Jeff Bezos pledges $10 billion to fight climate change in new initiative

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced on Instagram the launch of the ‘Bezos Earth Fund,’ committing to $10 billion “to start,” with a promise to begin issuing grants in the summer.

Amazon hopes to have 15,000 jobs in Bellevue in ‘next few years’

View this post on Instagram

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

A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos) on Feb 17, 2020 at 10:00am PST

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our plant,” Bezos said in his post Monday. “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 Bezos Earth Fund is a global initiative that will fund “scientists, activists, NGOs” and additional efforts to protect the natural world, according to the post.

Bezos wrote that saving Earth will “take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organizations, and individuals.”

In early January, KIRO 7 reported that two Amazon employees were told they would be fired if they continued to speak out about the company’s environmental policies. The employees had expressed concerns, originally reported by The Washington Post, that the business practices of the Seattle-based company are not environmentally sound and are contributing to climate change.

Dozens of activists groups form national coalition against Amazon

Bezos had announced late last year that Amazon would meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement 10 years early, setting a goal to be carbon neutral by 2040.

The Amazon Employees for Climate Justice issued a statement following Bezos’ announcement.

“We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away.”

Read the full statement on Twitter here.