New York Post – Bill Gates shops for climate-saving farm – aboard super-polluter yacht

Source: https://nypost.com/2021/11/02/bill-gates-shops-for-climate-saving-farm-aboard-polluting-yacht/

Bill Gates has been scouting for farmland to help save the environment — aboard one of the world’s worst-polluting forms of transportation.

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

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

But Gates set off on his environmental crusade aboard a superyacht, which environmentalists say are among the world’s worst ecological offenders. According to Turkish news reports, he sailed the azure waters of the Aegean on LANA, a 354-foot yacht described as “one of the most luxurious superyachts in the world.” The boat includes eight staterooms, a golf range, a cinema room, a pool and massage rooms. It accommodates 12 guests and 31 crew members, and rents for more than $2 million a week, according to a Monaco-based yacht rental service.

Superyachts like LANA (top) and the Wayfinder are some of the most exclusive in the world and dump 7,020 tons of CO2 a year, making them the worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint.

LANA was followed by the Wayfinder — a 223-foot luxury “supply boat” that is believed to be owned by the billionaire and was used to house his 30 bodyguards for the weeklong trip, according to Turkish news reports.