January 27, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
Do efforts to prevent climate change need a new public face?
Bill Gates seems to think so.
In his annual letter, which was released this week, the co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation applauds the growing interest in climate change because droughts, floods, and other extreme weather conditions will primarily hurt people in impoverished countries.
“The negative effects will fall almost entirely on the poor, even though they did not cause the problem. I hope that the increased public interest in reducing climate change will also increase the political will to provide aid that will help the poor mitigate its negative effects,” he writes.
But he notes that, for the most part, poor people are not identified as the victims of climate change.
“It is interesting how often the impact of climate change is illustrated by talking about the problems the polar bears will face rather than the much greater number of poor people who will die unless significant investments are made to help them,” he writes.
Read The Chronicle’s article about Mr. Gates’s letter and how he encouraged foundations during the recession to give more than the legally required 5 percent of their assets.
What do you think of the letter? Is Mr. Gates correct about climate change? What do you think of his ideas about grant makers? Click on the comment button below to share your views.
