Tech giant Bill Gates sees only one possible solution in combating climate change: big government.

In an interview with progressive outlet The Atlantic, Gates rattles through suggestion after suggestion as to how the changing climate can be slowed by government efforts. But not the kind of government that has provided him the freedom to exploit capitalism all the way to become the world's richest man. You see, Gates believes representative democracy is "a problem." Moreover, he views the private sector as "inept." But if the federal government could double -- no, triple -- its investment in energy research and development, climate change will have met its match.

“If you’re not bringing math skills to the problem,” Gates said, alluding to climate changer deniers, “then representative democracy is a problem.”

“Yes, the government will be somewhat inept,” he added. “But the private sector is in general inept. How many companies do venture capitalists invest in that go poorly? By far most of them.”

Not seeing any way private innovation and free markets could have an impact on cleaner energies, Gates instead looks to the federal government to be the driving force for the good of the planet, because in his assessment, "[T]here's no fortune to be made."

Realistically, we may not get more than a doubling in government funding of energy R&D --but I would love to see a tripling, to $18 billion a year from the U.S. government to fund basic research alone. Now, as a percentage of the government budget, that’s not gigantic.

Then, curiously, Gates sidesteps and suggests himself to be an investor, but only AFTER government has funded first:

I think dozens and dozens of approaches should be funded at the R&D level, and then people like myself, who can afford to take big risks with start-up companies, should—because of climate change—be willing to put some number of billions into the spin-offs that will come out of that government-funded activity. You can’t expect that it will be like a digital thing. So you do have to bring a more patient investor, and even a lower return threshold, to this than to other things.

But as Breitbart noted in its article about this interview, Gates spends a lot of time talking out of both sides of his mouth. On one hand, he sees global warming as a looming disaster, but on the other, climate models aren't exact but "within the error-bar range." As he states, "There's a lot of uncertainty in this."

Yet still, Gates contends for more green energy investments for solar and wind energy, even though he sees the irony in how much they cost to produce electricity.

But, as Gate states, "we need an energy miracle." And he's right, especially if China and the United States are going to have to be carbon free by 2050 to make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions, as he advocates.

It is unclear if Mr. Microsoft traveled to the interview in his gas-guzzling carbon-emitting 19-seater private jet. (AKA his $40 million "guilty pleasure" or "his big splurge.")