SCoPEx Swedish Balloon Test Cancelled After Indigenous Sami Opposition
A planned test flight of the Gates-funded SCoPEx geoengineering experiment from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden was cancelled following strong opposition from the Saami Council — representing the indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia — and Swedish environmental organizations. Critics argued the experiment lacked proper governance and public consent, and set a dangerous precedent for unilateral geoengineering field research. The episode accelerated international discussions about who has authority to authorize geoengineering experiments.
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Publicly called for rich countries to shift entirely to synthetic beef to reduce methane emissions
Related Accomplishments
March 2025
Breakthrough Energy Ventures Invests in Savor — Butter Made Directly from Carbon
Breakthrough Energy Ventures backed Savor, a startup that produces butter using carbon dioxide and hydrogen — derived from atmospheric carbon and water — without any conventional agriculture, animals, or farmland. Savor's thermochemical process generates saturated fat with an identical molecular profile to dairy butter while using an estimated 99.9 percent less water and zero agricultural land. The product launched at Michelin-starred restaurants in 2025, with supermarket availability targeted for 2027, as part of Gates's broader bet on food-system decarbonisation.
2024
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst Invests $40 Million in Deep Sky Carbon Removal
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst — Gates's industrial decarbonisation investment vehicle — committed $40 million to Deep Sky, a Quebec-based company developing commercial direct air capture facilities across Canada. The investment marked Catalyst's first in the DAC sector. Deep Sky's Alpha facility in Alberta is designed as a testing ground for multiple next-generation carbon removal technologies, with the goal of proving the cost trajectory needed to make DAC viable at planetary scale.
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