How Bill Gates is reframing the climate change debate

The big picture: In his open memo released Tuesday, Gates urged leaders to focus less on emissions targets and more on tangible improvements in human welfare — echoing his dual role leading the Gates Foundation and Breakthrough Energy.

What they're saying: Some scientists — including some of the best-known figures in the climate field — say the memo risks framing climate action as a rival to poverty alleviation.

"The content was mostly really great, but I would have framed it radically differently," says Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy.

• "People often think of climate change as a separate bucket at the end of a long row of other buckets of problems we're trying to fix that are wrong in the world," Hayhoe told Axios.
• This includes poverty, disease and access to clean water.
• "Climate change is not a separate bucket," Hayhoe said. "The reason we care about climate change is that it's the hole in every bucket."

Between the lines: Others say Gates is highlighting an "overdue" political reality.

• "Without ensuring people benefit from climate action, people won't act," says Julio Friedmann, chief scientist at Carbon Direct, in a text to Axios.
• His memo, Friedmann adds, "places the emphasis on specific actions that reduce emissions, improve human welfare and preserve ecosystems."

Friction point: Critics worry Gates' message may empower those who want to weaken climate efforts.

• "His words are bound to be misused by those who would like nothing more than to destroy efforts to deal with climate change," Princeton professor Michael Oppenheimer told the NYT.

The intrigue: Gates defended his stance in a CNBC interview, saying: "I'm a climate activist, but I'm also a child survival activist."

• He added: "If we stop funding all vaccines and that saved you 0.1 degree, would that be a smart tradeoff?"

Context: Gates is one of the planet's richest people with a net worth of more than $100 billion, so the average person might think he has enough money to do both simultaneously. But economics 101 bolsters Gates' case.

"The fundamental proposition of economics is, you have unlimited wants and scarce resources," said Kevin Book, who leads the independent research firm ClearView Energy Partners.

• "It doesn't matter how many commas you have in your net worth, that principle still applies. And it applies at the government level, too. You can't get around it."

What we're watching: The memo landed as one of the Atlantic's strongest storms in history made landfall in Cuba — a devastating reminder of rising climate risks.

Disclosure: Amy Harder is a former employee of Breakthrough Energy in her role leading Cipher News, an independent news outlet supported by Breakthrough Energy. Amy is also a volunteer board member of The Nature Conservancy's Washington state chapter.