Home

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos commits $15b to fight climate change

AP
An Amazon spokesman confirmed that Jeff Bezos will be using his own money for the fund.
Camera IconAn Amazon spokesman confirmed that Jeff Bezos will be using his own money for the fund. Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to spend $US10 billion ($15 billion) of his own fortune to help fight climate change.

Bezos, the world’s richest man, said in an Instagram post that he’ll start giving grants this year to scientists, activists and non-profits working to protect Earth.

“I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change,” Bezos said in the post.

Amazon, the company Bezos runs, has an enormous carbon footprint. Last year, Amazon officials said the company would work to have 100 per cent of its energy use come from solar panels and other renewable energy by 2030.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The online retailer relies on fossil fuels to power planes, trucks and vans in order to ship billions of items all around the world. Amazon workers in its Seattle headquarters have been vocal in criticising some of the company’s practices, pushing it to do more to combat climate change.

Bezos said in the post Monday that he will call his new initiative the Bezos Earth Fund. An Amazon spokesman confirmed that Bezos will be using his own money for the fund.

Despite being among the richest people in the world, Bezos only recently became active in donating money to causes as other billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have done.

In 2018, Bezos started another fund, committing $US2 billion of his own money to open pre-schools in low-income neighbourhoods and give money to non-profits that help homeless families.

Bezos, who founded Amazon 25 years ago, has a stake in the company that is worth more than $US100 billion.

AP

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails