Bill Gates names only way to protect climate

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 will be the hardest thing humanity's ever done, but could potentially be achieved with the use of nuclear power, Report informs, referring to the ABC.

"This will be the hardest thing humanity's ever done because the physical economy - cement, steel, transportation, agriculture - all of these sectors will have to make changes. Only by being focused on innovation and scaling with the right policies on a global basis can we achieve [that]," he noted.

Gates said that the cost of 'going green' globally would be over $5 trillion unless there is new technology to help.

Like swapping petrol with electricity to power cars, Gates wants to see other emissions-intensive energy sources replaced.

He said that as solar and wind were intermittent and unreliable year-round, nuclear power was a practical option.

"We either need a miracle invention to make batteries that are 20 times cheaper, so you can do that seasonal storage, so when you get a few weeks where [solar and wind] sources aren’t there, you still can keep people warm," he said.

"Or, you need 25 percent of your generation to be available, independent of the weather, and nuclear fission and fusion are really the only things that can work at that scale."

The software developer turned philanthropist wants to see cheaper and safer nuclear power made but questions whether it would be popular as a solution.