Technology

Bill Gates Says We Need More Elon Musks to Tackle Climate Change

Takaaki Iwabu | Bloomberg | Getty Images
  • Bill Gates told CNBC that the world could use more entrepreneurs like Elon Musk to take on climate change.
  • Gates, who has a new book called "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," pointed to areas like steel and cement that could be disrupted.
  • "We need a lot of Elon Musks, including ... ones who work on these super hard categories," Gates said.

Bill Gates said the world needs more entrepreneurs like Elon Musk to take on climate change.

"I think what Elon's done with Tesla is fantastic. It's, you know, probably the biggest single contribution to showing us that electric cars are part of how we solve climate change," Gates told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin in an interview that aired Thursday morning on "Squawk Box." "We need a lot of Elon Musks, including... ones who work on these super hard categories," he said, suggesting areas like steel and cement.

The billionaire philanthropist also pointed toward Musk's carbon removal challenge, which was announced last month. Musk said on Twitter that he would donate $100 million toward a prize for the best technology that can capture carbon dioxide.

"Elon's done a carbon capture prize, which is an amazing thing," added Gates, who has a new book called "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster." It comes at a crucial time, as global carbon dioxide emissions have soared in the past century, leading to unprecedented global warming and climate change.

"I think he should be very proud of what he's done," Gates said.

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