Policy Exchange’s status as the UK’s most influential think tank is widely recognised. Conservative Home has declared that “If anyone was to draw up a list of the top twenty most influential think tanks in Westminster, can anyone seriously doubt that Policy Exchange would be at number one?”
Policy Exchange hosted Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Microsoft. Gates was exclusively interviewed in Policy Exchange’s London office by Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health Select Committee. In a wide ranging discussion Gates warns that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celcius “will be very difficult… I doubt that we’ll be able to achieve that”.
The founder of Microsoft argues that innovation is the key to breakthroughs on climate change, especially in winning over India and China to the net zero agenda. He praises the UK’s climate leadership, noting that Britain “gets a very good grade on climate progress” and has been “exemplary” on reducing carbon emissions. Gates’s remarks on climate change were picked up by The Times, Financial Times. Evening Standard, and CNBC. Turning to the pandemic, Gates warns that tens of billions need to be spent in a research effort to ensure the world is better prepared for the next pandemic.
