse gases as much as they are emitted. Also known as carbon neutral. The governments of the European Union (EU) and Japan, including Korea, have already announced that they will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and China also plans to achieve this by 2060.

Gates, the world’s three richest man with assets of $129 billion (approximately 142 trillion won), came to pay attention to energy issues when he visited Nigeria in the early 2000s for the work of the Bill & Mullinda Gates Foundation, where he is co-chairman. It has been observed that all poor countries are suffering from electricity shortages. “Twenty years ago, I couldn’t have imagined that I would not write a book on climate change, but to give a lecture in public,” he said. “For the past 10 years, I studied intensely while meeting.”

The results of meeting numerous scientists and experts and reading specialized books are contained in one book. Beginning with the basic concepts of climate change, I will explain step by step why greenhouse gases absorb heat and raise the global temperature.

For example, greenhouse gas emissions have increased rapidly since 1850, raising the global temperature by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius. Considering that the Earth’s temperature during the Ice Age was 6 degrees Celsius lower than it is now, the change of 1-2 degrees is tremendous. He pointed out that “the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to corona last year was only 5%,” he pointed out, “Just flying less planes and driving less will not achieve zero carbon.” He warned, “If the climate disaster cannot be prevented by 2050, the death rate from this will be five times that of the corona by 2100.” Gates donates more than $500 million to fight corona, develop vaccines, and diagnostic kits, and is also referred to as’corona fighters’.

As an engineer, he carefully tracks how 51 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions are structured. Only then can the “zero carbon” plan be operated. First of all, GHG emissions from manufacturing concrete, cement, and steel used to make bridges, buildings, and highways account for 31% of the total. The process of generating electricity by operating a coal-fired power plant also accounts for 27%. The cultivation of meat and food for human consumption accounts for 19%, transportation and transportation 16%, and cooling and heating 7%.

He emphasizes that there is a need for technology development and innovation to use the means that already have, such as solar and wind power, faster and lower the’green premium’. Green premium refers to the additional cost of doing something in a way that does not emit carbon dioxide. The higher the green premium, the more difficult it is to convert to clean energy. This is why the government should introduce a policy to lower the’green premium’.

“I’ve invested more than a billion dollars on the various ways to get to zero carbon,” Gates said. “No one has invested more than me in technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” The investment fund he formed, the Breakthrough Energy Alliance, is investing in low-emission cement, steel and vegetable meat companies. He urges individuals to participate in combating climate disasters by purchasing electric cars and eating vegetable meat.

Gates dropped out of Harvard University in 1975 and founded Microsoft with a friend. After leaving MS management completely after 45 years of last year, he is devoting himself to charity projects such as poverty, education, and the environment.

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