Pressing Climate Change, Bill Gates Disburses IDR 21.5 Trillion

Bill Gates/Instagram @thisisbillgates

JAKARTA - Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently planned to spend 1.5 billion US dollars (US) equivalent to Rp. 21.5 trillion through his company Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, to help fight climate change.

The funds will be channeled by Gates as part of an initiative proposed in the Senate Infrastructure Bill, which totals $1.2 trillion. However, Gates stressed the funds could go to other countries if the bill was not passed soon.

Quoting Forbes, Friday, August 13, the bill is divided into several programs, including a US$25 billion pilot project, an infrastructure deal to expand the electricity transmission network by US$75 billion to better deliver renewable energy, and US$21 billion for help clean up old industrial and energy sites.

"If the bill becomes law, this collaboration will not only get us on a more durable path to net zero, but it will also create immediate and long-term jobs in communities across the country," Gates told CNBC.

However, US President Joe Biden said the bill still needed House approval at this time, and a verdict would be released in the next few weeks. Later, the bill would create thousands of high-paying jobs for people without a college degree.

"This historic investment in infrastructure is what I believe you, the American people, want," Biden said in a speech at the White House recently.

The Gates fund, run by his company, will spend $1.5 billion over three years, with the goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. The program could also include aircraft that emit no pollution and technology to capture carbon from the air.

"The critical thing for all of these climate technologies is to get the cost down and to be able to scale it up to a sizeable level," Gates said.

"You'll never get to that scale unless the government comes up with the right policies, and the right policies are exactly what is in that Infrastructure Bill," he added.

For information, Gates has always paid full attention to climate change. Some time ago Philanthropy, who is now 65 years old, advised the public to consume synthetic beef.

He said cows are the biggest contributor to methane gas that can affect Earth's atmosphere. To overcome this, one of them by consuming synthetic meat.