Amazon chief Jeff Bezos has jumped on the climate change bandwagon along with tech powerhouses Microsoft and Google. Bezos recently announced on Instagram a $10 billion Earth Fund for scientists, activists and NGOs to fight against climate change.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently announced his desire to do his bit in global efforts against “the devastating impact of climate change†by launching the Bezos Earth FundOpens a new window that will provide up to $10 billion to scientists, activists, and NGOs around the world.
The grants will start going out this summer and will fund known methods as well as explore new ways to protect the Earth’s environment, Bezos said in an Instagram post posted earlier today. He also hinted at increasing the Fund’s corpus by stating that the $10 billion is being committed to start the program.
“Today, I’m thrilled to announce I am launching 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,†Bezos said.
“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 organizations, 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,†he added.
Amazon to Meet Paris Agreement Guidelines by 2030
His announcement comes not long after Amazon claimed it would meet the Paris Agreement ten years early as against the deadline of 2040 by reducing net carbon emissions across its businesses to zero by 2030. The commitment was part of the company’s “Climate PledgeOpens a new window †that mandates the use of renewable energy, material reductions, efficiency improvements, and other carbon emission elimination strategies.
“We’re done being in the middle of the herd on this issue—we’ve decided to use our size and scale to make a difference. If a company with as much physical infrastructure as Amazon—which delivers more than 10 billion items a year—can meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early, then any company can,†said Bezos while announcing the Climate Pledge.
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“I’ve been talking with other CEOs of global companies, and I’m finding a lot of interest in joining the pledge. Large companies signing The Climate Pledge will send an important signal to the market that it’s time to invest in the products and services the signatories will need to meet their commitments,†he added.
However, adhering to the pledge could turn out to be an uphill task for Amazon. According to Greenpeace, Amazon emits 44.4 million tonsOpens a new window CO2e every year, compared to 16 million tons CO2e emitted by Microsoft and just 1.5 million tons CO2e emitted by Google. The NGO claims that Amazon’s Climate Pledge also doesn’t include its supply chain that is responsible for 75% of the company’s annual CO2 emissions.
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