Bill Gates Wants The World To Wake Up To The Dangers Of Cow Farts

"As the urban population continues to grow in the coming decades, the world's building stock is expected to double by 2060 - the equivalent of adding another New York City monthly between now and then," explained Bill.

"That's a lot of cement and steel. We need to find a way to make it all without worsening climate change."

That said, manufacturing isn't the only perpetrator, as agriculture accounts for a whopping 24% of greenhouses gases.

"That includes cattle, which give off methane when they belch and pass gas," added Gates. "(A personal surprise for me: I never thought I'd be writing seriously about bovine flatulence.)"

Of course, solving this gassy issue can't be done overnight, something which Bill and Melinda recognise - unfortunately the solution isn't just a case of building more solar panels and wind turbines and we can't just put all of the world's manufacturing sectors on standstill.

"Part of the solution is to invest in innovation in all five sectors so we can do these things without destroying the climate," explained Bill. "We need breakthrough inventions in each of the grand challenges."

In the case of the Microsoft founder, these aren't just empty words either. Not only does he intend on leaving most of his $89 billion fortune to charity, but he continues to tackle these issues with programs funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Not to mention Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the $1 billion fund he helped launch, which will continued to channel future investments into clean-energy companies.

It's certainly positive to know that people like Bill and Melinda are using their money to help tackle the catastrophic effects of climate change, which are only set to get worse unless there's an unprecedented attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years.