The Gates Path to an Energy Revolution - Dot Earth Blog
Gates hammered on points reported here for many years: that without a big, and sustained, boost in spending on basic research and development on energy frontiers, the chances of triggering an energy revolution are nil; that while the private sector and venture capital investors are vital for transforming breakthroughs into marketable products or services, they will not invest in the long-haul inquiry that’s required to generate game-changing breakthroughs; that a 1 or 2 percent tax on carbon-emitting fuels could generate a large, steady stream of money for invigorating the innovation pipeline; that a declining emissions cap and credit trading system –- if it could survive America’s polarized politics –- would have to raise energy costs far beyond what would be politically tenable to generate a similar scale of transformational activity.