Bill Gates is investing in European companies that solve the less obvious parts of climate change

Bill Gates has coined a new way to think about climate change, and is leading a team of investors to help solve it. The concept is called “the 75% problem”–a nod to the idea many people think investing in clean energy alternatives like solar panels and wind turbines will curb greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, offsetting electricity generation only covers 25% of the issue. According to a post on his blog GatesNotes , the other main offenders include agriculture (cow burps, deforestation), manufacturing (making plastic, steel, and cement costs energy), transportation (the fuel-intensive way we move stuff), and buildings (air conditioning). So in recent years, Gates and other investors have put more than $1 billion into companies working across all of these categories through Breakthrough Energy Ventures , a private fund. This week BEV expects to sign an agreement with the European Commission to create Breakthrough Energy Europe, which Gates calls “a pilot fund investing in European companies working on the grand challenges” that’s worth about $115 million. BEV and the EC will split the costs, although Gates points out there’s even more value in how they’ll be able to dole out cash. “We’re creating a new way of […]

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