--- title: "Bill Gates Gives Up on Climate Change" description: "Bill Gates is quietly ending his green energy policy and advocacy organization, laying off employees throughout the US and Europe." date: "2025-03-14" modified: "2025-03-14" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/bill-gates-gives-up-climate-change" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Future Society" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Bill Gates" - "billionaires" - "climate change" --- # Bill Gates Gives Up on Climate Change ![Bill Gates is quietly ending his green energy policy and advocacy organization, laying off employees throughout the US and Europe.]() *\Image: John MacDougall / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* In decades past, as the effects of climate change slowly became undeniable, some looked to the super-rich — the billionaires with enough cash to really make a splash — for solutions. They backed [green energy campaigns]() and [carbon capture programs](), pushed [plastics recycling]() and [climate change messaging](). New products hit the market as [ethical consumption]() became the rule of the day**:** electric vehicles, solar panels, reusable bags, carbon-neutral dryer balls. By the early 2020s, billionaires had positioned themselves as the masters of [climate change policy](), taking advantage of their great fortunes to become [indispensable]() to environmentalism. Now, however, many of those same billionaires are [pulling support]() at an alarming rate. And Bill Gates — Microsoft founder, [sixth richest man]() in the world, and [alleged sex pest]() — is the latest among them. New [reporting by *Heatmap*]() is signaling the end of a "major chapter in climate giving," as Breakthrough Energy — Gates' climate change nonprofit — has locked the doors on its policy and advocacy office, laying off dozens of employees throughout Europe and the US. Breakthrough's [lobbying]() was central to advancing climate policy through legislation championed by the Biden administration, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, and the bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Though the billionaire's for-profit green energy investments at companies like [Arnergy]() and [Mission Zero Technologies]() remain in place, Breakthrough's belt-tightening will very likely end the nonprofit's grant writing efforts. That's a major blow to climate nonprofits, and further evidence that, for all their feel-good bluster, the mega-rich never forget their [bottom line](). Ever since billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump won his second presidential election, tech barons like [Mark Zuckerberg](), [Jeff Bezos](), [Sundar Pichai](), and of course [Elon Musk]() have made no bones about shedding their progressive skin and embracing the new administration. Gates, too, is cozying up to the returning president. In early January, the Microsoft founder spent three hours dining with his fellow billionaire, [telling the *Wall Street Journal*]() he was "frankly impressed" by Trump's grasp on the issues dear to him. Though many no doubt feel [betrayed]() by what seems like a sudden rightward turn, billionaires like Gates have always behaved like wolves in sheep's clothing, prioritizing their fortunes above all. For example, Gates was heavily involved in establishing the [Global Fund](), a privately-funded rival to the World Health Organization. While the Global Fund did improve global vaccination rates, the cost of basic medicines skyrocketed thanks to his introduction of for-profit actors into global health efforts — another sector [made to rely]() on the generosity of billionaires. Since then, Gates has had no trouble [withholding COVID vaccines]() from impoverished countries, raking in profits from [union-busting corporations](), and throwing out money to buy [media influence]() — to say nothing of his [chummy friendship]() with Jeffrey Epstein. It all goes to show: billionaires were never going to save the world from climate catastrophe — they just needed us to believe they could. **More on the ultra-wealthy:** [*Elon Musk Searching for Mysterious Billionaire Who’s Making Everyone Hate Tesla*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()