Bill Gates Offers $1.5 Billion In Climate Help If US Takes Legislative Action

A $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by the US Senate this week would funnel billions of dollars to the Department of Energy for projects battling climate change.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday said his climate fund would pour $1.5 billion into projects with the United States if the government enacts a program to cut carbon emissions currently working its way through Congress. A $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by the US Senate this week would funnel billions of dollars to the Department of Energy for projects battling climate change. If the infrastructure package becomes law, "this collaboration will not only send us on a more durable path to net zero, but will create both immediate and long-term jobs in communities across the country," Gates said in a statement published by CNBC. By funding work on roads, bridges and ports, as well as clean water and high-speed internet, US President Joe Biden said the bill -- which still needs House approval -- would create thousands of high-paying jobs for people without college degrees.