♪♪♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."
JOINING ME NOW IS THE CO-CHAIR OF THE BILL AND MELINDA GATES
FOUNDATION WHO'S WRITTEN A NEW BOOK CALLED "HOW TO AVOID A
CLIMATE DISASTER."
PLEASE WELCOME, BILL GATES!
BIGOT, THANKS FOR BEING HERE!
>> YOU GOT IT!
>> Stephen: NOW, WE'RE GOING TO GET TO CLIMATE AND HOW TO
AVOID THE AT THIS SISTER AND ALL THE AMAZING THINGS B THAT YOU
AND MELINDA DO AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS, BUT THE REASON
YOU CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS IS THAT YOU'RE REALLY, REALLY,
REALLY RICH.
AND, SO, I WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION THAT I'VE INTERVIEWED
YOU MANY TIMES BUT I'VE NEVER ASKED YOU THE QUESTION AND IT'S
ALWAYS BEEN IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND EVERYBODY'S HEAD, WHAT
DOES IT FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU BECOME THE RICHEST MAN IN THE
WORLD?
IS THAT A GOOD FEELING?
>> WELL, THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY TO GIVE THAT
MONEY BACK IN A SMART WAY.
>> Stephen: NOT EVERYBODY FEELS THAT RESPONSIBILITY,
THOUGH.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT'S NOT ENOUGH MONEY, GIVE ME MORE.
WELL, IT WAS GRATIFYING THE DREAM OF SOFTWARE THAT I HAD
BASICALLY CAME TRUE, AND NOW I GET TO GIVE IT AWAY.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE A 400-FOOT RACING BOAT THAT HOVERS
ON LITTLE SKIS AND GOES AROUND THE WORLD, LIKE SUPER CRAZY RICH
GUY STUFF?
>> I OWN A Da VINCI NOTEBOOK, WHICH THAT'S PRETTY COOL.
>> Stephen: DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!
THE JUDGES!
YES, YES!
LAST QUESTION ON THIS AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE GOOD STUFF.
IN 2008, WHEN YOU WERE NO LONGER THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD,
WHEN WARREN BUFFETT SNAKED IT AWAY FROM YOU, DID IT STING AT
ALL?
>> OH, NO, WARREN'S ALSO A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO THE GIVING OF THE
GATES FOUNDATION AND A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.
>> Stephen: OKAY, OKAY.
O -- >> Stephen: BUT YOU GOT IT
BACK IN 2009.
YOU WERE THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD AGAIN.
AND THE THE NEXT YEAR CARLOS SLIM COMES IN.
DON'T TELL ME I'M BIG BUDDIES WITH CARLOS SLIM.
THAT HAD TO STING A LITTLE BIT.
YOU'RE A COMPETITIVE GUY.
>> YOU KNOW, THE REASON I SHOULD DROP ON THE LIST CONTINUOUSLY
BECAUSE OF GIVING MONEY AWAY AND, YOU KNOW, SOME DAY I WON'T
BE ON THE LIST AT ALL.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
I CAN HELP YOU WITH GIVING THAT MONEY STUFF AWAY.
I'M RIGHT HERE, AND I'M SUPER GOOD, GENEROUS GUY, TOO.
THINK OF ME AS A FUNNEL, A FUNNEL!
DADDY JUST TAKES A LITTLE OFF THE TOP, GETS HIS BEAK WET, AND
ALL THE PEOPLE I'LL HELP, YOU WILL LOVE IT.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU AND I HAVE SPOKEN DURING COVID.
WHICH I CAN'T BELIEVE.
EITHER YOU AND I TALK A LOT OR COVID HAS GONE ON A LONG TIME,
AND I THINK IT'S THE SECOND ONE.
YOU SAID BACK THEN THAT BASICALLY THIS IS GOING TO BE --
THE TIMELINE IS ALL GOING TO BE BASED ON DEVELOPMENT AND
DISTRIBUTION OF VACCINES.
WE'VE GOT THEM NOW.
WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR GOING BACK TO NORMAL, IF YOUR MIND?
>> WELL, IT'S REALLY PHENOMENAL WHAT THE VACCINE COMPANIES HAVE
DONE, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL SUPPLY LIMITED, THE LOGISTICS
ARE STILL GETTING WORKED UP, BUT CERTAINLY BY SUMMER WE WILL BE
DEMAND LIMITED AND WE SHOULD GET TRUST THE VACCINE, WE'LL GET TO
A LEVEL WHERE OUR FALL WILL BE PRETTY NORMAL.
MAYBE SOME MASKS, MAYBE NOT BIG PUBLIC EVENTS, BUT ALL THE
SCHOOLS, RESTAURANTS AT SOME LEVEL, FALL WILL BE
COMPARATIVELY NORMAL.
>> Stephen: HALLOWEEN PARTIES?
THAT'S ON THE MARGIN.
IF YOU LIKE, SOCIAL DISTANCING STILL AT THAT POINT.
>> Stephen: YOU SAID THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE,
GETTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN GOING, CERTAINLY THERE WERE WEATHER
PROBLEMS LAST WEEK, WITH THE BIG BLIZZARDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
COUNTRY GETTING IT OUT TO PEOPLE, AND, ALSO, ANTI-VAXXERS,
PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING -- A GUY LITERALLY BUTTON HOLED ME IN THE
PARKING LOT OF MY GROCERY STORE THE OTHER DAY AND SAID I'VE GOT
TO SEND YOU DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT BILL GATES, DON'T TAKE THOSE
VACCINES.
I SAID, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE VACCINE.
IF HE PUTS A CHIP IN ME AND CONTROLS MY BODY, THAT'S FINE, I
JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO HUG MY INLAWS.
SO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO CONVINCE PEOPLE, IN YOUR MIND, THAT THE
VACCINE IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND DOES IT INVOLVE AT ALL
TALKING TO SULTANS, WHICH YOU DID IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA TO GET
PEOPLE TO TAKE THE POLIO VACCINE.
>> THE RUMORS WERE THAT WAS TO STERILE ITS WOMEN.
THE RULER MET WITH ME, IT WAS QUITE SOMETHING TO GO TO HIS
PALACE, BUT HE PERSONALLY HAD HIS KIDS TAKE THE VACCINE, AND
HAD ALL OF THE OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND, SO, THAT MADE A
HUGE DIFFERENCE.
AND, SO, WE WERE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE THAT, WHILE POLIO WAS
COMPLETELY GONE FROM AFRICA LAST YEAR, WE'RE DOWN TO TWO
COUNTRIES, AND GETTING THESE MESSAGES OUT, YOU NEED TO FIGURE
OUT WHO PEOPLE TRUST, THAT THEY'LL FOLLOW, YOU KNOW, AND
WHETHER IT'S PEOPLE OF COLOR OR VARIOUS RELIGIOUS GROUPS.
WE SOMEHOW NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT, THIS IS QUITE AN AMAZING
VACCINE THAT HELPS EVERYONE.
>> Stephen: YOU WANT A TEAM OF PANDEMIC FIREFIGHTERS IN THE
FUTURE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> WELL, WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HITS YOU NEED PEOPLE WHOSE
SKILLS OF TRACKING INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND THE VARIANTS AND THE
NUMBERS THAT THEY ARE TOTALLY UP TO DATE AND READY TO GO.
AND, SO, IF WE HAVE THIS SORT OF FIRE SQUAD OF 3,000 PEOPLE WITH
THOSE SKILLS, THEY CAN BE WORKING ON MALARIA OR MEASLES,
BUT THEN WHEN ANY HINT OF THE PANDEMIC COMES, THEY'LL GO AND
SPECIALIZE AND REALLY TRY AND STOP IT BEFORE IT GETS
WIDESPREAD.
UNLESS YOU HAVE THOSE PEOPLE READY TO GO AND FULLY UP TO DATE
ON THEIR SKILLS, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CATCH IT EARLY.
>> Stephen: WELL, DURING THIS QUARANTINE, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
TAKEN UP SOME SIDE PROJECTS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, BAKING OR DOING
CROSSWORD PUZZLES.
YOU DID A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ONE.
YOU WROTE THIS BOOK, HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE CRISIS.
HOW DO WE AVOID IT, WHEN THE "NEW YORK TIMES" IS ALREADY
REPORTING THAT CLIMATE DISRUPTION IS ALREADY BAKED IN
TO OUR FUTURE?
>> WELL, WHAT WE DO AS FAST AS WE CAN, WE TAKE OUR CURRENT
EMISSIONS, WHICH IS 51 BILLION TONS, TO EQUIVALENTS
AND DROP IT ALL THE WAY TO ZERO.
NOW, THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY, VERY HARD.
IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST ALL 30 YEARS, WE'LL HAVE TO USE ALL OF
THOSE YEARS, AND THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A LOT OF INNOVATION.
SO WE HAVE TO LEARN, OKAY, ALL THE SOURCES OF EMISSIONS, NOT
JUST CARS, BUT ALSO MAKING THINGS LIKE STEEL AND COMMENT
AND AGRICULTURE, AVIATION FUEL.
BECAUSE OF ALL THOSE SOURCES, IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A BROAD
SET OF INNOVATIVE COMPANIES AND POLICIES WHERE WE'RE BUYING
THESE GREEN PRODUCTS AND GETTING THE COST TO BE MUCH LOWER FOR
BEING GREEN.
>> Stephen: THESE CHALLENGES ARE ENORMOUS, AND CERTAINLY IN
THE UNITED STATES THE MOST BOLD PROPOSAL IS THE GREEN NEW DEAL,
THOUGH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ALSO HAS SOMS PROPOSALS THEY
HAVEN'T ROLLED OUT YET, BUT THEY CLAIM TO BE SWINGING FROM THE
FENCES.
WHO'S DOING A GOOD JOB IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW AT THIS?
WHO'S WORKING THE HARDEST TO PREVENT IT?
>> WELL, THE U.K. IS VERY IMPRESSIVE BECAUSE THEY HAVE
ALMOST NO COAL PLANTS LEFT, AND THEY WERE THE START OF THE COAL
BASED INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
THEY ARE GETTING THE OFFSHORE WIND TO COST A LOT LESS.
NORWAY BUYS THE MOST ELECTRIC CARS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF LEADERS, BUT THE U.S. IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
BECAUSE WE CAN INNOVATE.
WE HAVE UNIVERSITIES, NATIONAL LABS, RISK CAPITOL.
WE LOOK TO THE WORLD TO MAKE ALL THESE GREEN PRODUCTS VERY CHEAP,
AND THAT WILL GIVE US A CHANCE TO EXPORT THOSE PRODUCTS AS
WELL.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT WHEN WE COME
BACK, I'LL ASK BILL GATES ABOUT THIS GUY.
STICK AROUND.