Bill Gates buys climate-friendly farm aboard polluting yacht

Bill Gates searched for farmland to help save the environment – aboard one of the most polluting modes of transportation in the world.

On the eve of his appearance at the United Nations climate summit, the billionaire philanthropist requisitioned two lavish superyachts for a luxury trip along the Turkish coast that saw him celebrate his birthday and buy “hundreds of acres. of farmland, “a source told The Poster. “He wants to create a large, sustainable farm in Turkey” for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the $ 50 billion charity he runs with his ex-wife.

Gates, who turned 66 on Thursday at a beach party that included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pledged $ 315 million at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Tuesday to help farmers to develop crops resistant to climate change.

Gates said the money his nonprofit has committed in Glasgow will go to a seed consortium which will help farmers adapt to climate change.

“Unless small farmers can adapt to climate change, we will lose the global battle against hunger and poverty”, he tweeted Tuesday.

But Gates has embarked on his environmental crusade aboard a superyacht, which environmentalists say is one of the world’s worst environmental offenders. According to Turkish reports, he sailed the azure waters of the Aegean Sea on LANA, a 354 foot yacht described as “one of the most luxurious superyachts in the world”. The boat has eight cabins, a golf course, a cinema room, a swimming pool and massage rooms. It accommodates 12 guests and 31 crew, and rents more than $ 2 million per week, according to a Monaco-based yacht charter service.

LANA was followed by the Wayfinder – a 223-foot luxury “supply boat” believed to be owned by the billionaire and which was used to house his 30 bodyguards for the week-long trip, according to Turkish reports.

A representative for Gates did not respond to requests for comment.

“A superyacht with a permanent crew, a helicopter runway, submarines and swimming pools emits around 7,020 tonnes of CO2 per year… which makes it by far the worst asset to have from an environmental point of view.” , wrote climate experts Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University. Wilk told The Post that the average person’s CO2 emissions in a year are between five and 10 tonnes.

“Gates has publicly admitted that he is a hypocrite on climate change,” Wilk said. “On the one hand, he made a lot of awareness about the state of the world, but then [his actions show] he’s not going to give up his lifestyle. It is a real contradiction.

Last week, Gates, 66, booked Sea Me Beach restaurant in the Aegean port city of Fethiye, Turkey, where guests arrived by helicopter and speedboat for the four-hour event, media reported. Turkish.

Bezos, the second richest man in the world with a net worth of nearly $ 200 billion, flew 120 miles to join the party. He then took a private jet to Glasgow, where he pledged $ 2 billion for nature conservation and transforming food systems on Tuesday.

Gates had hosted 50 birthday guests who dined on sushi and pizza and sipped champagne overlooking the Aegean Sea.

“The doors started in [the resort town of] Bodrum before jumping from bay to bay ”, according to an article in Daily sabah. He celebrated his birthday on Thursday and also traveled to Izmir where he admired the views, visiting the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic shrine where Jesus’ mother is said to have spent his final years. .

It was Gates’ second visit to the country in four months, according to the Turkish newspaper, as he sought business and philanthropic opportunities. He already owns 22,000 acres near Thrace in western Turkey, according to local reports.

Gates, who finalized his divorce from 27-year-old wife Melinda Gates in August, left for Turkey shortly after celebrating his eldest daughter’s wedding in Westchester last month. Jennifer Gates, 25, medical student in New York City, posted a tribute and a photo from her lavish wedding on Instagram on her father’s birthday last Thursday.

“I am grateful to learn from your example of endless curiosity, constant exploration and desire to help humanity. Excited to hear what you are learning on this next tour of the sun, ”she said. “Thank you for supporting our union and our dream day recently – these memories will last a lifetime Xx Jenn.”