In decades past, as the effects of climate change slowly became undeniable, some looked to the super rich for answers — the billionaires with enough cash to really make a splash. They backed green energy campaigns and carbon capture programs,

Breakthrough Energy, the climate group funded by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, has laid off dozens of employees in the US and Europe as it pulls back from public policy advocacy work that was a cornerstone of its mission.

Breakthrough Energy, an umbrella group for energy and environmental efforts funded by Mr. Gates, is resetting for the Trump era.