Gates urges COP30 to focus on health and adaptation

Billionaire investor and philanthropist Bill Gates urged world leaders on Tuesday to shift climate discussions at the U.N. summit in Brazil from strict temperature targets toward bolstering human health, poverty reduction and adaptation measures. Gates, writing in a memo posted on his blog ahead of the COP30 conference in Belém, said climate policies should prioritize interventions that directly improve people’s lives, particularly in the poorest and most vulnerable regions.

Gates said climate change remains serious but argued it is not civilization ending and that a doomsday framing has led to an overemphasis on near-term emissions targets. "Climate change is serious, but we've made great progress," he wrote, adding that policymakers should not cut funding for health and development programs in pursuit of temperature goals. He urged donors and governments to scrutinize whether climate aid is being spent effectively, use data to maximize impact and encourage investors to back companies developing high-impact clean technologies to lower costs.

Gates called for COP30, scheduled for November 10 to 21 in Belém, to broaden its focus to include energy access, health care and...