WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE

DISASTER," BILL GATES.

GOVERNOR ABBOTT DOWN IN TEXAS SAYS THEIR PROBLEM WAS GREEN

ENERGY DOWN IN TEXAS.

THAT'S WHY THEY DIDN'T HAVE POWER, SO THE WATER SYSTEM SHUT

DOWN AND THE HEATERS SHUT DOWN AND THE PIPES BURST.

WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BLAME GREEN ENERGY

FOR THERE LATEST CRISIS?

>> WELL, THE PROBLEM WAS THEY DIDN'T WEATHERIZE ANY OF THEIR

POWER SOURCES, SO NATURAL GAS SHUT DOWN, AND THAT WAS THE

BIGGEST THING.

THE WIND SHUTTING DOWN WAS A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE, AND THAT

WAS JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T WEATHERIZED IT.

EVEN NORTH DAKOTA HAS WIND THAT WORKS AT COLD TEMPERATURES.

THERE ARE TWO REALLY VALID POINTS HERE, THOUGH, WHICH IS

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE OF THESE CRAZY WEATHER EVENTS, EVEN

COLD ONES LIKE THAT, BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND, AS WE MAKE

THE GRID CLEAN, IT IS -- IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE TO KEEP IT

RELIABLE BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE LOTS OF CASES WHERE THERE'S NOT

MUCH SUN OR WIND, SO WE HAVE TO INNOVATE TO BE ABLE TO STORE

ENERGY OR USE A WEATHER-INDEPENDENT GREEN SOURCE

LIKE NUCLEAR.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

WELL, I MEAN, PEOPLE LOOK AT NUCLEAR A LITTLE ASKANCE, AND

I'M SURE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.

THERE HAVE BEEN NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS.

I'M NOT SURE IF YOU SAW H.B.O.'S SHEERS CHERNOBYL, BUT IT WAS A

BIT CHILLING, ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THERE WOULD BE A

LARGE HUNK OF EASTERN EUROPE WOULD NOT BE INHABITABLE FOR

SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO DO NUCLEAR POWER SAFELY?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE NEED A NEW DESIGN.

THE RECORD, DESPITE CHERNOBYL, DESPITE WHAT COAL HAS DONE TO

PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND COAL MINUS AND NATURAL GAS PIPELINES

BLOWING UP, IT'S QUITE GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

SO WE NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH AND HAVE A REACTOR THAT THE

OPERATES CAN NEVER MESS UP, THAT NO MATTER WHAT, THE RADIOACTIVE

STUFF STAYS ON SITE, AND I'M INVOLVED IN A COMPANY THAT JUST

GOT A U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTRACT TO PROVE THAT THERE'S THIS NEW

SUPER SAFE GENERATION.

>> Stephen: UM, NOT TO PUSH BACK AGAINST SOMEONE WHO KNOWS

MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO, BUT ISN'T THE DANGER WITH NUCLEAR

REACTORS NOT SO MUCH THAT OTHER FORMS OF ENERGY DON'T KILL

PEOPLE IN THE LONG RUN, BUT THAT A LARGE CHUNK OF THE PLANET

DOESN'T BECOME UNINHABITABLE AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT WHEN

NUCLEAR RADIATION IS SPREAD LIKE A POISONOUS SAUCE OVER UKRAINE?

>> NO, THE CHERNOBYL WAS A HUGE DISASTER, AND, YOU KNOW, THE

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL SPREAD OUT OF THE REACTOR, AND, YOU KNOW,

PEOPLE HAD TO LEAVE THAT AREA.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE STUFF IN THE REACTOR.

IT IS, YOU KNOW -- IT -- THE HISTORY IS CLEAR, BUT, GOING

FORWARD, PEOPLE SHOULD JUST HAVE AN OPEN MIND BECAUSE YOU WANT A

GREEN SOURCE OF ENERGY THAT'S NOT WEATHER DEPENDENT, AND

NUCLEAR IS THE ONLY THING THAT HAS A CHANCE OF SCALING THAT

WELL, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M AMAZED AT THE BRILLIANT THINGS PEOPLE

HAVE COME UP WITH TO BE ABLE TO GUARANTEE THIS, AND NOW WE CAN

SIMULATE ALL THE BAD THINGS THAT MGHT HAPPEN TO MAKE SURE WE'RE

ROBUST.

>> Stephen: AT 65 YEARS OLD, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO

SAY TO THIS GUY FROM 37 YEARS AGO?

YOU SEE THIS FELLOW RIGHT HERE?

>> YEAH, HE WAS A MAD MAN.

HE WORKED ALL THE TIME.

HE DIDN'T THINK OLD PEOPLE HAD ANY GOOD IDEAS, SO I WOULD TELL

THEM TO MELLOW ON THAT ONE.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: ARE THERE ANY

THINGS YOU WOULD SAY LIKE, DON'T DO THAT, DON'T PURSUE THAT

PROJECT?

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD WAVE HIM OFF.

>> BE NICE TO THE GOVERNMENT.

>> Stephen: BE NICE TO THE GOVERNMENT?

WHY?

WAS THIS GUY JUST A LITTLE CREEP TO THE GOVERNMENT?

>> NO, NO, HE EVENTUALLY GOT INTO AN ANTITRUST TRIAL.

>> Stephen: OH, THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

AND WAS HE RIGHT OR WRONG FOR DEFENDING HIS ACTIONS?

>> UH, I'M TOO BIASED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE IMMINENTLY FAIR TO YOURSELF.

( LAUGHTER ) WELL, BILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH

FOR BEING HERE.

>> WELL, THANKS.

GREAT TO TALK TO YOU.

>> Stephen: I WAS WAITING FOR A THANKS BACK.

THAT'S ALL.

CAN'T BELIEVE HOW HARD I HAD TO FISH FOR THAT ONE.

( LAUGHTER ) HOW DO AVOID A CLIMATE DISASTER

IS AVAILABLE NOW.

BILL GATES, EVERYBODY.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY "TUNE-YARDS."

♪♪♪