The world is full of disappointing trends, Gates admitted
Bill Gates often talks about the existential threats facing the planet and humanity, such as climate change and possible future pandemics.
But the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft still says he is “very optimistic” about humanity’s future on Earth. Even with the challenges facing current and future generations, Gates believes that anyone born in the coming decades will live better than people born at any previous point in history.
“I’m still very optimistic that it would be much better to be born 20 years from now, 40 years from now, 60 years from now than at any time in the past,” Gates said in an interview with the Lowy Institute, a think tank in Australia.
The world is full of disappointing trends, Gates admitted, talking about the inadequate global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the failure of governments to meet climate change targets and political polarization in the US.
Indeed, in October, a Gallup poll found that only 42% of Americans believe today’s youth will have a “better standard of living” than their parents. That figure is 18 percentage points lower than in 2019 and equals the lowest level of optimism recorded in nearly three decades.
But pessimists don’t see the full picture, Gates said: “It’s easy to take a more negative view of some of these trends than is really fair, in my view.”
Gates spoke of progress in public health, noting that global mortality rates for children under the age of five have been cut in half over the past two decades.
“The amount of innovation to improve the overall human condition will still be dramatic. We’re going to cure obesity, we’re going to cure cancer, we’re going to eradicate polio,” Gates said, according to CNBC.
He also mentioned the potential for cheap and efficient green energy as well as the technological advances that enable education and health workers to drive innovation around the world.
“Look at the big picture and say, ‘OK, where were we 300 years ago?'” Gates said, noting that the average lifespan of humans has improved significantly over the past three centuries. In 1700, the average person died before reaching the age of 40. Life expectancy in the US today is 76.1 years.
“It didn’t matter if you were a king or a pauper, you were exposed to massive infant mortality and extremely low levels of literacy,” Gates said.
moneyreview.gr
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
