Jennifer Gates, Gates’ 26-year-old daughter, and her husband, Nayel Nassar, are expecting their first child in 2023. Even writing about becoming a grandfather is too emotional for Bill Gates.
“Simply typing that phrase, ‘I’ll become a grandfather next year,’ makes me emotional,” wrote the 67-year-old billionaire philanthropist, who earned his fortune from co-founding Microsoft in the 1970s. “And the thought gives a new dimension to my work. When I think about the world my grandchild will be born into, I’m more inspired than ever to help everyone’s children and grandchildren have a chance to survive and thrive.”
Even so, Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests in early-stage companies that are working to build and grow businesses that are working to decarbonize various sectors of the economy. Building for-profit businesses may appear unsavoury to Gates, who already has a $103.6 billion fortune. Breakthrough Energy, Bill Gates’ company, invests in companies that address climate change. He is optimistic about increased investment in decarbonization technologies. Private capital is also pouring into climate technologies at a fast rate. Profits will be reinvested in the philanthropic foundation or climate work, he says. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“I can sum up the solution to climate change in two sentences: We need to eliminate global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050,” Bill Gates writes.
