Bill Gates tells leaders to use Cop28 for faster path to net zero

Microsoft co-founder shared his hoped outcome from the Cop28 summit in Dubai

Bill Gates, Co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 16, 2018. Reuters

Cop28 will be a critical opportunity for the world’s leaders to come together and take real steps to accelerate the path to net-zero carbon emissions, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said on Wednesday.

In a tweet, the Microsoft co-founder included a link to the key aims of the UN Climate Change conference, hoping to refocus on the issues that need to be addressed at the summit taking place in Dubai this year.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate, has said the conference will be based around four pillars: fast-tracking the energy transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on people and making inclusivity a hallmark of the summit.

This month, at a 26-nation climate summit in Brussels, Dr Al Jaber set out what he called a "science-based, action-oriented" plan.

The summit begins on November 30, when the world will complete a first “global stocktake” of progress to limit climate change.

Climate change around the world - in pictures

Engineers carry solar panels on to the roof of a property in Barcelona in September 2022. Spain and other Mediterranean countries have generated record amounts of power from wind and solar farms. Bloomberg

Smoke rises from brick factory stacks in Nahrawan, Baghdad. Tackling emissions from heavy industry is crucial to tackling global warming. Reuters

A boy stands near a flock of sheep as a sandstorm approaches in the Syrian countryside of Tabqa. Syria is among the countries most vulnerable and poorly prepared for climate change, which is expected to worsen. AFP

Mountains of smouldering rubbish at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi, India. Reuters

Greenpeace activists take part in a climate change protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in May. AP

A man carries water bottles across the heavily polluted Negro River in Manaus, Brazil. About 35 tonnes of rubbish are removed daily from the river. AP

A helicopter drops water on a brush fire in California. Bloomberg

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa speaks on the opening day of the Bonn climate change conference in Germany. Getty

Activists take part in a demonstration to raise awareness of global warming, during an event to mark World Environment Day in Kolkata. AFP

A helicopter drops water on a bushfire near a residential district in Athens. The fire forced residents to flee. AFP

A gauge measures water levels in the Rio Nambe river, in New Mexico. Ninety per cent of the state is experiencing extreme drought. Getty

Afghan refugees search for recyclable material from heaps of rubbish in Karachi, Pakistan. AP

A climate activist ties herself to the net during the semi-final tennis match between Croatia's Marin Cilic and Norway's Casper Ruud at the French Open in Roland Garros in Paris. AP

A dance group performs at a climate summit in Stockholm, Sweden. Getty

US climate envoy John Kerry talks to a delegate at the Stockholm 50 climate summit. Getty

A boat is stranded during low tide at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq. Reuters

A woman crosses a polluted river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

A man walks past an abandoned boat in the bed of a drought-affected reservoir on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen. EPA