Billionaire Bill Gates dismissed the possibility of people making significant changes to their lifestyle, like giving up meat and becoming vegetarians for the sake of countering the alleged effects of climate change.
“I don’t think we can count on people living a impoverished lifestyle as a solution to climate change,” Gates said at an event in India on March 1. “You know, meat consumption in India will be less … That’s wonderful. Will all Indians become vegetarians? Will all Americans become vegetarians? I wouldn’t want to count on it. Anybody who wants to evangelize that, they’re welcome to. I won’t resist in any way.”
Gates had earlier pushed for rich nations to adopt 100 percent synthetic beef that is made from plant proteins like beans or peas, carbs like potato starch, fats like canola or coconut oil, minerals, and flavorings.
In an online interaction on Reddit in January, Gates pushed for the widespread adoption of plant-based meat products.
“For people who want to go Vegan that is great but I don’t think most people will do that. There are companies making ‘beef’ in new ways and people working to still use cows but reduce the methane emissions,” he wrote.
“I have backed a number of innovators in this space including Beyond and Impossible and Memphis. I think eventually these products will be very good even though their share is small today.”
Gates’ push to move away from meat consumption and adopt plant-based alternatives comes as he is busy buying up farmland in America.
According to a July 2022 letter sent by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) seeking Gates’ testimony regarding his farm purchases, the Microsoft founder is the “largest private farmland owner” in the United States, owning more than 270,000 acres of farmland in 19 states.
Energy Consumption
At the India event, Gates also talked about energy consumption. He pointed out that if governments are willing to implement tough laws, air conditioning can simply be banned, which would be “good for the climate.” However, he admitted that this would not happen as a warmer climate will keep raising the demand for cooling.
