In the past month, Jeff Bezos was publicly shamed for donating $690,000 to Australian wildlife relief, and also was called out by his own employees over Amazon's record on climate change.
So, on Monday, the world's richest man (with an estimated net worth of nearly $130 billion) openly shared a pledge to give $10 billion of his money to address that very issue. In an Instagram post, Bezos said he'd be launching the Bezos Earth Fund, which means he'll be giving grants to scientists, nonprofits, and activists whose goal is protecting the planet. That money will be divided up as early as this summer.
“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” said Bezos in an Instagram post. “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.”
Not surprising given their whole business centers around bringing things from their factories directly to your door, Bezos' company, the massive online retailer Amazon, has a colossal carbon footprint. They've stated their intent to have all their energy come from renewable resources by 2030, however.
Bezos has recently taken to donating money after previously having a reputation for not doing that. In 2018, he started up another fund that saw him committing $2 billion to the causes of opening preschools in low-income areas, and also giving to charities that aid homeless families.
GeekWire writes that Amazon praised their CEO's newest donation in a statement, saying:
“Amazon took a bold step when it announced the Climate Pledge, committing the company to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement ten years early, and we’re incredibly excited about the Bezos Earth Fund. Jeff’s passion and this extraordinary personal contribution to the fight against climate change are going to have a huge impact.”
You can read Bezos' entire post below:
