Bill Gates on energy philanthropy, R&D funding, & why the U.S. will out-innovate China

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- the richest in the world, with an endowment of $37 billion -- doesn't have plans to focus on clean energy and climate change, Bill Gates said on Tuesday. Speaking at a fundraiser for Northwest nonprofit Climate Solutions, he argued that energy markets and investments are too large for philanthropic money to make much of a dent. But Gates is investing in energy-tech startups himself -- he called out nuclear company TerraPower in particular -- and he hopes those investments make money that can then be plowed into his foundation.

You can watch and read the transcript  on Grist.org