Every College and University Student Around the World Can Now Receive a Free Digital Copy of Bill Gates' Book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

SEATTLE,Oct. 25,2021 --Beginning today,Bill Gates will give every college and university student around the world a free digital copy of his best-selling book,How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need (Alfred A. Knopf,February 16,2021).

As climate leaders from the public and private sectors gather in Glasgow,Scotland for the COP26 climate conference next month,the imperative to take tangible action as a global community has never been stronger.

"Students and young activists have kept climate change at the top of the global agenda,despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic,and we owe it to them and to everyone around the world to develop real plans and take real action," said Bill Gates. "The next generation of scientists,innovators,entrepreneurs,policy-makers,and activists will carry this work forward as the world aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050."

Over the course of 2021,Gates has spoken with more than 132,000 students in virtual Q&A sessions to hear their thoughts on climate change and the work that lies ahead to transform the entire physical economy and shift away from carbon-emitting energy sources. By making his book available to every college and university student around the world,Gates hopes to encourage more young people to learn about climate change and consider what role they could play in the years ahead,whether through careers that work directly on the issue or as voters and informed citizens who can help shape the way that world leaders address climate change.

The free download is available to any college or university student,anywhere in the world. The book will be delivered in .epub file which can be opened in a compatible e-reader application and will be available for download on Bill Gates' personal blog,Gates Notes,this week only.

To download the book,visit gatesnot.es/giveaway

About How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

In his urgent,authoritative new book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need (Alfred A. Knopf,2021) Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging,practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics,chemistry,biology,engineering,political science,and finance,he has focused on what must be done to stop a climate disaster. In this book,he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases,but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal.

He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his background in technology innovation,he details what it will take to get new ideas from the lab to the market. He describes the areas in which existing technology is already helping to reduce emissions,and outlines where breakthrough innovations are needed to take us the rest of the way. Finally,he lays out a concrete,practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt,but what we as individuals can do to keep our government,our employers,and ourselves accountable to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

About Bill Gates

Bill Gates is a technologist,business leader,and philanthropist. In 1975,he cofounded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen; today he is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also launched Breakthrough Energy,an effort to commercialize clean energy and other climate-related technologies.