Jeff Bezos has pledged $10 billion to help fight climate change.
The entrepreneur on Monday launched the “Bezos Earth Fund,” initially committing 7.7 percent of his net worth (an estimated $129.9 billion) to stopping global warming.
“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” Bezos wrote in an Instagram announcement. “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 global initiative will begin issuing grants this summer to fund scientists, activists, NGOs—”any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world,” Bezos said.
The first centi-billionaire on the Forbes wealth index, Bezos was named “richest man in modern history” in 2018.
But the Amazon founder is not exactly known for his philanthropy.
Bezos was reportedly the only holdout among the world’s top five billionaires to sign the Giving Pledge, created by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage the wealthy to donate their fortune.
He has gifted some money over the years: $1 million here, $2 billion there.
This week’s $10 billion promise, however, is by far the largest pot Bezos has offered.
“Earth is the one thing we all have in common,” he wrote. “Let’s protect it, together.”
In September, Amazon workers organized a walk-out as part of the Global Climate Strike: More than 1,800 employees in 25 cities and 14 countries participated, protesting Amazon’s environmental impact and inaction to climate change.
The e-commerce giant has taken some steps toward greener operations: It boasts a network of solar and wind farms, and aims to reach 50 percent carbon neutral shipments by 2030.
That’s not good enough, though, for many employees, who claim Amazon pollutes communities with fossil fuels, bolsters the petroleum industry, and funds climate deniers.
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