Bill Gates was asked whether his private jet makes him a “hypocrite” while funding climate innovation.
Gates disagreed, saying he pays for carbon offsets and his jet helps further his climate fundraising.

Gates reportedly owns a $40 million Bombardier BD-700 Global Express he once called his “guilty pleasure.”

Bill Gates explained why he doesn’t consider himself a hypocrite for using his private jet while simultaneously warning about climate change promoting climate innovation.

Gates was asked in an interview with the BBC in Kenya what his response would be to someone who would call him a hypocrite for being a “climate change campaigner” while also flying “around the world in a private jet.”

“I buy the gold standard of funding Climeworks to do direct air capture that far exceeds my family’s carbon footprint,” Gates said, referencing paying for offsets on his carbon footprint.

Climeworks is a Swiss company that removes carbon dioxide emissions from the air, and puts them back in the ground in an effort to curb global warming.

Gates, who is currently the fourth richest person in the world, also said he spends “billions of dollars on climate innovation.”

“So, you know, should I stay at home and not come to Kenya and learn about farming and malaria?” Gates said.

“I’m comfortable with the idea that, not only am I not part of the problem by paying for the offsets, but also through the billions that my breakthrough energy group is spending, that I’m part of the solution,” Gates told the BBC.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

On a Bloomberg podcast appearance last September, Gates said “innovation is not just a check-writing process,” and that “the cost” of fighting the climate crisis “is way greater than what anyone could fund.” In 2015, Gates founded Breakthrough Energy, which invests in climate technology for sustainable energy and reducing emissions.

On Reddit, the Microsoft cofounder has said his private jet is his “guilty pleasure” and his “big splurge.”

He reportedly owns a 19-seater Bombardier BD-700 Global Express that costs around $40 million. He called his plane “a huge indulgence,” along with his Porsche, which he told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres are the two “crazy things” he’s bought as a billionaire.

Gates has also said climate change can’t be solved by telling people to change their lifestyle, for example, telling people not to eat meat or that they shouldn’t want a nice house.

“That is too difficult,” Gates told Bloomberg’s Zero podcast. “You can make a case for it, but I don’t think it’s realistic for that to play a central role.”