FLASHBACK: Bill Gates said he's 'offsetting' his private jet emissions by spending extra on fuel, using solar, driving an EV

Bill Gates has, by his own admission, one of the highest carbon footprints of any individual on Earth, however he has taken small steps to offset his emissions. As the World Economic Forum's annual meeting continues in Davos this week, world leaders demanding climate change action are being criticized for having flown their private jets into the Swiss town.

In a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper in 2021, the billionaire explained that his use of private jets was not as bad as some make it out to be because he uses fuel made from plants, drives an electric car, and pays a company to suck carbon out of the air.



"You fly private planes a lot," Cooper reminded Gates, "and you're creating a lot of greenhouse gases yourself."

"Yeah I probably have one of the highest greenhouse gas footprints of anyone on the planet," Gates replied, something Cooper called "ironic" given his environmental activism.

Gates explained that the emissions created by just his personal flights are "gigantic."

"I'm spending quite a bit to buy aviation fuel that was made with plants," Gates said defensively. "I switched to an electric car, I use solar panels."

In addition to all that, Gates revealed that he had begun paying a company that, for a "very high price," pulls carbon out of the air and sticks it in the ground.

"I'm offsetting my personal emissions," he declared, explaining that at $400 per tonne, he pays nearly $7 million per year to make up for his carbon-producing lifestyle.

Just months after the interview, Gates attended the Sun Valley Conference, which many have described as a "billionaire summer camp." Attendees, who all flew in on their private jets, were lectured by Gates on the supposed dangers posed by climate change.

Gates has expressed a desire to work with the US government in its environmental crusade, offering to throw in a billion dollars or more if Congress passes laws that he believes will move things in the right direction.