If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

This is the title and framing of the 2016 Bill and Melinda Gates letter. The letter is an annual outline of their Foundation’s priorities and mission for the year.

This year’s frame came out of a discussion the philanthropic power couple had with high school students in Kentucky. A student asked the two: “If you could have one superpower, what would it be?”

According to their letter, their response was “More time!” and “More Energy!”

The introduction to this year’s letter tells a story of how these energies made them think bigger than just their own lives. They said the responses were “immediately familiar to other parents.” But that “they mean one thing in rich countries and something else entirely when looked at through the eyes of the world’s poorest families.”

It was in an effort to see the answer’s through the eyes of the world’s poor that the Gates wrote two heartfelt sections of the letter.

Bill took on “More Energy.” “Without access to energy, the poor are stuck in the dark denied all of these benefits and opportunities that come with power,” he wrote.  

He focused on how energy can be the key to alleviating poverty as well as the responsibility to consume energy responsibly to protect the planet. One great aspect was his explainer on how much money is spent on energy research versus oil. Spoiler: the closing fact is impressive.

His summation is powerful and clear: “Á cheap, clean source of energy would change everything.” A superpower indeed.

Melinda Gates took on the topic of “More Time.” A focal point for this section is the time spent on household chores by women. Acknowledging that “most girls don’t think they will be stuck with the same rules that kept their grandmothers in the home,” Melinda counters with some cold hard truths. “I’m sorry to say this, but if you think that, you’re wrong. Unless things change, girls today will spend hundreds of thousands more hours than boys doing unpaid work simply because society assumes it’s their responsibility.”

The facts are on Melinda’s side. Her video breaks down the concept of “Time Poverty” and just how damaging it can be.

Bill and Melinda have picked the two superpowers they believe the world needs.The video at the top takes a look at another superpower: Education. What superpower would you want to save the world?

Disclosure: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a funding partner of Global Citizen.

Editor's note: This piece has been updated to include a disclosure that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a funding partner of Global Citizen. We regret the oversight.