Melinda Gates is an optimist.

As co-chair of the largest private philanthropy in the world, she ought to be. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spends billions per year combating the spread of infectious disease around the world. The foundation also supports innovation in agriculture, education, women’s health and more. The couple relies on their optimism — and impatience — to change the world.

Gates defends her optimism with data. “Despite the headlines, we see a world that’s getting better,” wrote the couple in their 2018 Annual Letter. “The world is healthier and safer than ever. The number of children who die every year has been cut in half since 1990 and keeps going down.”

Melinda Gates recently shared her views  —  on biotechnology, global health and more  —  in an interview with Vox.com founder Ezra Klein at the 2018 South By Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas.

“If we can genetically modify a cereal crop […] to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere back into the soil — wow. That’s a game changer.”

Gates emphasized that the developing world will be hit hardest by rising tides and changing weather patterns. To help existing crops thrive on a changing planet, the foundation is also helping to develop drought- and flood-resistant seeds.

Read more about Melinda Gates' view on biotechnology by Ian Haydon at Medium