The richest man on earth and Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos announced he was pledging $10 billion towards fighting climate change at the start of the week. Through a ‘Bezos Earth Fund,’ he will provide cash funding to “scientists, activists, NGOs” and “any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world”. The grants will start getting issued this summer but there’s not a lot of information as to how groups can qualify. This new development has been considered Bezos’ largest charitable effort yet, cumulating to about eight percent of his wealth. Bezos recently contributed $2 billion towards improving early education and reducing homelessness through the Day 1 Fund.
According to Mic, this is purely a Bezos project; which is interesting considering he’s somewhat infamous for being uncharitable or donating very little in comparison to his massive wealth. On his instagram, he wrote: “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”. This announcement shows Bezos is ready to be a role model for other organisations and billionaires. “It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organisations, and individuals,” he wrote. “Earth is the one thing we all have in common — let’s protect it, together” he continued in his post. .
Regardless, people are calling for Bezos to do even more for our planet, saying the donations won’t make up for Amazon’s damages. “We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away. The people of Earth need to know: When is Amazon going to stop helping oil & gas companies ravage Earth with still more oil and gas wells?” the statement added. “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? – Amazon Employees For Climate Justice said in a statement Monday, which was released via Twitter.
