Bill Gates bothered by manufacturing sector's impact on climate goals

Bill Gates said that he is bothered neither governments nor investors are looking hard to solve the problem of climate-warming emissions created by the manufacturing sector.

He pointed out that there is currently no way to make steel or cement without releasing climate-warming emissions.

Interestingly, Gates has invested some $2 billion toward the development of clean technologies but only in electricity generation and storage, not in manufacturing.

Manufacturing accounts for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it more polluting than the power or transportation sectors, which receive far more attention in policies and investments.

And the sector is set to grow, with the global population increasing and countries further developing.

Gates said there should be diversity in the solutions being sought so governments do not end up duplicating efforts.

Some manufacturing plants may be able to lower their emissions by plugging into an electricity grid run on renewable energy. But that will not solve all emissions from steel- and cement-making, both processes that release carbon dioxide as a byproduct.