Some of the top leaders in tech were at UC Berkeley Tuesday to talk about tools to fight climate change.
From climate scientists and entrepreneurs to venture capitalists, hundreds of people gathered together to find solutions to a global problem.
Headliner Bill Gates, who committed billions in research for climate change solutions through his company Breakthrough Energy, took the stage explaining how the current economy could post challenges for the industry.
"We're going to go through a winter period of a number of years," he said.
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Still, Gates remains optimistic on how climate tech can impact the world and who can make a difference.
"Taking IQ, the best IQ in the world, and saying, 'Hey, don't just do derivatives on Wall Street...these climate-related problems, we need you to get involved," he said.
Darrell Etherington from Tech Crunch, an online magazine focused on innovation, hosted the Q&A with Gates.
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"By some measures we are not making as much progress as maybe we should be," Etherington said. "He still seems optimistic that we can get to his goal of carbon zero by 2050."
Etherington believes some of the biggest hurdles will be funding and creating synergy between policy makers, innovators and engineers.
"There is a lot that has to happen, but the only way it can happen is through technological innovation," he said.
