Bill Gates's Shift on Climate: Was Trump's Bullying the Spark?
In an interview with The Guardian at the Cop30 United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil, former US Vice President Al Gore suggested that Bill Gates's recent backtrack on the climate crisis may have been prompted by a year of being bullied by Donald Trump.
Gates had made waves around the world by publicly arguing for pushing the climate crisis down the international agenda, in favour of more focus on health issues. However, after firing most of his climate staffers and lavishing praise on Trump during the former US president's first term, Gates appeared to reverse his stance, sparking confusion among climate scientists and advocates.
According to Gore, it may be that Gates was scared of Trump's bullying tactics, which have already damaged the US economy by pulling away from renewable energy and promoting fossil fuels. The former US vice-president warned that China is now exporting green technology to the rest of the world, while the US is exporting only fossil fuel exports.
Gates's reversal has been met with criticism from Gore, who described it as "silly" and "unbelievable." He argued that climate action should take precedence over health issues and that governments should re-purpose billions of dollars given to fossil fuels to focus on healthcare instead.
The shift in Gates's stance has also led to a renewed push for climate action at the UN summit. Gore defended the Cop process, which serves as a platform for industry, NGOs, trade groups, and civil society groups to come together and make progress towards addressing the climate crisis.
As the US presidential election heats up, with many people turning towards climate action despite the federal government's dismantling of it, Gore remains optimistic about the prospects for change. He warned that Trump might face a "less obsequious" Congress in the future, after a series of election defeats for Republican candidates.
Meanwhile, Gore gave a slide show presentation at Cop30 showcasing images of recent disasters caused by global heating, which he described as "literally insane." He urged world leaders to take immediate action to address the climate crisis, and expressed frustration that more people are not standing up against it.
In an interview with The Guardian at the Cop30 United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil, former US Vice President Al Gore suggested that Bill Gates's recent backtrack on the climate crisis may have been prompted by a year of being bullied by Donald Trump.
Gates had made waves around the world by publicly arguing for pushing the climate crisis down the international agenda, in favour of more focus on health issues. However, after firing most of his climate staffers and lavishing praise on Trump during the former US president's first term, Gates appeared to reverse his stance, sparking confusion among climate scientists and advocates.
According to Gore, it may be that Gates was scared of Trump's bullying tactics, which have already damaged the US economy by pulling away from renewable energy and promoting fossil fuels. The former US vice-president warned that China is now exporting green technology to the rest of the world, while the US is exporting only fossil fuel exports.
Gates's reversal has been met with criticism from Gore, who described it as "silly" and "unbelievable." He argued that climate action should take precedence over health issues and that governments should re-purpose billions of dollars given to fossil fuels to focus on healthcare instead.
The shift in Gates's stance has also led to a renewed push for climate action at the UN summit. Gore defended the Cop process, which serves as a platform for industry, NGOs, trade groups, and civil society groups to come together and make progress towards addressing the climate crisis.
As the US presidential election heats up, with many people turning towards climate action despite the federal government's dismantling of it, Gore remains optimistic about the prospects for change. He warned that Trump might face a "less obsequious" Congress in the future, after a series of election defeats for Republican candidates.
Meanwhile, Gore gave a slide show presentation at Cop30 showcasing images of recent disasters caused by global heating, which he described as "literally insane." He urged world leaders to take immediate action to address the climate crisis, and expressed frustration that more people are not standing up against it.
. I get that he was trying to make a point about health issues, but it feels like he caved under pressure from Trump's team. As a parent, I worry about the future for my kids and I know they're going to be living with the consequences of our inaction on climate change 
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. He's right that we need to prioritize climate action over health issues, it's not an either/or situation. And China is doing more on green tech than the US is? That's just a fact, no one needs the data to see that 
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. We need world leaders to take responsibility and start making real changes, not just talking about it. And I love how Gore is using the visuals from recent disasters to drive home the point 
. It's literally insane what's happening with our planet and we need to act NOW! 
I'm not buying this whole "Trump bullied Bill Gates into backing down on climate" story... sounds like a weak excuse to me. Like, what's next? Saying Trump made him change his mind about vaccines? 
Bill Gates just got roasted by Al Gore for being all wishy-washy on climate change, and now he's gonna spin it as "bullied into submission"? Give me a break! 
I mean, come on, if Gates is really that scared of Trump, then maybe he shouldn't have tweeted about how much he loves him in the first place. Just saying...
I mean, Gates has been in the game for so long, he must've seen some stuff, right? 
And now that Trump's out, maybe he's just realizing what he should've done years ago? 
It's like, hindsight is 20/20, but sometimes you can't turn back the clock and make things right... 
I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's all pretty complicated. 
We need people like Al Gore who aren't afraid to speak truth to power and push for real change. 
is trump really that scary for bill gates? 
i think its just about making a buck off both sides of the coin... first you're all about saving the planet then suddenly you're besties with trump, lol what's next? gates should've stuck to his guns (or should i say, his philanthropy?) and not let trumps toxic tweet storms get to him 
and btw, china exporting green tech is just a silver lining for us, right? 
. and can u believe Gates is still friends with Trump tho? 
we gotta take action on climate change ASAP!! 
, but also who can blame him for rethinking his stance? climate is super important and we need more people like gore pushing for action 
. anyway, i'm loving the renewed energy at cop30 
But Al Gore is totally right, we need to prioritize climate action over health issues 
It's crazy that China is exporting green tech while the US is still stuck on fossil fuels 
Anyway, I'm super glad Gore is still pushing for change at Cop30 
. I mean, who wouldn't be intimidated by a president who's already shown his disdain for science and evidence-based policy? The fact that he fired most of his climate staffers and lavished praise on Trump during his first term is quite telling 
. Maybe it's time for more people like him to speak out and stand up against climate denial and inaction 
Trump's bullying tactics or just a shift in public opinion? 
I think Al Gore has a point about China exporting green tech while the US is still stuck on fossil fuels. 
! One day he's all for pushing it down the agenda, and then he just changes his mind like it's a test grade 
. And can we talk about how frustrating it is when people are like "oh climate action should take a backseat to health issues"? Um no, I think our planet's future should be like, way more important than who gets sick or not 
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. If Gates is just trying to save face or protect his business interests, then yeah, that's a different story altogether 
. What I don't get is why he had to fire most of his climate team and suddenly forget about it 
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Health
. Time for leaders to get their act together and make some real changes 
so its kinda obvious that the us needs to switch it up ASAP 
. I'm hyped about Cop30 and Gore's slide show presentation 
... need more people 2 step up & demand action on climate crisis