Jeff Bezos pledges $10 billion to fight climate change

The worlds richest man says he’s giving $10 billion — around 7.7% of his net worth — to “explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share.”

The Bezos Earth Fund to begin issuing grants this summer

Jeff Bezos just announced he’s giving $10 billion to fight climate change and launch a new initiative called the Bezos Earth Fund. “We can save Earth,” he said in a post on Instagram. “It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organizations, and individuals.” The richest man in the world, Bezos has an estimated net worth of about $130 billion, so his $10 billion pledge is about 7.7% of that.

The post goes on to finish: “ 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.⁣⁣⁣” — Jeff
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announces he’ll be committing $10 billion to fight climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund The post goes on to finish: “ 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.⁣⁣⁣” — Jeff Source: Instagram/jeffbezos

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” — Jeff Bezos

Amazon CEO and world’s richest man Jeff Bezos announced in a post on Instagram that he’s starting the Bezos Earth Fund. He said he expects to start giving out grants this summer. With an estimated net worth of nearly $130 billion, his pledge accounts for about 7.7% of his wealth.

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” Bezos said. “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.”

The move follows pressure from Amazon employees to push the company to do more to fight climate change, reported BusinessInsider. More than 350 employees signed a Medium blog in January calling for net-zero emissions by 2030, among other requests.

In September, Bezos announced Amazon’s climate pledge to get the company carbon-neutral by 2040, 100% renewable energy by 2030, and 100,000 electric delivery vehicles by 2030.

Bezos’ full Instagram post read: 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. 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.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ -Jeff

Someone close to the fund told The Verge that it would not engage in private sector investment, but focus entirely on charitable giving.

The fund plans to begin issuing grants this summer, but right now, there are few hard details besides what Bezos shared on Instagram, so it’s unclear exactly how or when applications for grants will be accepted.

Source: BusinessesInsider.nl

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