“India as a whole gives me hope for the future. It’s about to become the world’s most populous country – which means you can’t solve most problems there without solving them at scale. And yet, India has proven it can tackle big challenges,” said Bill Gates in the latest note on his personal blog. The philanthropist and Microsoft founder has been involved in fighting global poverty and health inequality. Gates drew a linkage between the adverse effects of climate change and poverty, saying it is impossible to resolve the latter without addressing the former.
In his blog post, Bill Gates pointed to India as an example on how to tackle both the issues simultaneously. “I’m stubborn in my belief that … we’re capable of making progress on lots of big problems at once—even at a time when the world faces multiple crises. There is no better proof than the remarkable progress that India has accomplished,” he wrote.
The billionaire noted that India has taken momentous strides in addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges, including polio eradication, reducing poverty, and increasing access to sanitation and financial services. The success India faced is a result of its innovative approach to problem solving and commitment to tackling climate change and poverty, even as it is on the frontlines of these crises.
India’s success is attributed to the country’s ingenuity, however much the current challenges test their limits, said Gates. By collaborating and trying novel approaches, the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can turn the limited resources available into large pools of funding and knowledge that lead to progress. He credited researchers Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARA) for their progress in finding solutions to problems created by climate change, which would result in large-scale poverty, such as creating a new chickpea variant that is resistant to drought and has a higher yield.
India can be key to making progress on today’s biggest challenges per Gates. The billionaire will visit India next week to see firsthand the work being done by innovators and entrepreneurs. Some are working on breakthroughs that will help us mitigate the effects of climate change, while others are finding new ways to help people adapt to a warmer world. By people working together, Gates reaffirmed his certainty on fighting climate change and improving global health at the same time.