How The Energy-Hungry Tech Industry Is Fighting Climate Change

Technology needs electricity. It needs manufacturing and networks of gas-guzzling delivery trucks. But it also needs a healthy planet populated by human beings. As a result, some of the biggest names in the technology industry are teaming up to find and fund solutions to climate change.

Yesterday, as world leaders began climate talks in Paris, Microsoft founder and serial philanthropist Bill Gates announced a multibillion-dollar effort to support clean energy, called the Breakthrough Energy Coalition. Gates is joined by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Virgin’s Richard Branson and Jack Ma of the Chinese company Alibaba.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Mark Bergen of Re/code for a look at the funding group, what it hopes to accomplish and how the broader technology industry is – or is not – addressing climate change.

Guest

• Mark Bergen, associate editor of search and online advertising for Re/code. He tweets @mhbergen.

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