Policy Exchange recently hosted Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Microsoft. Gates was exclusively interviewed in Policy Exchange's London office by Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health Select Committee. In a wide ranging discussion Gates warns that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celcius “will be very difficult... I doubt that we’ll be able to achieve that”. The founder of Microsoft argues that innovation is the key to breakthroughs on climate change, especially in winning over India and China to the net zero agenda. He praises the UK’s climate leadership, noting that Britain “gets a very good grade on climate progress” and has been “exemplary” on reducing carbon emissions. Gates's remarks on climate change were picked up by The Times, Financial Times. Evening Standard, and CNBC.
Turning to the pandemic, Gates warns that tens of billions need to be spent in a research effort to ensure the world is better prepared for the next pandemic. Gates calls for a new international Pandemic Task Force, with a budge of about $1 billion per year, to "germ game" future pandemics and bioterrorist attacks. The BBC's Today programme, The Guardian and the Evening Standard reported on this.
Overseas, Policy Exchange's exclusive interview was reported on in Spain, France, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Indonesia and Scotland.
