00:00There are some questions that keep even billionaire philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Gates
00:04up at night.
00:05Will there be another pandemic?
00:06Are global tensions going to reach a boiling point, sparking a global war?
00:10What would push us to that precipice?
00:13While Gates, a father of three, is optimistic about things like AI and eradicating deadly
00:17diseases like polio, he remains concerned about either a widespread war or another pandemic.
00:23He cited a lot of unrest in the world at the moment, which could spark a major war.
00:27And when speaking to CNBC, Gates stated that even if that conflict is avoided, there will
00:31be another pandemic, most likely in the next 25 years.
00:35The Microsoft co-founder was unimpressed with the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic
00:40and said crucial lessons have been ignored.
00:42He was critical of America's response to the crisis, saying, quote,
00:46The country that the world expected to lead and be the model fell short of those expectations.
00:50And Gates isn't alone in his disappointment.
00:52Many other global health advocates are also pushing the Western world for better responses
00:56to emerging outbreaks.
00:58One epidemiology professor said,
01:00In the West, we only really get interested in a disease when it starts directly threatening us.
01:04The problem is that so many of these diseases could have been prevented from spreading if
01:07the countries on the ground had had the resources.
01:10And the World Health Organization shared similar concerns.
01:13Earlier this year, the WHO issued a warning about the spread of the influenza virus through
01:18cattle, birds, and humans, and urged nations to work together to be better prepared for a pandemic.
01:23Nicola Lewis, director of the Worldwide Influenza Center, stated,
01:26There is one certainty.
01:28There will be another flu pandemic in the future.
01:31Lewis added,
01:32My message to international communities is that we have to set aside our reticence.
01:35We have to set aside our parochial concerns and remember the impacts and the devastating
01:39consequences of a global pandemic from whatever disease agent it comes from.
01:44Gates, who is worth $157 billion, isn't the only influential name warning about a potential
01:49global conflict.
01:51Last year, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon shared his thoughts about global tensions
01:55with CNBC TV18.
01:57I think the geopolitical situation is the thing that most concerns me.
02:02And we don't know the effect of that on the economy.
02:04We may be at an inflection point for the free democratic world.
02:08That's how serious I take it.
02:09So geopolitics, the number one risk that you believe the world is facing today?
02:13Absolutely.
02:14We've dealt with inflation before.
02:15We've dealt with deficits before.
02:17We've dealt with recessions before.
02:19We haven't really seen something like this pretty much since World War II.
Comments