Bill Gates and the Electric Bread and Toaster Dilemma

“Any practical plan to reduce emissions must be driven by other disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, economics, finance and more.”

“When you’re wondering what you can do to limit climate change, it’s natural to think of things like driving an electric car or eating less meat. This type of personal action is important for the signals it sends to the market, but most of our emissions come from the larger systems in which we live our daily lives ”.

“When someone wants toast for breakfast, we have to make sure there is a system in place that can provide the bread, toaster and electricity to run the toaster without adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We are not going to solve the climate problem by telling people not to eat toast. “

“Policymakers can only tackle a few issues at a time. And they decide what to do, what to prioritize, based on what they hear from their constituents. In other words, elected officials will adopt plans specific for climate change if their constituents ask for it.

“The market is driven by supply and demand, and as a consumer it can have a big impact on the demand side of the equation. If we all make individual changes to what we buy and wear, that can mean a lot, as long as we focus on making significant changes. “

“Reduce your home’s emissions. Depending on how much money and time you can spend, you can replace your incandescent bulbs with LEDs, install a smart thermostat, insulate your windows, buy efficient appliances, or replace your heating and air conditioning system. “

“I have an above average carbon footprint, so I’m taking extra steps to do my part. I spend around $ 5 million each year to offset my family’s carbon footprint. “

“Although heavy emitters like me should use less energy, the world in general should use more energy because it is a key element in lifting countries out of poverty and growing our global economy. There is nothing wrong with using more energy as long as it is carbon free. “

“The world must reach zero emissions by 2050 if we are to avoid a climate catastrophe. To do this, we need to find ways to generate and store clean electricity, grow food, craft things, move, heat and cool our buildings without releasing greenhouse gases. “

The data

The Fitch agency has warned that the cost of so-called “ stranded assets ” as the world moves away from fossil fuels could lead to substantial cuts in the sovereign credit ratings of exporting countries in decades to come.

Towards an environmental WTO?

The European Union will encourage a major reform of the The world trade organization (WTO) to place the fight against the climate emergency at the center of its policy.

“Trade policy must fully support the ecological and digital transformations of our economy”said Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission.

In this strategy, the Commission proposed that future trade agreements are conditional on compliance with the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Environmental and climate issues have already aroused reluctance on the part of several European states to the idea of ​​ratifying the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the EU, mainly due to the fear of massive deforestation in Amazonia.

Norwegians want snow

Due to climate change, winters are getting shorter in Norway. According to the meteorological institute of this country, Oslo has lost in the last 30 years a total of 21 winter days, that is to say days when the temperature drops below 0 °. And lovers of skiing, snowboarding and sledding began to have fewer days of leisure.

Therefore, the solution they found is trucks that unload hundreds of cubic meters of artificially produced snow.

Faced with criticism for the intensive use of trucks (something contradictory due to the greenhouse effect they produce), the municipal authorities clarified that the vehicles are powered by biodiesel from vegetable oils, and that ‘on the other hand, hundreds of cars are prevented from driving. on weekends on the outskirts of town, where many Norwegians travel in search of precious snow.