Jeff Bezos, Amazon

Jeff Bezos pledges $10bn to fight climate crisis

Amazon CEO calls for collective action against global warming
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Jeff Bezos, Amazon. Image: Amazon

18 February 2020

Jeff Bezos is committing $10 billion of his own money to tackling the climate crisis. In a post on Instagram, the Amazon CEO and world’s richest man announced the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund.

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet. I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share,” he wrote.

“This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world. We can save Earth. It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organisations, and individuals. ⁣⁣⁣

“I’m committing $10 billion to start and will begin issuing grants this summer. Earth is the one thing we all have in common – let’s protect it, together.⁣⁣⁣”

Bezos is worth an estimated $126 billion, meaning this initial investment is equal to about 8% of his personal fortune.

Bezos’ announcement has been greeted with guarded approval by a group calling itself Amazon Employees for Climate Change. In a statement posted on the line the group called for more company-wide measures for reducing its use of fossil fuels.

“We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away,” the statement read. “The people of Earth need to know: When is Amazon going to stop helping oil and gas companies ravage Earth with still more oil and gas wells? When is Amazon going to stop funding climate-denying think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute and climate-delaying policy? When will Amazon take responsibility for the lungs of children near its warehouses by moving from diesel to all-electric trucking?”

Neither Amazon nor Bezos issued an official reply.

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