Bill Gates ignited a firestorm this week with the publication of a new climate strategy memo. In the memo ’s first page, the Microsoft founder dismissed, in his words, the “doomsday view” that climate change would “decimate civilization” and called for a recalibration of priorities—including more funding for global health and a narrower focus on key technologies that can make a difference on climate. Paired with a move to cut funding for efforts to craft climate policy earlier this year, the